Giro d'Italia 2026
08.05-31.05
The 109th Giro d’Italia took place from May 8 to May 31, 2026, starting with the race’s first ever Grande Partenza in Bulgaria and finishing in Rome. Jonas Vingegaard won the Giro on his debut after a decisive attack on the penultimate stage to Piancavallo. Felix Gall finished second, with Jai Hindley completing the podium. Paul Magnier won the points classification, Giulio Ciccone the mountains classification and Afonso Eulálio the young rider classification.
How to watch the Giro d'Italia?
Curious about how to watch the 2026 Giro d'Italia? Discover it in our complete how-to-watch guide, featuring a full overview of all broadcasters and live streaming options.
The route of the Giro d'Italia 2026
The route for the 2026 Giro d'Italia covers 3,459km and features a total elevation gain of 50,000m. Over the course of 21 stages, riders will face the following:
- 9 Flat stages
- 6 Hilly stages
- 5 Mountain stages
- 1 Individual time trial
- A first Bulgarian Grande Partenza
- Rest days on May 11, May 18 and May 25.
The opening three stages in Bulgaria offer opportunities for sprinters and puncheurs, beginning with a flat stage from Nessebar to Burgas before a punchier test to Veliko Tarnovo and a likely sprint in Sofia. After travelling to Italy, the race resumes in Calabria with a mix of sprint and punchy opportunities before the first major GC test arrives on stage 7: a brutal 244km mountain stage to Blockhaus.
The second week mixes punchy terrain, sprint opportunities and the race’s sole 42km individual time trial from Viareggio to Massa. The first five-star mountain stage comes on stage 14 from Aosta to Pila, with multiple climbs and a summit finish likely to shake up the overall standings. A flat stage to Milan follows before the final rest day.
The last week is built for the GC battle. Stage 16 finishes on the steep climb to Carì, while stages 19 and 20 form the race’s decisive mountain double. The queen stage to Alleghe includes the Passo Giau, the Cima Coppi at 2,305 metres, before a punishing finish at Piani di Pezzè.
The penultimate stage features two ascents of Piancavallo, where the pink jersey could be won or lost. The Giro concludes with a likely sprint on the streets of Rome.
A full stage-by-stage guide for the 2026 route can be found here and these are the 5 key stages which you want to watch.
Giro d'Italia 2026 favourites
The 2026 Giro d’Italia is shaping up as a race with one standout favourite and several intriguing battles behind him. Jonas Vingegaard starts as the clear man to beat. After winning the Vuelta a España last year, the Visma | Lease a Bike leader now has the chance to complete the full Grand Tour set.
His early season form, with dominant victories at Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya, suggests he arrives in Italy as the strongest climber and time trialist in the field. With Sepp Kuss, Victor Campenaerts, Wilco Kelderman and Davide Piganzoli among his support riders, Visma also look well equipped to control the race.
Behind Vingegaard, Giulio Pellizzari could be the most exciting challenger. The 22-year-old Italian won the Tour of the Alps, finished third at Tirreno-Adriatico and appears ready to step into a true leadership role for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.
Adam Yates leads UAE Team Emirates-XRG after João Almeida’s withdrawal, while Derek Gee West, Egan Bernal, Thymen Arensman, Jai Hindley and Felix Gall all have realistic ambitions of a top five or podium finish. The long time trial and brutal final mountain block, including Pila, Carì, Piani di Pezzè and Piancavallo, should create clear gaps.
Pellizzari is also the leading favourite for the youth classification, although Antonio Morgado, Jan Christen, Darren Rafferty and Johannes Kulset give the white jersey battle real depth. In the mountains classification, Jay Vine looks like the most natural points hunter if fully fit, while Vingegaard and Pellizzari could also take the maglia azzurra if they dominate the summit finishes.
For the points jersey, Jonathan Milan is the obvious favourite. Paul Magnier, Kaden Groves, Tobias Lund Andresen and Dylan Groenewegen offer strong opposition, but Milan’s speed, durability and lead-out make him the rider to beat.
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Giro d'Italia 2026 prize money
The Tour de France 2025 comes with a total prize pool of 1,6 million - unchanged from previous years. While most of the money goes to the overall podium, riders can earn across every aspect of the race: from stage wins and jersey classifications to combativity and team results.
Read more in our feature.
