CYCLING: Vollering says daring to lose helped her win women's Giro

Demi Vollering said she put everything on the line to secure her first Giro d’Italia title on Sunday, becoming only the second woman in history, after compatriot Annemiek van Vleuten, to win all three Grand Tours.

Heading into the final stage, four-time Giro champion Anna van der Breggen held a narrow lead over Vollering, with Germany’s Antonia Niedermaier in third place.

During the decisive finale, Vollering allowed Niedermaier to briefly break away, taking a calculated risk that she could be overtaken in the overall standings in order to pressure Van der Breggen into chasing the move.

With 39 kilometers remaining, the rider from FDJ–Suez launched a decisive attack on a climb, dropping Van der Breggen and then bridging across to the breakaway group. She ultimately crossed the line three seconds behind stage winner Elisa Longo Borghini.

“Today was all about daring to lose,” Vollering said. “I had to dare to lose it all, so I was able to let Antonia go away, and I said to Anna, ‘I’m fine with third because second or third doesn’t matter to me. It’s now up to you to do the work.’”

“I had to try to drop her somewhere, and I really went all in on that last climb. I knew that was like the time trial of my life, I had to do there. Then it was still so long to finish, but I did it. We did it, and I can still not believe it.”

The victory marks Vollering’s fourth Grand Tour title overall, adding to her Tour de France Femmes win in 2023 and back-to-back La Vuelta Femenina victories in 2024 and 2025. -Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters