Red Bull KM returns for Giro d'Italia with locations closer to stage finishes

First introduced to the Giro d’Italia in 2025, the Red Bull KM serves as the only intermediate point where those battling for the GC can pick up bonus seconds on a stage, alongside the stage finish. 

The first three riders who cross the Red Bull KM first collect six, four, and two bonus seconds respectively to reduce their GC time, an attempt by the Giro race organisers to enhance dynamic racing.

All 20 road stages in the upcoming Giro, with the exception of the individual time trial on stage 10, will feature a Red Bull KM. 

Compared to last year, the race organisers have highlighted that the Red Bull KMs have been placed strategically closer to the finish line in each stage, in an attempt to increase their significance. 

For example, stage 15 to Milan is the only stage when the Red Bull KM comes further than 40km from the finish, with 42.2km to go on that occasion. 

The majority of the Red Bull KMs come inside the final 20km of stages, with stage 9’s Red Bull KM just 11.4km from the finish line in Corno alle Scale.

In 2025, Isaac del Toro, who led the race on the penultimate stage, before slipping to 2nd behind Simon Yates, picked up 14 seconds across the Red Bull KM’s, illustrating that there is an opportunity to make a difference in the GC via gaining them.

The 2026 Giro begins on May 8 with a debutant nation hosting the Grande Partenza in the shape of Bulgaria. The first three stages on Bulgarian soil will see the Red Bull KM placed with 32.3km, 15.5km, and 13km from the finish line, respectively.

Jonas Vingegaard, who is set to make his Giro debut, headlines the provisional start list as the Dane attempts the Giro-Tour double, a feat achieved only by eight different male riders, and most recently by Tadej Pogačar in 2024.