Beyond the GC battle - The 2026 Giro d'Italia offers more than the fight for the maglia rosa - Analysis

Twenty-four hours after the presentation of the 2026 Giro d'Italia route, riders, teams and the tifosi are still studying the 21 stages, trying to work out the key stages, where the race will be won and who will pull on the final maglia rosa in Rome on May 31.

The 2025 Giro route had a simple but logical narrative, with Strade Bianche gravel roads and a 28km time trial mid-race, some testing mountain stages and then the grand finale over the Colle delle Finestre on stage 20.

The standoff between Isaac del Toro and Richard Carapaz allowed Simon Yates to power away on the Colle delle Finestre and snatch the overall victory in one of the most dramatic and most 'Giroesque' moments of the race's history.

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However, nobody I spoke to in Rome on Monday seemed excited about the 2026 route or even a specific stage; there were no gasps in the audience when the stages were revealed and no Italian hand-waving polemics afterwards.

Respected Italian journalist Cristian Gatti described it as a Giro d'Italia route "that wants to please everyone, without pleasing anyone in particular," adding, "It's a Giro without a clear design, with no legendary landmarks that help transform an ordinary Giro into a special Giro."

At first glance, even with minimum stage information, it is difficult to disagree with him and identify a strong narrative for the 2026 Giro.

There are a number of stages where the GC contenders can perhaps gain time on each other, but it is impossible to say that it is an attractive route for a rider like Jonas Vingegaard, with few chances to land a knockout blow, or if the 40.2km time trial on the Tuscan coast is enticing for a superior time trialist like Remco Evenepoel, who would want to have confidence it will be enough to offset what he might lose in the mountains.

Perhaps that is a good thing. After all, it is the riders who 'make' a race. But for now, the 2026 Corsa Rosa appears to be a Frankenstein Giro, a sum of several parts and numerous compromises, something to appease everybody but only excite a few. Hopefully, the riders will produce the electricity to bring the race to life next May.

'Modern' or mediocre?

Outgoing Giro d'Italia race director Mauro Vegni described the 2026 route as modern, justifying both the long 246km stage to Blockhaus and the shorter 133km mountain stage to Pila in the Val d'Aosta. He denied it was a 'softened' route, designed to ensure Vingegaard and Evenepoel will still be able to target the Tour de France after fighting for the Giro.

There are some big 'tappone' mountain stages in the 2026 Giro, but they are easier and fewer in number than in the past, and they are always tempered by easier stages before and after.

Stage 7, which finishes atop the Blockhaus in the central Apennines, is legendary because Eddy Merckx won his first Grand Tour stage here in 1967. Simon Yates will have remembered how he cracked on the Blockhaus in 2022. The 246km stage will surely create some time gaps, but it is the only major climb of the seven-hour stage. However, it is the first real difficulty of the 2026 Giro d'Italia.

Where the gaps can form

The sole time trial along the Tuscan coast is a gift to Evenepoel above anyone else, but it will only shake up the GC for a few days. Evenepoel only beat Pogačar by 12 seconds in the 25km test during 2024 Tour de France, with Vingegaard losing 37 seconds on a bad day. The Belgian could perhaps gain a minute in a 40km Giro time trial, but has always lost far more than that in the high mountains, even just to Vingegaard.

Stage 14 to Pila will be entertaining, but at 133km it is too short to create major time gaps. It is preceded and followed by sprint and transfer stages, offering ample time for the GC riders to recover.

The Swiss stage to Carí is one of the seven summit finishes but again includes little climbing beforehand and is only 113km long, shorter than many junior races.

Stage 19 is the Queen stage of the 2026 Giro and includes 5000 metres of altitude gain over five climbs in just 152km. Is it too little, too late, with the double climb of Piancavallo the day after on stage 20? Marco Pantani will be remembered at the Piani di Pezzè finish. He won there in 1992 in the amateur Giro, but the 2026 Giro is no race for the pure climbers like 'il Pirata'.

After the route presentation, Vegni was grilled about the possible presence of Vingegaard and Evenepoel. He hinted RCS Sport are working on several deals, but their TV rights contracts are up for negotiation, and it is unclear how much of their budget they can spend on attracting big-name riders.

Vingegaard seems keen to complete his triple crown of Grand Tour victories in 2026, and it would be fascinating to see the Danish climber face the unique difficulties and the unpredictability of the Giro.

RCS Sport know they need Evenepoel or someone to play the bad guy to Vingegaard's nice guy persona. The Giro really needs Isaac del Toro to challenge Vingegaard with the help of a strong UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad. If he has the desire and motivation, Primož Roglič could return yet again and mentor young Italian teammate Giulio Pellizzari, adding an extra twist.

An alternative script to the GC battle

RCS Sport know they may struggle to convince any of the big GC riders to target the Giro, so they wisely have integrated a Plan B into the 2026 Giro route, making the race far more than just a GC battle. The devil is in the detail, but a number of stages have short climbs in the final 20km followed by a testing descent to the finish.

In recent years, Mads Pedersen, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert have offered some early entertainment, and the 2026 route offers a number of stages that might tempt return or tempt younger riders to emulate them.

Pedersen will lead Lidl-Trek at the cobbled Classics and wants to return to the Tour de France in 2026 after targeting the Giro d'Italia points classification this year. The team could send Jonathan Milan back to the Giro to go after a third ciclamino jersey. The race has plenty of sprinting opportunities, with some truly pan-flat stages and prestigious finishes in cities such as Sofia, Naples, Milan and Rome.

The likes of Tim Merlier, Jasper Philipsen and new Decathlon sprinter Olav Kooij may also be tempted to ride the Giro, knowing it is no longer taboo to climb off after ten stages.

RCS Sport suggested there are eight flat stages and seven medium-mountain stages. A sprinter will almost certainly take the first stage win and the maglia rosa in Bulgaria, but then stage 2 includes the late climb up to the Lyaskovets Monastery overlooking Veliko Tarnovo. Google maps suggests it is a twisting, narrow road under the trees and Sporza's expert Renaat Schotte has already identified it as a great opportunity for Thibau Nys.

There are similar finishes on stage 5 to Potenza, perhaps even in Naples, due to the loop over the Fuorigrotta climb, over the steep 'muri' climbs of Le Marche on stage 8 and on stage 11 through the Cinque Terre hills to Chiavari.

Stage 13 to Verbania has two late climbs, while stage 17 to Andalo has been flattened and avoids the real mountains of western Trentino. Stage 18 also avoids the mountains and instead offers the short but steep hillside climb of Ca' del Poggio. It is almost a gimmick of a climb to show off the Prosecco vineyard area, but it could also spark a thrilling final hour of racing, even for the GC contenders.

Of course, if these stages suit Nys, they will also be good for Britain's Matthew Brennan, Soudal-QuickStep's super talent Paul Magnier, Tibor del Grosso of Alpecin-Deceuninck, and NSN duo Corbin Strong and Biniam Girmay, among other young riders looking for a big stage win to showcase their talents. There are chances for Michael Matthews (Jayco-Alula), Alberto Bettiol and his fellow XDS-Astana points hunters, Marc Hirschi (Tudor).

Perhaps the saving grace of the 2026 Giro d'Italia is the multitude of opportunities it offers these other riders to entertain us on a near-daily basis in May.