The Giro d’Italia kicks off in Bulgaria on Friday, and there is plenty for English speaking fans to shout about in 2026. The race features a strong cast of riders from Australia, Canada, Britain and the United States — including genuine podium contenders, a reigning Grand Tour champion, and a plucky Canadian who has the potential to blow the race open. Again. IDL Pro Cycling takes you through the names you need to look out for this May.

Australia: O’Connor, Storer, Groves and Haig

The strongest English-speaking nation at this year’s race is Australia, with four riders worth keeping close tabs on.

Ben O’Connor is Jayco AlUla’s leader and arguably the most motivated rider in the entire field. He has started the Giro four times and finished fourth twice — in 2021 and 2024 — but has never stood on the podium. His entire 2026 season has been built around changing that.

The 30-year-old from Perth is a natural climber who tends to come alive in the final week when the big mountains arrive, and the 2026 route, with its Dolomite stage and a punishing approach to the final days, suits him well.

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Michael Storer at Tudor is a different kind of threat. The 29-year-old Australian has finished tenth at the Giro in both of his last two attempts — solid results that do not quite reflect how dangerously he can race. He won the mountains classification at the 2021 Vuelta a España and knows how to pick his moments across three weeks.
This year, with Michael Storer given significant freedom alongside Mathys Rondel, expect him to go deep in the mountain breakaways and pose a genuine threat for stage wins. He could also quietly accumulate KOM points if the climbs suit.
Kaden Groves at Alpecin-Premier Tech provides the Australian sprint option. He is one of the fastest finishers in the Giro peloton and will be targeting the sprint stages from the off. If the pure sprinters get a clean run in the flatter finales, Groves is one to have on your radar.
Jack Haig rounds out the Australian contingent as part of Netcompany INEOS’s experienced support cast for Thymen Arensman and Egan Bernal. He will not be making headlines, but Haig is the type of rider who keeps a team leader upright and in position when things get difficult.

Canada: Gee-West goes again

Derek Gee-West is the sole Canadian in the field — and he comes with serious credentials. He finished fourth at last year’s Giro, and the year before that he spent almost the entire race in the breakaway, collecting four second-place stage finishes and winning the hearts of Italian fans in the process.

His build-up has been disrupted by illness and a crash on an altitude camp, but Lidl-Trek’s sports director Gregory Rast believes he can still fight for the top five. Gee-West himself is aiming higher. “The dream is a podium place,” he said. If he hits form in the third week — where he was at his strongest last year — he is one of the riders most capable of surprising the favourites.

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United States: Kuss and Sheffield

Two Americans are worth watching at this Giro, for very different reasons.

Sepp Kuss at Visma | Lease a Bike won the 2023 Vuelta a España in one of the sport’s great underdog stories. But at this Giro, his job is to protect Jonas Vingegaard. Think of him as the final insurance policy: the rider Vingegaard calls on when it really matters in the high mountains. If Vingegaard rides into any trouble, Kuss will be the man trying to solve it.
Magnus Sheffield is another American in the INEOS ranks with a different role. The 24-year-old — a winner of Brabantse Pijl at just 20 — will be targeting the 40-kilometre individual time trial in stage ten alongside teammate Filippo Ganna. He is a powerful, versatile rider who can also help position the GC leaders. Sheffield has the raw material to be a Grand Tour contender himself in the coming years, and this Giro is another step in that direction.

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Great Britain: Turner hunts a stage

Ben Turner is Netcompany INEOS’s sprint option and stage hunter. The Briton took his first Grand Tour stage win at last year’s Vuelta a España, and will be looking to add to that in Italy. He will have Connor Swift alongside him as road captain, managing the team’s position in the peloton through the chaotic sprint finales.
Neither man is a headline name, especailly in a team fully committed to the overall win. But both will play crucial roles in one of the strongest squads in the race. If Turner gets the right setup in a sprint or a reduced bunch finish, he has the legs to deliver.