Anna van der Breggen impressively defends pink jersey on the Colle delle Finestre

Anna van der Breggen has strongly defended her 'maglia rosa' in the queen stage featuring the Colle delle Finestre. Due to an avalanche, the finish line was forced to be relocated to one kilometer below the summit of the Finestre. In the final kilometers, Van der Breggen set a pace so high that none of the remaining riders were able to accelerate. While Demi Vollering won the stage, Van der Breggen managed to retain a 50-second lead in the general classification ahead of the final stage with her fourth-place finish.

"It was a strange situation today," Van der Breggen reflected afterwards on the change of the finish line. Valentina Cavalar also secured a handsome tenth-place finish on behalf of Team SD Worx-Protime.

Van der Breggen: "You prepare for the stage as it was laid out on paper, but when the message came through the race radio that the finish line had to be relocated to a kilometer below the summit of the Colle delle Finestre, we had to adapt immediately. In moments like that, you just have to adjust to the situation; nobody can help it, so it is what it is. Still, it feels strange when you suddenly find yourself on the final climb and the finish line is already there.

In the final kilometers, I set the pace in the group with Demi Vollering, Antonia Niedermeier, and Isabella Holmgren. Demi had already launched one attack before that, and I actually expected more afterwards. At that moment I thought: if I just ride a good pace, she won't really be able to attack. In the end, they couldn't accelerate any further because of the high pace I was setting, so that worked out well for me. During the last few hundred meters, I kept wondering where the finish line was, as I had expected it a bit sooner. Ultimately, whether I finished in the top three or fourth didn't matter all that much to me. Of course, there are bonus seconds involved, but I think it was a good day. It was a tough climb, but it was a great battle and I actually found it a beautiful climb to do.

Now I can get ready for the final stage with a fifty-second lead in the general classification. Of course, Demi is going to try something tomorrow, and she won't be the only one; I think the other riders will try something as well. We still have a mountain stage ahead where anything can happen, and that stage might unfold quite similarly to today. Except tomorrow, there is still a fairly long way to go to the finish line after the heavy climb. I just need to hold my ground and try to stick with my main rivals to keep the pink jersey. My legs felt pretty good today anyway, so I was happy with that. Hopefully, I can find that same form again tomorrow. Naturally, I need some recovery after such a hard day, but that goes for everyone."