{"id":14683,"date":"2026-05-10T15:32:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T15:32:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/14683\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T15:32:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T15:32:28","slug":"giro-ditalia-2026-stages-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/14683\/","title":{"rendered":"Giro d’Italia 2026 Stages Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first Grand Tour of 2026 is almost here: the Giro d’Italia<\/a>. After Albania, RCS have again chosen an unusual starting country with Bulgaria. But as the saying goes: all roads lead to Rome. There will be plenty of altitude gain and obstacles along the way \u2014 and IDL Pro Cycling has it all mapped out for you.The Grande Partenza<\/a> takes place in Bulgaria. The opening stage looks set to go to the sprinters, given its very flat character. Stage two should suit the punchers, meaning the pink jersey could already change shoulders before the race reaches Italy.<\/p>\n

After a third stage in Bulgaria \u2014 again one for the sprinters \u2014 the Giro circus flies south to Italy. A first rest day on Monday is followed by a resumption on Tuesday. Week one will test the riders immediately, with several uphill finishes and the traditional stage to Naples.<\/p>\n

Week 2: long time trial; week 3: relentless climbing<\/p>\n

Week two opens with a crucial day for the general classification: a lengthy time trial of 40 kilometres. Despite this Giro featuring only one time trial, its length will appeal to the specialists. As well as two sprint stages, stage 14 stands out: a serious mountain stage in the Aosta valley. The following day returns to sprinting in Milan.<\/p>\n

The Giro would not be the Giro without a brutal final week. Week three brings three summit finishes, plus two stages in between where the road constantly undulates. Stage 21, the final stage, is traditionally held in Rome, giving the fast men who made it to Rome one last chance.<\/p>\n

You can read our guide to the 2026 Giro d’Italia<\/a> GC favourites<\/a> here, and see our pick for each stage winner below.Stage-by-stage guide \u2014 Giro d’Italia 2026Stage 1 \u2014 Friday 8 May: Nessebar\u2013Burgas (156 km)<\/p>\n

The Giro d’Italia 2026 starts on Friday 8 May in Nessebar \u2014 a historic town of around 15,000 inhabitants on the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria, not far from the popular Sunny Beach resort. The riders finish 156 kilometres later in Burgas, the city that will also host the pre-race formalities in the days before the start.<\/p>\n

Favourites:<\/p>\n

Dylan Groenewegen<\/a> (Unibet Rose Rockets)
Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)\"GiroThe 2025 Giro d’Italia started on Friday, May 8 in… Nessebar. Nesse-what? A historic town with about 15,000 inhabitants on the Black Sea in Bulgaria. The riders finished 147 kilometers later in Burgas. Paul Magnier was the fastest, and the happiest after avoiding a big crash<\/a>.Winner
Paul Magnier<\/a> (Soudal Quick-Step)Stage 2 \u2014 Saturday 9 May: Burgas\u2013Veliko Tarnovo (220 km)<\/p>\n

On day two, the riders head into the Bulgarian interior from Burgas \u2014 a long 220-kilometre haul. The pink jersey will in all likelihood change hands, because the Lyaskovets Monastery climb (3.6 km at 6.6%) in the closing kilometres makes this a test for punchers and even climbers. The finish is on a short uphill stretch just after the descent of that same climb.<\/p>\n

Favourites:<\/p>\n

Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana)
Jan Christen (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Jonas Vingegaard<\/a> (Visma | Lease a Bike)\"Giro<\/p>\n

On day two, the riders headed into the Bulgarian hinterland from Burgas for 220 kilometers in the saddle. The pink leader’s jersey changed hands again, as the Lyaskovets Monastery climb (3.6 km at 6.6%) at the end of the stage proved (following a terrible crash on the approach) to be a test for the punchers and even the climbers. Jonas Vingegaard and his teammates gambled, allowing a large group to catch up, with XDS Astana taking the win and seizing the pink jersey.<\/p>\n

Winner
Guillermo Silva<\/a> (XDS Astana)Stage 3 \u2014 Sunday 10 May: Plovdiv\u2013Sofia (174 km)<\/p>\n

The third stage in Bulgaria takes the peloton from Plovdiv to the capital, Sofia, in the west of the country. Despite the Borovets climb (8.9 km at 5.3%) midway through, the sprinters should have another opportunity here. That said, the climb \u2014 with its summit 70 kilometres from the finish \u2014 could be used to shed some of the heavier riders.<\/p>\n

Favourites: <\/p>\n

Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)<\/p>\n

\"Giro<\/p>\n

The third stage in Bulgaria took the peloton from Plovdiv to the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, located in the west of the country. Despite the climb of Borovets (8.9 kilometers at 5.3 percent) halfway through the stage, the sprinters battled for the stage victory. And just like on day 1, it was Paul Magnier who won.<\/p>\n

Winner
Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)<\/p>\n

Rest Day \u2014 Monday 11 MayStage 4 \u2014 Tuesday 12 May: Catanzaro\u2013Cosenza (144 km)<\/p>\n

After a rest and travel day, the riders breathe Italian air from Tuesday 12 May. The trip through the Boot begins with a 144-kilometre transition stage, defined by the Cozzo Tunno climb (14.4 km at 5.9%), which summits 40 kilometres from the finish. The classic dilemma: too hard for the sprinters, too easy for the climbers?<\/p>\n

Favourites: <\/p>\n

Afonso Eulalio (Bahrain Victorious)
Frank van den Broek (Picnic PostNL)
Javier Romo (Movistar)<\/p>\n

\"GiroStage 5 \u2014 Wednesday 13 May: Praia a Mare\u2013Potenza (204 km)<\/p>\n

Stage five is a tricky one \u2014 the kind of stage where you cannot win the race, but you can certainly lose it. The steep Grande di Viggiano climb (6.6 km at 9.2%) peaks 50 kilometres from the finish, and the road does not properly flatten out until 30 kilometres from the line. Support riders could play a crucial role in eliminating or softening up rivals early, heading into Potenza \u2014 where Koen Bouwman won in 2022.<\/p>\n

Favourites:<\/p>\n

Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost)
Ben O’Connor (Jayco AlUla)
Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious)<\/p>\n

\"GiroStage 6 \u2014 Thursday 14 May: Paestum\u2013Naples (161 km)<\/p>\n

A Giro d’Italia without Naples is no Giro d’Italia \u2014 and for the fifth year running, the iconic city hosts a stage in the pink race. This time it is a 161-kilometre stage that the sprinters will have circled in red.<\/p>\n

Favourites: <\/p>\n

Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets)
Casper van Uden (Picnic PostNL)<\/p>\n

\"GiroStage 7 \u2014 Friday 15 May: Formia\u2013Blockhaus (246 km)Happy weekend, Giro riders \u2014 here comes Blockhaus. The legendary climb (14 km at 8.3%) arrives on Friday 15 May, but only after 232 kilometres in the legs first. That kind of fatigue can make itself felt on a climb like this. Jai Hindley<\/a> won here in 2022.<\/p>\n

Favourites:<\/p>\n

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Jai Hindley (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek)<\/p>\n

\"GiroStage 8 \u2014 Saturday 16 May: Chieti\u2013Fermo (159 km)<\/p>\n

The Tappa dei Muri! Stage eight may look unassuming on paper, but do not be deceived. The final quarter serves up a relentless series of punishing climbs: the Monterubbiano (4.7 km at 5.8%), the Muro del Ferro (0.5 km at 11.1%), the Capodarco (4 km at 5.3%), and the finishing climb to Fermo (3.4 km at 6.1%, including a stretch of 700 metres at 13.5%). Fermo last featured in Tirreno-Adriatico in 2022 and 2017, where Warren Barguil and a prime-era Peter Sagan won respectively.<\/p>\n

Favourites:<\/p>\n

Giulio Pellizzari<\/a> (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost)
Filippo Zana (Soudal Quick-Step)\"GiroStage 9 \u2014 Sunday 17 May: Cervia\u2013Corno alle Scale (184 km)<\/p>\n

On day nine, RCS revives a summit finish last used in 2004: the Corno alle Scale. Back then, Gilberto Simoni tamed the 12.8-kilometre climb (5.9% average) on its steep upper section, ahead of Damiano Cunego and Franco Pellizzotti.<\/p>\n

Favourites:<\/p>\n

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Adam Yates (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek)<\/p>\n

\"GiroRest Day \u2014 Monday 18 MayStage 10 \u2014 Tuesday 19 May: Viareggio\u2013Massa (Individual time trial, 40 km)<\/p>\n

The Giro’s only time trial arrives on Tuesday 19 May \u2014 and at 40 kilometres, it is an immediately serious test. From Viareggio \u2014 where the Tirreno-Adriatico typically begins each year \u2014 the riders hammer along the coast to Massa. As a Dutch saying goes: massa is kassa (“the crowd is the cash register”) \u2014 but whose motto will that prove to be?<\/p>\n

Favourites: <\/p>\n

Filippo Ganna<\/a> (INEOS Grenadiers)
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Edoardo Affini (Visma | Lease a Bike)\"GiroStage 11 \u2014 Wednesday 20 May: Porcari\u2013Chiavari (178 km)<\/p>\n

Stage eleven keeps the coast in sight but includes some climbing through the middle section of the route. On paper it offers an ideal opportunity for the attackers who are willing to race hard in this phase of the Giro.<\/p>\n

Favourites: <\/p>\n

Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious)
Marc Soler (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Wilco Kelderman (Visma | Lease a Bike)<\/p>\n

\"GiroStage 12 \u2014 Thursday 21 May: Imperia\u2013Novi Ligure (177 km)<\/p>\n

Imperia \u2014 heard that recently? That is where the peloton hit the ground in Milan-San Remo this year, when Van der Poel, Poga\u010dar and Van Aert chased each other through those climbs. This time it serves as the start of a 177-kilometre Giro stage finishing in Novi Ligure. There are obstacles along the way, but not enough to put the sprinters off.<\/p>\n

Favourites: <\/p>\n

Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)<\/p>\n

\"GiroStage 13 \u2014 Friday 22 May: Alessandria\u2013Verbania (186 km)<\/p>\n

Stage 13 on a Friday \u2014 what could go wrong? The route takes the peloton from Alessandria to Verbania, with a 4-kilometre climb at 7% to negotiate in the final 20 kilometres. One rider will be especially motivated: Filippo Ganna hails from Verbania and, for one day at least, gets to come home.<\/p>\n

Favourites: <\/p>\n

Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers)
Corbin Strong (NSN)
Filippo Zana (Soudal Quick-Step)<\/p>\n

\"GiroStage 14 \u2014 Saturday 23 May: Aosta\u2013Pila (133 km)<\/p>\n

Stage fourteen is a proper mountain stage. From Aosta, the riders tackle “just” 133 kilometres \u2014 but from almost the very first kilometre, it is a succession of climbing and descending. The finish sits at 1,800 metres above sea level, atop the Pila: a 16.6-kilometre climb averaging 7.0%. The GC contenders will earn their places here.<\/p>\n

Favourites: <\/p>\n

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Michael Storer (Tudor)<\/p>\n

\"GiroStage 15 \u2014 Sunday 24 May: Voghera\u2013Milan (136 km)<\/p>\n

After the demands of Saturday, RCS sensibly eases off on Sunday. Between Voghera and Milan there are barely any altitude metres, and it would take something extraordinary for this not to end in a sprint.<\/p>\n

Favourites: <\/p>\n

Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets)
Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM)<\/p>\n

\"GiroRest Day \u2014 Monday 25 MayStage 16 \u2014 Tuesday 26 May: Bellinzona\u2013Cari (113 km)<\/p>\n

Day 16 takes the race on a Swiss excursion, starting in Bellinzona and finishing atop the Cari. The 11.6-kilometre final climb (8.0% average) last featured at the 2024 Tour de Suisse, where Adam Yates and Jo\u00e3o Almeida took a 1-2 for UAE Emirates-XRG in a race they dominated.<\/p>\n

Favourites: <\/p>\n

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Adam Yates (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM)<\/p>\n

\"GiroStage 17 \u2014 Wednesday 27 May: Cassano d’Adda\u2013Andalo (200 km)<\/p>\n

Stage 17 also has an uphill character, but on paper looks better suited to the attackers than the GC favourites. At 200 kilometres, without any truly major passes, it is an ideal stage for the breakaway riders to take their chance. One to watch: Christian Scaroni of XDS Astana races through his home region.<\/p>\n

Favourites: <\/p>\n

Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana)
Ant\u00f3nio Morgado (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Filippo Zana (Soudal Quick-Step)<\/p>\n

\"GiroStage 18 \u2014 Thursday 28 May: Fai della Paganella\u2013Pieve di Soligo (167 km)<\/p>\n

On paper, stage 18 looks like a flat stage \u2014 but experience tells us that similar stages in week three of a Grand Tour often fall to breakaway riders. That pattern is reinforced here by the Muro di C\u00e0 del Poggio (1.1 km at 11%), which comes in the final 10 kilometres.<\/p>\n

Favourites: <\/p>\n

Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
Jasper Stuyven (Soudal Quick-Step)
Alec Segaert (Bahrain Victorious)<\/p>\n

\"GiroStage 19 \u2014 Friday 29 May: Feltre\u2013Piani di Pezze (151 km)<\/p>\n

There is nowhere to hide in stage 19. After a 50-kilometre introduction, the climbs come thick and fast: the Passo Duran (12.3 km at 8.0%), the Coi (5.9 km at 9.3%), the Forcella Staulanza (6.9 km at 6.1%), the Passo Giau (9.7 km at 9.4%), the Passo Falzarego (11.0 km at 5.3%), and finally the finishing climb to Piani di Pezze (4.9 km at 9.7%).<\/p>\n

Favourites: <\/p>\n

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Michael Storer (Tudor)<\/p>\n

\"GiroStage 20 \u2014 Saturday 30 May: Gemona del Friuli\u2013Piancavallo (199 km)<\/p>\n

The penultimate stage of the Giro d’Italia is almost always a brutal one \u2014 and 2026 is no different. The Piancavallo climb takes centre stage, tackled twice in the second half of the stage. At 14.4 kilometres averaging 7.8%, it is the last major obstacle of the race.<\/p>\n

Favourites: <\/p>\n

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana)
Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious)<\/p>\n

\"GiroStage 21 \u2014 Sunday 31 May: Rome\u2013Rome (131 km)<\/p>\n

No Parisian drama with a Montmartre finish here \u2014 just a short, classic sprint stage to close out the Giro. As we start in Burgas, we finish in Rome. As the saying goes: Rome wasn’t built in a day. It took rather longer \u2014 rather like surviving three weeks of this race.<\/p>\n

Favourites: <\/p>\n

Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets)
Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)<\/p>\n

\"Giro<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The first Grand Tour of 2026 is almost here: the Giro d’Italia. After Albania, RCS have again chosen…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14684,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[106,6334,5,10802,7409],"class_list":{"0":"post-14683","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-italy","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-giro-ditalia","10":"tag-italy","11":"tag-latest-cycling-news","12":"tag-previews"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}