Giro d'Italia 2026

Giro d'Italia Countdown

A GC battle featuring one top dog, a few challengers and a whole load of hopefuls – Philippa York's Giro d'Italia analysis

First or second in every Grand Tour that he has started since 2020, it's not hard to see why Jonas Vingegaard lines up at the 109th edition of the Giro d’Italia as the overwhelming favourite.

Compared to the other team leaders and riders who have overall ambitions, he climbs better than all of them, his time trial performance is strongest outside of the dedicated specialists and finally, his level of concentration and race craft is second to none. Racing incidents aside, the surprise won’t be if he wins, it’ll be by how much and how many days he spends in the maglia rosa as race leader. Read more...

Legendary duels, left-field business moves, and the role of La Gazzetta: How RCS turned the Giro d'Italia into a national treasure, and a billion Euro event

Who can beat Jonathan Milan? Analysing the sprinters of the Giro d'Italia

Giro d'Italia jerseys, classifications and rules explained – A breakdown of points available on each stage, prize money, minor prizes and more

'The stress just drains you' – What Jonas Vingegaard can expect from his first Giro d'Italia

Who could be the Isaac del Toro of this year's Giro d'Italia? There's one GC frontrunner, but there's plenty of chances for surprises too – Analysis

Adoring Italian fans, turning off social media, and playing FIFA on Mount Teide – Getting to know Giulio Pellizzari, the Giro d'Italia's home star ready to challenge Jonas Vingegaard

Inside Bulgaria's Giro d'Italia start: Marred by political turmoil and team disputes, can it still deliver a lasting legacy?

What is the Blockhaus? And why does it matter so much in this year’s Giro d’Italia?

Glory days: Netcompany-Ineos start the long battle to revive past Grand Tour success at the Giro d'Italia

Giro d'Italia 2026 team-by-team guide – Leaders, objectives and riders to watch for every squad on the start list

The five key stages that will define this year's Giro d'Italia – From iconic mountains to a crucial long time trial

Jonas Vingegaard the clear frontrunner, but who will emerge as his biggest challenger? – Analysing the favourites for the Giro d'Italia

2026 Giro d'Italia Overview

The 2026 Giro d'Italia is the 109th edition of the Italian Grand Tour. The three-week race will be held from May 8 to May 31 with the Grande Partenza in Bulgaria in Eastern Europe. The Giro will travel to Italy after three stages in Bulgaria

Race organiser RCS Sport presented the race route in Rome on December 1, alongside the route of the 2026 Giro d'Italia Women's race.

The 2026 Giro d'Italia route covers a total 3,466 kilometres and includes 49,150 metres of elevation gain across the 21 stages.

There is just one 40.2 km time trial in Tuscany, with a balance of sprint, hilly and mountain stages. The final week is packed with mountain stages in the north of Italy before a transfer to the capital Rome for the final circuit stage.

The Giro d'Italia is one of professional cycling's three Grand Tours, alongside the Tour de France and Vuelta a España.

First run in 1909 by sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, the race has been organised since 1989 by RCS Sport under the same umbrella as the newspaper.

The race experimented with different formats in the early years starting with a points system, then holding only a teams classification in 2012, and finally moving to the time-based classification used today in 1914.

The race was suspended from 1915 to 1918 due to World War I. Once it resumed, Alfredo Binda emerged as the first star of the race, winning in 1925, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1933.

Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi made their names in the Giro before World War II led to the race's cancellation from 1941 to 1945, then resumed their rivalry.

Coppi won five editions in 1940, 1947, 1949, 1952 and 1953, while Bartali won in 1936, 1937 and 1946.

The next superstar to make a name in the Giro d'Italia was Eddy Merckx, winner of five editions from 1968 to 1974.

Who will challenge Jonas Vingegaard at this year's Giro d'Italia? Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our coverage of the Corsa Rosa. Enjoy unrivalled reporting from our team of journalists on the ground, including breaking news, analysis, and more, from every stage as it happens, plus access to the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! Find out more.

2026 Giro d'Italia schedule

Giro d'Italia Records

Most overall wins: Fausto Coppi, Alfredo Binda, Eddy Merckx (five); Giovanni Brunero, Gino Bartali, Fiorenzo Magni, Felice Gimondi, Bernard Hinault (three).

Most stage wins: Mario Cipollini (42), Alfredo Binda (41), Learco Guerra (31), Constance Girardengo (30), Eddy Merckx (25), Mark Cavendish (16)

Most mountain classification wins: Gino Bartali (seven); José Manuel Fuentes (four); Fausto Coppi, Franco Bitossi, Claudio Bortolotto, Claudio Chiappucci (three)

Most points classification wins: Francesco Moser, Giuseppe Saronni (four); Roger De Vlaeminck, Johan van der Velde, Mario Cipollini (three)

Most starts: Wladimir Panizza (18); Pierino Gavazzi, Domenico Pozzovivo (17)

Youngest winner: Fausto Coppi, 1940 (20 years and 268 days)

Oldest winner: Fiorenzo Magni, 1955 (34 years and 180 days)

Smallest margin of victory: 11 seconds (Fiorenzo Magni, 1948)

Largest margin of victory: 1:57:26 (Alfonso Calzolari, 1914)

Fastest edition: 2024 (41.866 kph)

To test your own knowledge on the winners of the Giro d'Italia throughout its history, take our quiz here.