Giro d'Italia Women Stage 9: Elisa Longo Borghini wins final stage as Demi Vollering secures maglia rosa to win all three Grand Tours

Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) has won the Giro d'Italia Women, overhauling Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) on a dramatic final day.

Despite starting the day 49" in the clear, it was a day to forget for Van der Breggen, as she lost the maglia rosa during a difficult final stage in this year's Giro.

An attack from Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) and Vollering's eventual chase secured the pink jersey for the Dutchwoman.

From the four-rider leading group, however, Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) was fastest and won Stage 9 ahead of Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek), Niedermaier and Vollering.

Another mountainous day for the final stage of this year’s Giro, but slightly longer than Saturday’s, the riders took in a 145km route that started and finished in Saluzzo. They rode three classified climbs, including the Montoso.

Niedermaier attacked just as the TV coverage began, and took Longo Borghini and Fisher-Black with her, leaving Vollering and Van der Breggen in their wake. Femke de Vries of Visma-Lease a Bike briefly chased the front group but eventually fell back to the maglia rosa.

With 39km to go, Vollering attacked on the ascent of the Brondello, the final categorised climb of the day. This sparked a furious chase to the front group, and she made contact with 28km to go.

From there, the gap between the two groups only widened, with Van der Breggen’s seemingly secure GC positioning slipping out of her grasp as the kilometres counted down.

The front group continued to work well in the final kilometres, with riders positioning themselves for a sprint. With 300 metres to go, Fisher-Black launched an early sprint and only Longo Borghini could come around her in the closing metres, taking her first win of this year's race.

And for Vollering, that was enough for her to secure the overall win, as Van der Breggen crossed the line over two minutes back.

🥇Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez)

🥈Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM) + 0'30"

🥉Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) + 1'37"

She left it right to the last minute, but she did it in style - the only way she knows how.

The final overall GC podium is as follows:

🥇 Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez)

🥈 Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM)

🥉 Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime)

What a sprint! Fisher-Black launched early but it wasn't enough to hold off the rampaging Longo-Borghini.

She's still on the front, even after attacking, bridging a gap to this group and then leading it to the end...

The finale is slightly uphill, but there's a downhill run into it which makes positioning crucial if any of these riders is going to contest a sprint.

Anna van der Breggen's chasing group is now 2'20" back.

Niedermaier is now sitting comfortable in 2nd on GC and Vollering has the overall wrapped up as it is. Out of this group either Vollering or Longo Borghini have the biggest kicks so if it does come down to a sprint, all eyes will be on those two.

It looks done and dusted in terms of Anna van der Breggen's GC hopes.

This day hasn't gone to plan for Anna van der Breggen. As it stands, she's now sitting 3rd in the GC behind Demi Vollering and Antonia Niedermaier.

That'll help her GC ambition, and as it stands she is still in the virtual maglia rosa.

The maglia rosa group is 2nd on the road now, at 1'24" back as the leading four riders work together to keep Anna van der Breggen at bay.

She's made it to the leading group! Now will they work together or start looking at each other to see who wants to ride...

She's now only 20" from the front group, and Anna van der Breggen's lead is slowly being diminished.

It's hotting up! Remember Anna van der Breggen had 49" to play with between her and Demi Vollering on the GC, but that's slowly being eroded as Vollering pushes on to try and reach the front group.

Demi Vollering is slowly catching, with her time to the lead group now 47"

Niedermaier crests the climb ahead of Fisher-Black and Longo Borghini. The leading group now have just under a minute on Demi Vollering, and van der Breggen is almost 20" behind her.

Don't count Anna van der Breggen out just yet - Demi Vollering might be out of sight for now, but she's still got 40" seconds to catch up if she wants the maglia rosa. Oh, and the small matter of Antonia Niedermaier out front, too.

She's out of the saddle and she's gotten a small gap from Anna van der Breggen. Femke de Vries has also been dropped!