GIRO DONNE LIVE - WILL ANNEMIEK VAN VLEUTEN PASS THE PASSO MANIVA TEST AND BE CROWNED QUEEN ON THE QUEEN STAGE?

She measured that climb to perfection, never looking over extended, or out of her depth.

With victory assured for Labous, Niamh Fisher-Black (SD Worx), in the white young rider's jersey, sprang to the front of the group of favourites. I'm not entirely sure where she's come from, if I'm honest. Then, as the group of five neared the summit, Annemiek van Vleuten was able to open a gap on Mavi Garcia and Cavalli. The maglia rosa flew around the final bend and crossed the line to extend her lead thanks to six bonus seconds, as well as four more for her lead on the road.

First Mavi Garcia gets out of the saddle, then Van Vleuten counters with an acceleration of her own. It's not big enough to break either Garcia or Cavalli. The Italia rider knows she can just sit on and wait for an opportunity.

Elisa Longo-Borghini has joined the clan, but it's going to be too late for her to win the stage, which Labous has all but wrapped up.

In that order, leaving their colleagues behind. Van Vleuten is hoping to break the resolve of Garcia and Cavalli slowly, rather than suddenly. All she really needs to do is stop them from attacking, but the maglia rosa is clearly hoping to not just avoid losing time, but gain some as well.

She's still looking very strong, no squares being pedalled here.

The group of favourites is now a dozen strong, having swollen with the leftovers of the break. At the front of it, Van Vleuten tracks the wheel of Mavi Garcia, while Uttrup Ludwig looks out for her leader, Cavalli.

To over two minutes now - I didn't expect that. Despite being very visible early on this climb, she was clearly being careful with her reserves. The climb is pretty consistent from hereon to the finish, so if she can keep it steady, and if the favourites choose not to attack each other, she could well hold out for the stage win. Big "if" that second one, though.

Erica Magnaldi (UAE Team ADQ) setting the pace for Mavi Garcia.

Julette Labous (Team DSM) went away with Georgia Williams (BikeExchange Jayco) but has already snapped the elastic on the New Zealander. The French rider is going to need to get going if she has any hopes of staying away, as the much-reduced peloton, now containing only the strongest of the strong, is coming.

Emilia Fahlin (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine) falls back from the break to the bunch and passes over a bottle to team-mate Cavalli.

That should tell you how hard this last kilometre has been. Juliette Labous (Team DSM) is looking the strongest in the remnants of the break. In the Danish flag jersey, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine) sets a strong tempo for Marta Cavalli.

The efforts of FDJ and Trek have slimmed it down to as few as fifty riders, and you can see them being spat out the back on the helicopter shots. This gap really is tumbling now, approaching 3 minutes. This is where the climb is at it's steepest, hitting 14% through the ski resort town of San Colombano.

Lutro is labouring, and she's about to be overhauled by Cristina Tonetti.

Bear in mind it's going to be a severely reduced group that goes to the line, whichever it's from. Although the gap is holding pretty steady for now, it can easily begin to tumble when the gradient begins to bite in two or three kilometres.

Kristen Faulkner of BikeExchange keeps the power coming in the peloton, before handing over to Emma Norsgaard (Movistar). Setting up Van Vleuten for an imminent attack? Let's hope Mavi Garcia (UAE Team ADQ) and Marta Cavalli (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine) are lazer locked to AVV's wheel.

With Clara Copponi (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine) right on her wheel, Biannic sets a harder tempo to better suit her leader. Movistar taking over has rapidly reduced the gap to the breakaway, now at 5'30 and falling. Lutro is just hanging off the front at this point.

One of the last chances to collect bottles - a balancing act on a day as hot and a climb this hard. No-one wants to carry excess weight, but worse than a few extra grams is dehydration. Lutro leads by 20 seconds, with the gap to the peloton from the chasers now 6'40. She's moved to the hoods, but is saving her smaller gears as long as possible.

It's early, and the Norwegian woman might just be trying to give herself some drift room later on the climb, but she's already got a bit of a gap. Still in the big ring, and riding in the drops, so it's clearly not that steep. No response from any of the others as yet.

And the break still has a full complement of 14, holding over head minutes of advantage. They're really committed to staying away, riding fluidly, rolling through, chain gang style. Lombardy looking lovely and green today. 42kph average speed, so they're not hanging around in the heat.

The chase does seem to be on behind, with BikeExchange, in the shape of Teniel Campbell, the most visible of the teams at the front.

This is starting to get interesting... They're still 30km from the official start of the final climb, but already very much riding uphill. Don't expect the break to stay together for very long.

For now, at least. Since taking her 32nd career stage win at the Giro d'Italia, Marianne Vos has left the race "in order to recharge and focus on the next team goals." You dont have to be Hercules Poirot to detect that she's talking about the Tour de France Femmes there.

Here's a reminder of how she took number 32.

The breakaway is not only a mixed bag, it's quite a big one. 14 riders made the jump this morning. With the best placed being Juliette Labous (Team DSM) at 12 minutes down, none are a GC threat. With the exception of Jumbo Visma and UAE Team ADQ, we do have most of the big teams represented, however. Fahlin could potentially do a job for Cavalli higher up the hill.

The full set of 14 are:

Elena Cecchini (Team SD Worx)
Alba Teruel (Bizkaia Durango)
Mikayla Harvey (Canyon Sram)
Jennifer Ducuara (Colombia Tierra de Atletas - GW - Shimano)
Magdeleine Vallieres (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB)
Emilia Fahlin (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine)
Beatrice Rossato (Isolmant - Premac - Vittoria)
Katia Ragusa (Liv Racing Xtra)
Paula Andrea Patino (Movistar)
Georgia Williams (Team BikeExchange - Jayco)
Juliette Labous (Team DSM)
Cristina Tonetti (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo)
Amalie Lutro (Uno-X Pro Cycling)
Alice Maria Arzuffi (Valcar Travel & Service)

Welcome to live coverage of Stage 7 of the Giro Donne. We're in the Lombardy region where, after three circuits of the town of Prevalle, we're headed for the ski resort finish of the Passo del Maniva.

The breakaway, five minutes up the road, has just gone through the third intermediate sprint. Up, up and away.