On stage 7 of the Giro Donne, Mavi Garcia (Liv Racing TeqFind) was fifth overall, 39 seconds behind third-place Juliette Labousse (Team DSM-Filmenig), hoping to make the overall podium before the race was over.

Spanish champion Garc attacked early in the Collet Paravenna, hoping to gain time and perhaps a stage win and a chance to move up to third in the GC standings.

Garcia quickly gained a 25-second advantage, but was caught up and left behind as Annemiek van Fruten (Movistar Team) moved up the same climb with Garcia's rivals Labouse and Gaia Lealini (Lidl-Trek) in tow.

The 39-year-old Spanish climber caught up to the trio, but was forced to pull away in the last few meters of the climb and paid for his efforts with a 2.7 km climb to the finish. Garcia told Cycling News while waiting for the ferry to move the Giro Donnepetroton to Sardinia for the final two stages on Saturday and Sunday, "I'm feeling sad today." I felt really good in the race, but it didn't happen."

Garcia took care of the first two climbs of the day and was ready when the peloton arrived at Colle Paravenna, a 6.5km climb 9km from the finish. The average gradient was 6.1%, with some sections twice as steep.

On the lower slopes, Garcia was able to easily keep up with the acceleration of Niamh Fischer-Black (Team SD Works) and Reallini, and countered when Reallini relaxed.

"I was trying to run with my feeling and after the attack by Reallini, I thought I had a chance. I wanted to win," Garcia explained.

As they climbed through the olive groves, they increased the gap to 25 seconds on the riders behind them. On the steep climb up Paravenna in the last 2 km, van Breuten swept past Fischer-Black, Reallini, and Labusse.

Pushing hard, Van Vleuten quickly caught up to Garcia, who was at the back of the bunch, but contact was broken just before the crest of the climb.

On the summit plateau, Learrini and Labouse alternated gaining ground, while Garcia was swallowed up by a group that had caught up with him from behind and lost ground. Then, on the climb to the finish, Santuario Nostra Signora della Guardia, he was unable to keep up with the pace and finished 1:57 behind stage winner Van Hulten.

The time loss dropped Garcia to seventh on GC, two minutes behind third-placed Reallini, and virtually eliminated his chances of making up time on the less difficult Sardinian stage.