With three categorised climbs and minimal time gaps in the general classification, all the ingredients were in place for a spectacular final stage. Vollering set the pace on the first climb of the day, helping to ensure that only seven riders, including an alert De Vries, remained.

In the valley, Antonia Niedermaier, Elisa Longo Borghini and Niamh Fisher-Black broke away from the leading group. De Vries tried to bridge across, but failed in her mission. She ended up in the group with Vollering and Anna van der Breggen in the hope of closing the gap on the leaders.

On the final climb, Vollering launched an attack and closed the gap to the leaders in one go. De Vries and Van der Breggen could not keep up and tried to limit the damage together. Longo Borghini sprinted to stage victory, whilst Vollering was crowned the overall winner of the Giro. De Vries, who won the sprint for fifth place, finished an impressive sixth in the general classification.

"I’m super proud with how this Giro has turned out. It really was a great race", De Vries said shortly after the stage. "The first climb went as expected. Longo Borghini went all out and attacked early on. I went with her the first time, but hesitated just a little too long on the second attack. I tried to close the gap, but ended up in the chase group."

"Rutger told me to take it easy, after which I ended up in the group with Anna and Demi. That was nice. Towards the end, I thought: I have to survive that final climb. When Demi accelerated, I couldn’t quite keep up, but in the end I rode to the finish with Anna. I think I can be very happy with this result."

"This stage had it all. It was brilliant to be part of it", team manager Rutger Tijssen said. "We’d initially hoped a large breakaway would form with a few of our riders in it, so that Femke would still have one or two teammates with her later on. That breakaway didn’t materialise because the pace in the peloton was very high."

"On the Montoso, the first climb, the race was in full swing straight away. Femke did brilliantly and was among the top seven riders. In the valley, Longo Borghini and Niedermaier then launched several attacks. Femke responded well to the first attack, but was on the wrong side of the road for the second. As a result, she just missed the momentum. That was a shame, but those are the split-second moments."

Nevertheless, Tijssen has nothing but praise for De Vries. "Femke has ridden a fantastic Giro, finishing sixth. When you see how she held her own this week, and particularly yesterday on the Finestre, that’s simply very good. She has shown what she’s worth, and that’s a great deal. This gives us a lot of confidence for the future."