Marlen Reusser has recovered from a spinal fracture suffered only last month and will lead Movistar at the upcoming Giro d'Italia Women, her team confirmed.
The Swiss rider fractured a vertebra in the lumbar section of her spine in a heavy crash at the Tour of Flanders on April 5, missing her main early-season goal at La Vuelta Femenina.
Movistar did not set a timeframe for her return but she has been declared fit and looks set to compete for the pink jersey as Movistar state their intention to "fight for top general classification positions".
Reusser was the runner-up at last year's Giro, winning the opening time trial but losing the maglia rosa to Elisa Longo Borgini on Monte Nerone on the penultimate day.
Her task this year is complicated by a number of factors. Firstly, the Giro d'Italia Women route is more climber-oriented that last year, with an even mightier mountain in the Colle delle Finestre on stage 8 and a time trial that goes up a category-1 ascent. Secondly, Demi Vollering is present this year and starts as the overwhelming favourite for the pink jersey.
Finally, and most pertinently, it is unknown what shape Reusser will bring to the race after only just coming back from injury, which is only the latest in a season of disruption.
Reusser has only completed four race days in 2026, after suffering a nasty crash at the UAE Tour in February. However, he ability to hit the ground running on return was evident at Dwars door Vlaanderen in April, where she got the better of Vollering in a thrilling sprint finish.
A few days later she crashed out of Flanders, but will hope to make a similarly strong comeback in Italy, with the Giro starting on Saturday and running for nine stages.
Reusser is not the only star in the Movistar pack for the Giro, with 20-year-old Cat Ferguson making her debut in the race and her second Grand Tour appearance after riding last year's Vuelta Femenina.
Ferguson won on her first outing of 2026 at Challenge Mallorca and comes into the Giro on the back of victory at the Navarra Women's Classic, riding a strong Classics campaign in between.
Ferguson will be looking to continue her development while targeting stage wins, most likely in sprint finishes on the more selective days. Cuban rider Arlenis Sierra is another rider in that mould who can perhaps dovetail her efforts with Ferguson.
Movistar's team features experience in the form of 35-year-old veteran Aude Biannic and the 31-year-old Mareille Meijer. The squad is rounded out by and the 23-year-old Italian Francesca Barale and the 25-year-old Brazilian rider Ana Vitória Magalhães.
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