Elisa Balsamo clinches fourth stage win as Anna van der Breggen retains maglia rosa in Giro d'Italia Women

On 4 June 2026, stage six of the Giro d'Italia Women ran from Ala to Brescello, a 160 km flat route. Elisa Balsamo (Lidl‑Trek) won the sprint finish, her fourth stage victory of the race, edging out Maggie Coles‑Lyster (Human Powered Health) and Georgia Baker (Liv AlUla Jayco). The win gives Balsamo the points classification lead (maglia rossa). Anna van der Breggen (Team SD Worx‑Protime) kept the overall lead (maglia rosa) and remains one minute ahead of Demi Vollering, with Antonia Niedermaier third and Isabella Holmgren fourth in the general classification. The stage saw an early breakaway that was caught with about 50 km left, cross‑wind pressure that briefly split the peloton, and a late solo effort by Giorgia Serena of Mendelspeck E‑Work before the sprint teams re‑assembled. Balsamo’s fourth stage win makes her the first rider since Marianne Vos in 2019 to claim four stages in a single edition and the first Italian to achieve this feat since 2001. The race will continue with a hilly stage on 5 June.