Giro d'Italia Women stage 6: Liane Lippert takes first victory in a year as Pauliena Rooijakkers makes GC gains

Movistar's Liane Lippert took the stage win on a hilly stage 6 of the Giro d’Italia Women, outsprinting Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck) after the pair split away from the breakaway inside of 10km to go. The pair built an advantage of more than one minute to the peloton with 2km to go to the finish in Terre Roveresche.

Lippert jumped first in the final metres to claim the victory, her first since winning stage 6 in last year’s Giro, while Rooijakkers could not match the explosiveness of the acceleration.

Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek) jumped from the peloton to take third, crossing the line 46 seconds behind the winner.

Crossing the line safely in the peloton, 1:24 back, Marlen Reusser (Movistar) retains the race lead, with 16 seconds on Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek), and 1:53 on Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime).

Thanks to her move, 2024 podium finisher Rooijakkers moved up to fourth overall, 2:02 down.

“Super happy. I had a super good day today. And, the team was on fire, and everyone believed really today in me. From the car, they did a super job, but also the girls on the road, everyone anyway, it's a long process, and I'm super happy to finally have a win, the first one of the season,” Lippert said.

“I already knew it, because I came to this Giro with actually not feeling super good, but I felt better day by day, and also thanks to my team, because they mentally built me up again. I was a bit on a low after the second stage, but now I'm just feeling super myself again, and also the people around make a big difference how good you ride on a bike.”

Attacks peppered the front of the peloton, until Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek) initiated the break of the day on the third categorized climb, the Beato Sante, inside of 46km to go. She was first joined by Juliette Labous (FDJ-Suez) and Sara Casasola (Fenix-Deceuninck), and first Lippert and then Rooijakkers bridged up with 22km to go. Behind, UAE Team ADQ put their riders at the front to control the gap, keeping their matches dry on the eve of the Queen stage.

On Saturday, the peloton will face a third summit finish on stage 7's 150km from Fermignano to Monte Nerone with the last 8km averaging over 8% to the finish at Monte Nerone.

“It was always the priority to be for the maglia rosa. That's why I'm really happy for the chance of the team that I have the freedom to also go for myself,” Lippert added.

“But, for sure, tomorrow I will try to do the same that I did on the other mountain top finish, and I think full for Marlen. And then in the last stage, we will see what the situation [is]. If we can try something again, I'll go fully for the maglia rosa.”

How it unfolded

Stage 6 ventured into uncharted territory with a finish in Terre Roveresche, covering a rolling 145km route. After enjoying a short ride in a Ferris wheel for the sign-on at the start in Bellaria–Igea Marina, the riders faced a flat 28km stretch before being challenged by the climbs of the Romagna Apennines. The route then tackled the final climb leading to the first pass over the finish line, and the start of the 15km finishing circuit.

Attacks came thick and fast from the start, with Liv AlUla Jayco and EF Education-Oatly particularly active, but no riders managed to gain a lasting advantage as the peloton approached San Marino for the day’s first QOM. Usoa Ostolaza (Laboral Kutxa–Fundación Euskadi), sitting second in the mountain classification, launched a move to secure maximum points ahead of maglia azzurra Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal).

The aggressive start took its toll, leading several riders to abandon. Georgia Baker and Caroline Andersson (both from Liv AlUla Jayco), as well as the Ceratizit teammates of Sara Fiorin and Franziska Brauße, were among those who pulled out and joined the list of 2025 abandons.

FDJ-Suez’ Loes Adegeest launched a solo flyer, quickly building a gap of one minute to the peloton with former race leader Anna Henderson (Lidl-Trek) chasing alone. Adegeest claimed the intermediate sprint, while Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) jumped from the peloton to take third.

Adegeest and Henderson were reeled in on the ascent to cat 3 Monteciccardo (6.1 km at 4.9%) with Ostolaza making the catch just before crossing the line ahead of Adegeest.

The tricky descent, followed immediately by the third QOM of the day, the cat 3 Beato Sante (5.3 km at 5.6%) whittled down the peloton as Spratt launched her move just metres from the summit, immediately opening a gap. Attacks and counter-attacks continued at the front, forcing splits in the peloton.

A chase duo initiated by Casasola, joined by Labous, connected with Spratt with 33km to go, as more splits were briefly formed in the restless peloton.

Lippert closed down the 41-second gap to connect with the trio up the road, with a 10-rider chase group at 30 seconds and the peloton with maglia rosa Marlen Reusser (Movistar), Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ), and Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) at 59 seconds with 27km to go.

The time gaps came tumbling down on an uncategorized climb. Not liking the lack of cooperation in the chase group, Rooijakkers bridged up to the break with 24km to go, while Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Health) could not stay on Rooijakkers’ wheel and was caught in no man’s land.

Casasola immediately went to the front of the break to work for her teammate Rooijakkers, as the gap to the UAE Team ADQ-led peloton was 46 seconds with 22km to go.

With the gap at 47 seconds at 15km to go, SD Worx-Protime added riders to the pacemaking with Rooijakkers, sitting 3:30 down in GC, a possible threat to Van der Breggen’s overall position.

Lippert countered an attack by Rooijakkers, dispatched the other three riders of the break with 9km to go.

Behind in the peloton, with the gap at 33 seconds, Longo Borghini attacked but Reusser covered the move. Though Van der Breggen and Gigante were not able to initially respond to the brutal acceleration, the GC move was reeled back in.

Inside of 5km to go, Rooijakkers and Lippert held a gap of 31 seconds ahead of lone chaser Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek), and 53 seconds to the peloton.

The duo worked well together as they raced to the finish line, until Lippert accelerated away to take the victory, crossing the line two seconds ahead of Rooijakkers. Van Anrooij took third.

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