Anna van der Breggen seems to be able to forget about a podium finish in the Giro d’Italia. The four-time Giro winner dropped from third to sixth place after the queen stage. Defending champion Elisa Longo Borghini took over the pink jersey from Marlen Reusser on the penultimate day.
The grueling queen stage was won by Sarah Gigante. The Australian from AG Insurance-Soudal reached the top of the final climb of the first category alone in the 150-kilometer-long seventh stage from Fermignano to Monte Nerone.
Longo Borghini crossed the finish line 45 seconds after Gigante. On the final climb, she left Reusser, who had started the seventh stage as the leader in the standings, behind. Reusser finished fourth, just over half a minute behind Longo Borghini. In the standings, the Italian has a 22-second lead over the Swiss rider.
Van der Breggen had a less good day in the Giro. The 35-year-old from Zwolle finished tenth with a deficit of 2 minutes and 48 seconds on Gigante. As a result, the SD Worx rider dropped from third to sixth place.
Pauliena Rooijakkers was the best Dutch rider in the queen stage. The Limburgian finished eighth and is in fourth place in the general classification.
The Giro lasts until Sunday. On the final day, a hilly stage over 134 kilometers from Forli to Imola is on the program.