Lorena Wiebes Disqualified from Giro d'Italia Women for Underweight Bike

Dutch sprinter Lorena Wiebes won the opening flat stage of the 2026 Giro d'Italia Women but was later disqualified by the UCI after her bike was found 20 g under the minimum weight limit. The team SD Worx‑Protime and manager Erwin Janssen announced they will appeal the ruling, stating the bike had been unchanged all season. Annemiek van Vleuten criticised the team's risk‑taking, noting the lack of a safety margin in equipment weighing.

Wiebes posted on Instagram with the hashtag #theshowmustgoon, saying she would rest and train for upcoming races. Meanwhile, stage 4 featured a 12.7 km uphill individual time trial from Belluno to Nevegal, where Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx‑Protime) posted a dominant 31:38, seizing the overall lead and the pink jersey, ahead of Marlen Reusser and Demi Vollering.

Other notable results included Ireland’s Lara Gillespie finishing second overall, Slovenian Urška Žigart placing ninth in the time trial and moving up in the general classification, and Italian Elisa Balsamo winning stages 2 and 3. The disqualification sparked debate over UCI equipment regulations and team strategies within professional women’s cycling.