Winners and disappointments from the Giro’s opening week

First, let’s look at the winners of the opening week of the 2026 Giro d’Italia. The race began with the Grande Partenza in Bulgaria, and the standout rider from those opening stages was Paul Magnier, who got the better of world class sprinter Jonathan Milan.

What impressed most was the maturity Magnier showed, especially considering he is only 21 years old. He stayed calm in the sprints on stages 1 and 3, with the latter proving the highlight as he timed his effort to perfection on a rough finishing straight. 

He was perhaps unlucky not to take a third victory after being caught behind the crash hit finale in Naples, but still produced a powerful seated acceleration to finish third. If Magnier maintains this level, he will be a major contender for the maglia ciclamino in only his second Grand Tour appearance. Could a Tour de France push be on the horizon?

Next up is Diego Sevilla of Team Polti Visit Malta, who was a near constant presence in the breakaway during the opening stages. His efforts earned him 42 points in the maglia azzurra classification and gave him a well deserved spell in the jersey. For Polti Visit Malta, that exposure is hugely valuable, especially in terms of sponsor visibility.

Guillermo Thomas Silva won stage 2 in Veliko Tarnovo after a chaotic day shaped by crashes. Few would have predicted that Thomas Silva would win the stage and move into pink, perhaps not even the Uruguayan himself. His stint in the maglia rosa was the kind of dream few riders get to live. 

It also has the potential to inspire a new generation of Uruguayan cyclists, with Thomas Silva becoming the first rider from the country to win a Grand Tour stage. In a nation dominated by football, that is a significant moment. He backed up that performance with a podium from the breakaway on the “Benny Hill” finish in Potenza and a solid fourth place on the muro stage to Fermo. 

Expect Thomas Silva to remain in contention for more stage wins in weeks two and three.

Jhonatan Narváez, and in truth the entire reduced UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad, can be proud of what they achieved with only five riders. The team collected three stage wins, with Narváez taking two expertly crafted victories and Arrieta producing a remarkable never give up ride to overcome several setbacks and pip the current maglia rosa, Afonso Eulálio, on the line. 

UAE may not be done yet either, with more stage wins still within reach before the Giro ends.

Next up are Felix Gall and Decathlon CMA CGM, who took the fight to Jonas Vingegaard and Visma | Lease a Bike. The French team set up the Austrian brilliantly on the summit finish to Blockhaus, where Gall finished within sight of Vingegaard, just 13 seconds down. Would many have expected that at the Grande Partenza? 

Gall and Decathlon backed it up on stage 9 with a commanding day of control, keeping the breakaway on a tight leash to the frustration of Giulio Ciccone. Gall then gained more time on the riders around him in the battle for the remaining podium places behind what already looks like Vingegaard’s race to lose.

We round off with the wearer of the pink jersey: Afonso Eulálio. The Portuguese rider claimed the maglia rosa on the unforgettable stage to Potenza, which produced one of the most spectacular finales in modern cycling, with multiple crashes and twists along the way. In the end, Eulálio had to accept defeat to Igor Arrieta in the fight for the stage win, but the leader’s jersey was a deserved reward.

Impressive performances on the difficult stages 7 and 9 have ensured that Eulálio still leads the general classification. Of course, it is not realistic to expect him to hold off Vingegaard all the way to the overall victory, but it remains to be seen how many GC contenders can still overhaul him.

After the Tour of the Alps, Italian hopes were high. Could Giulio Pellizzari finally end the drought of Italian Giro winners? The 22 year old was widely seen as Jonas Vingegaard’s biggest challenger before the race.

A week and a half later, the picture looks very different. On stage 2, Pellizzari still looked fresh and alert when Vingegaard attacked. The same appeared to be true on Blockhaus when Vingegaard made his move. But trying to follow the two time Tour de France winner proved too much for Pellizzari, who paid for the effort later with time losses.

On stage 9, he slipped further out of contention after being dropped early. On the rest day, it emerged that Pellizzari had been struggling with stomach problems, which may help explain his underwhelming performances.

In the same category of riders who impressed at the Tour of the Alps but have not yet hit the same level at the Giro is Egan Bernal. The Colombian lost almost three minutes on Blockhaus. A day later, he said: “I did my best 40 minutes ever.” Even so, he could do no better than 17th in Sunday’s mountain stage.

By now, the Netcompany Ineos rider’s hopes of a top overall result appear to be fading. He sits 15th overall, almost four and a half minutes behind Jonas Vingegaard.

Expectations were also high for Jonathan Milan heading into this Giro. He was widely regarded as the strongest sprinter in the field and the big favourite to win the opening stage and take the pink jersey.

But Milan could not quite deliver, finishing fourth on stage 1 and second on stage 3. The Italian was then caught up in the chaotic finale in Naples, where he went down in the crash. Milan will now look to put those near misses behind him and get his maglia ciclamino campaign back on track.