Van Vleuten consolidates Giro Donne GC lead on queen stage

2023 Giro d'Italia Donne: race leader Annemiek van Vleuten completes stage 5
2023 Giro d'Italia Donne: race leader Annemiek van Vleuten completes stage 5 (Image credit: Getty)

Stage 5 of the 2023 Giro d’Italia Donne delivered a shake-up in the general classification, putting the maglia rosa more securely on the shoulders of Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar Team) as she gained time on most of the other GC contenders.

Widely viewed pre-race as the queen stage, the 2023 Giro’s most difficult day included the Cima Coppi ascent of the Passo del Lupo early on and two more classified climbs in the final. 

Lukas Knöfler started working in cycling communications in 2013 and has seen the inside of the scene from many angles. Having worked as press officer for teams and races and written for several online and print publications, he has been Cyclingnews’ Women’s WorldTour correspondent since 2018.