Samwise Cycle Racing Newsletter
Thursday, June 4, 2026
Demi Vollering Claims First-Ever Giro d’Italia Women Stage Win on Dolomites Summit
Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ) claimed the first stage victory of her Giro d’Italia Women career on June 3, outsprinting Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) at the summit of stage 5 in Sante Stefano di Cadore. The 146km mountain stage from Longarone included 3,400 metres of climbing, with decisive ascents over the Passo Tre Croci and Passo di Sant’Antonio. A four-rider front group formed on the final climb, with Vollering beating van der Breggen, Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM), and Isabella Holmgren (Lidl-Trek) in the summit sprint. Van der Breggen retained the pink jersey and leads the general classification by one minute over Vollering, with Niedermaier third at 1:24.
Sources: Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly
Ibon Ruiz Claims First Professional Win at Mercan’Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes
Ibon Ruiz (Equipo Kern Pharma) won the Mercan’Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes on June 3, claiming the first professional victory of his career at the mountainous ProSeries one-day race in southern France. Léo Bisiaux (Decathlon CMA CGM) attacked solo with 11.6km remaining on the final 14.4km ascent to Valberg, opening a 20-second gap. Bisiaux held the lead for most of the climb before Ruiz’s teammate Iván Sosa set a relentless pace in the final 2.6km, closing down the faltering Bisiaux. Ruiz moved to the front past Sosa in the final metres to take the win, with Bisiaux finishing 11 seconds behind in third.
Sources: Cyclingnews
UAE Team Emirates-XRG Vows to ‘Race Hard’ After Studying Vingegaard’s Giro Dominance
UAE Team Emirates-XRG manager Mauro Gianetti confirmed Wednesday that Tadej Pogačar monitored Jonas Vingegaard’s Giro d’Italia performance from his Sierra Nevada altitude camp as both camps prepare for the Tour de France. Gianetti acknowledged UAE’s misfortune in Italy, where João Almeida withdrew before the start with a virus and Adam Yates and Jay Vine both crashed out on stage 2. Jhonatan Narváez stepped up to win three stages before suffering a head injury on stage 19 after hitting a team bus. “We know that we have to be ready for the Tour and ready to race hard. Then the road will decide,” Gianetti told Cyclingnews.
Sources: Cyclingnews
Matteo Jorgenson Switches Tour de France Build-Up to Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Visma-Lease a Bike confirmed on June 3 that Matteo Jorgenson will race the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (June 7–14) rather than the Tour de Suisse as his Tour de France build-up. The 26-year-old American has not raced since crashing at Amstel Gold Race in April, suffering a broken collarbone that kept him out of Liège-Bastogne-Liège. His Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes appearance alongside Paul Seixas, Juan Ayuso, Isaac del Toro, and Wout van Aert marks his racing return. Visma have not publicly explained the schedule change. Jorgenson will then support Giro d’Italia champion Jonas Vingegaard as the Dane targets a third Tour de France title starting July 4 in Barcelona.
Sources: Cyclingnews
Brian Holm: Vingegaard’s Grand Tour Achievements ‘10 Times Greater’ Than Bjarne Riis
Eurosport analyst and former professional Brian Holm said Wednesday he expects Jonas Vingegaard to beat Tadej Pogačar at the Tour de France following the Dane’s dominant Giro d’Italia victory. “He beat Pogačar twice already, hasn’t he? So why shouldn’t he beat him again,” Holm told Cyclingnews. Holm followed the Giro from on the ground in Italy for Danish television, praising Vingegaard’s ability to race conservatively and deploy his team effectively. He also named Vingegaard the greatest figure in Danish sports history: “Jonas’ achievements are 10 times bigger than those of Bjarne Riis.” Vingegaard is resting before a mid-June altitude camp in Tignes, France ahead of the Tour’s July 4 start.
Sources: Cyclingnews
Van der Breggen Holds Pink Jersey Lead as Vollering Closes to One Minute in Giro Women GC
Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) held the pink jersey lead following stage 5 of the Giro d’Italia Women on June 3, but Demi Vollering now sits one minute behind after claiming the Dolomites mountain stage win. Van der Breggen leads the general classification over Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ) by 1:00, with Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM) third at 1:24. Defending champion Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) lost 15 seconds and slipped down the standings. “It was a good day, but also a hard day,” van der Breggen said. Stage 6 on Thursday is a flat 155km sprint stage from Ala to Brescello, expected to deliver minimal general classification changes.
Sources: Cyclingnews, Cyclingnews GC Standings
Giro d’Italia Women Stage 6: Sprinters Take Centre Stage in Flat Run Before Mountain Weekend
Stage 6 of the Giro d’Italia Women takes riders from Ala to Brescello over 155km on Thursday, featuring no categorised climbs. The flat stage offers pure sprinters their last likely chance at a stage win before the race’s decisive final mountain stages. Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) holds the pink jersey by one minute over Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ) heading into Thursday’s racing. The official stage 6 preview from Cyclingnews describes the day as “almost pan-flat and not likely to bring any more significant GC changes,” with the general classification battle expected to resume in earnest over the race’s final climbing stages this weekend.
Sources: Cyclingnews
Giro d’Italia Women — GC
General Classification (After Stage 5)
1. Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) — Leader
2. Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ) — +1:00
3. Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM) — +1:24
4. Isabella Holmgren (Lidl-Trek) — +1:24
5. Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) — st.
Stage 5 / Today’s Racing
Results & Today (June 4)
Stage 5 winner: Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ)
Stage 6: Ala → Brescello (155km, flat)
Race ends: June 7
Men’s UCI WorldTour leader: UAE Team Emirates-XRG
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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