Maple Ridge, B.C.’s Maggie Coles-Lyster continued her impressive season at Stage 2 of the Giro d’Italia Women, sprinting to seventh place. Lidl-Trek’s Elisa Balsamo took a second straight victory, clad in pink. Well, sort of second straight victory. She was technically second yesterday.
Racing in front of home fans, Balsamo proved fastest once again (sort of) at the end of the stage, extending her lead in the overall classification after taking over the pink jersey following Lorena Wiebes’ disqualification from the race. The Wiebes thing is still very much ongoing, by the way, with her SD Worx-Protime team threatening legal action against the organizer.
Teamwork, grit, and another top 10 💪
Maggie powered to 7th in Caorle, and we defended our second-place on team GC, keeping the momentum rolling at the @girowomen 🩷
📸 @hphcycling @GettySport#GirodItaliaWomen | #UCIWWT pic.twitter.com/xecTYZaE1p
— Human Powered Health Cycling (@hphcycling) May 31, 2026
Meanwhile, the win carried special meaning for the Italian. Moments after crossing the line, Balsamo pointed toward the sky before revealing she had dedicated the victory to her uncle.
“I wanted this victory so badly,” Balsamo said afterwards to Sporza. “This one is for my uncle.”
EF Education-Oatly’s Alex Volstad had another great ride in the finale, finishing 15th. She will soon most likely be working for her world champion teammate Magdeleine Vallières Mill, as the hills arrive. That’s not for a few more days, so the Calgary native can still mix it up in the sprints until then.
Stage 3 goes from Bibione to Buja and it’s for a total of 156 km. Although there are a few lumps, it’s nothing compared to what the women will be facing in a matter of days. You can tune in on FloBikes.com at 9:15 a.m. EDT and sì, Magazine Canadese di Ciclismo has you covered. Forza Canada!
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