It was a stellar day on Wednesday for Oro-Medonte, Ont.’s Isabella Holmgren at the Giro d’Italia Women, but the multiple world champ says her focus remains firmly on the general classification rather than the white jersey. (Also, sidenote, man, Bella must have a lotta leader/championship jerseys in that closet of hers, eh?)
The Lidl-Trek rider had a great ride on Wednesday’s brutal mountain stage. She finished in a very elite group, alongside some of the biggest names in the sport and moving up to fourth overall.
Despite riding with eventual stage winner Demi Vollering, race leader Anna van der Breggen and Antonia Niedermaier on the final climb, Holmgren was quick to point out that she is still learning at this level.
“Yeah, I think it was a super tough day. Of course, in the final, it’s not necessarily my favourite terrain. I’m still learning how to race in the final like that,” Holmgren said. The 20-year-old was distanced a little on the descent but caught back on. She even went for a move with 2 km to go. Ultimately it was Vollering who outkicked the foursome for the dub.
Wednesday’s race
Stage 5 was a 146-km mountain stage from Longarone to Santo Stefano di Cadore. The route featured more than 3,000 m of climbing. It included the Passo Tre Croci, Passo di Sant’Antonio and two ascents of the steep Costa da San Nicolò. It made for a tough day in the saddle, with the results showing massive gaps between riders. Lots of little groups finishing very much shook up the overall.
Earlier in the stage, Liv AlUla Jayco’s Nadia Gontova made the early move as the race headed into the mountains. The Richmond, B.C riders stayed with the leaders for a while before drifting back, but dug deep to finish 15th.
As far as Holmgren, her ride keeps her firmly in contention heading into the second half of the race, but she is not getting ahead of herself.
“I’m really looking forward to the next few days with some of the longer climbs, but I think it’s such a long race, you start to see every day how you’re feeling,” she said.
Holmgren continues to lead the best young rider competition, but she made it clear that the white jersey is not her primary objective. Last year in her first Giro she finished 7th overall. In 2026, she is looking for an even bigger goal.
“I think the white jersey is something that just comes with the race. The main goal is still the GC,” she said. “If the white jersey comes at the end of the week, then that’s super nice.”
Fourth for Bella on the stage and sixth for Niamh ✨#GirodItaliaWomen pic.twitter.com/Fx6BKAb2gc
— Lidl-Trek (@LidlTrek) June 3, 2026
Van der Breggen kept the pink jersey after the stage. Holmgren climbed to fourth overall and remains within striking distance of the podium.
World champ Magdeleine Vallières Mill (EF Education-Oatly) also enjoyed a strong day in the mountains, finishing eighth, 53 seconds behind the leaders. There were a few times it seemed like she was struggling but the Sherbrooke rider fought hard and with her ride, moves up to 13th overall.
What’s next at the Giro
Looking ahead to Thursday’s flatter stage, Holmgren expects another unpredictable day of racing.
“It is a flat stage, but last year we thought the same with one of the stages and it ended up being super tough,” she said.
Friday’s Stage 7 from Sorbolo Mezzani to Salice Terme (159 km) features a 9-km climb near the finish, but the toughest tests are still to come.
Saturday brings the race’s queen stage, with the riders tackling the Colle delle Finestre before finishing atop the legendary Sestriere, with nearly 30 km of climbing in total. The race then wraps up Sunday with three categorized climbs on the final stage.
Every day of racing is broadcast on FloBikes.com, plus Canadian Cycling Magazine has daily reports.