In a dramatic turn of events at the Giro d'Italia Women, Lorena Wiebes faced disqualification shortly after winning the opening stage due to a bike weight violation. The Dutch cyclist, representing Team SD Worx-Protime, initially secured the first maglia rosa, the coveted leader's pink jersey, by narrowly beating Elisa Balsamo of Lidl-Trek and Lara Gillespie from Ireland to the finish line in Ravenna.

However, race organizers announced that Wiebes was disqualified for using a bicycle that did not comply with the minimum weight requirements. This decision came just hours after her victory, leading to Balsamo being awarded the stage win and starting the next stage in the maglia rosa.

Balsamo expressed mixed feelings, stating:

Of course, it is not the way I want to win but this is a decision of the jury. In any case, it's an honour to wear the maglia rosa and I am looking forward to trying to defend it in tomorrow's stage.

The 139km opening stage, which featured three laps of a 13.2km city circuit, was marred by multiple crashes, including a significant incident after just 35km that forced Cat Ferguson, a British rider for Movistar, to abandon the race. Ferguson was taken to the hospital for evaluation following her crash.

Looking ahead, Sunday’s second stage covers 156km between Roncade and Caorle and is expected to favor the sprinters.