An unpredictable plot has developed across eight days of racing for this year's Giro d'Italia Women, from the disqualification of stage 1 winner Lorena Wiebes to an avalanche of ice shortening Saturday's queen stage won by Demi Vollering. One consistency has been Anna van der Breggen, the SD Worx-Protime rider taking the maglia rosa on the stage 4 uphill time trial and holding all rivals at bay, so far.
Stage 9 is anything but a parade stage with 2,200 metres of total elevation gain on the 143km Saluzzo loop in the Piedmont region. It may not be the punishing mountain stage that Vollering would prefer to close a 49-second gap to the race leader, but there is still a great deal of demanding and undulating terrain across the 145km route where, as random weather impacts on Saturday proved, anything can happen to complete the story.
The route follows a large loop from Saluzzo, beginning north from the Piedmont town towards the Alps and then circling to the south along the foothills that touch the Po plain. The stiffest climb comes early, Montoso stretching for 9km after the opening 45 kilometres. The category one ascent has an average gradient of 9.4%, with a section rising to 14%, making it a delectable appetizer for attacks.
Two more categorised climbs are tackled in the middle sections, a third-category Colletta di Paesana (3.4km at 5.8%) and second-category Colletta di Brondello, which is 6.9km in length and like Montoso also has a 14% kicker near the top. From that final summit, there are 14km to an intermediate sprint at Colletta di Rossana and then 24 descending kilometres to the finish back in Saluzzo.
Van der Breggen still has to perform on Sunday but a fifth Giro title is a strong magnet. Can Vollering and her FDJ -SUEZ team execute a game plan to overtake Van der Breggen?
"It seems like it's pretty hard to do something tomorrow," Vollering had said after the abbreviated stage 8 left her 28km short of a full game plan on Saturday. "I think it's going to be very difficult to own that pink jersey."
The finale trends gently downhill toward Saluzzo where the celebrations will take place.
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Stage 9 profile of the 2026 Giro d'Italia Women(Image credit: RCS Sport)
2026 Giro d'Italia Women route map for stage 9(Image credit: RCS Sport)
Mountains
Montoso (cat. 1, 9.1km at 9.2%), km. 54.3
Colletta di Paesana (cat. 3), km. 73.7
Colletta di Brondello (cat. 2, 4.6km at 7.8%), km. 105.9
Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. On the bike, she has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast), and spends time on gravel around horse farms in north Georgia.
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