The 2026 Tour of the Alps again offers five days of mountainous racing in Austria and Italy, offering a perfect route to the Giro d'Italia.
2026 marks the 10th anniversary of the cooperation agreement between Tirol, Südtirol/Alto Adige and Trentino and the race spanning the special Euroregion, with the Tour of the Alps building on the legacy of the Giro del Trentino race.
The 2026 Tour of the Alps route was presented in Milan on November 13th, with organisers claiming the race generated a record media value of more than €17 million.
For 2026, the race organisers have introduced a new intermediate sprint near the finish called the “Bonus Sprint”, which offers 6, 4 and 2 seconds. They are often placed on or after climbs, so they will impact the GC battle.
The 2026 race includes five days of racing between Monday, April 20, and Friday, April 24. The five stages cover 760 kilometres and 14,620 metres of total elevation gain. Once again, the Tour of the Alps will be about climbing ability but also about riders' descending skills, with only one mountain finish and three descents to the line.
The opening stage is around Innsbruck, just like in 2017, when Michele Scarponi won just a few days before his tragic death. Geraint Thomas won overall that year. The 141.8km stage includes four short climbs but is perhaps a chance for a fast finisher to win.
Stage 2 is from Telfs in Tirol to Val Martello in Südtirol/Alto Adige for a mountain finish in the high valley. The 147.5km stage includes two high climbs as the stage heads south in Italy and then a six-kilometre climb at 8% to the finish line. It is the only mountain finish of the race and so will be vital in the GC battle.
Stage 3 starts in Latsch/Laces and finishes in Arco, the Garda Trentino town that has long been home to the Tour of the Alps organizing committee. The 174.5km stage includes the Passo Castrin early on, before a series of smaller climbs in the mountains, and a final fast descent to the finish.
Stage 4 is over 167.8km from Arco to Trento, via the high mountains of the Passo Redebus. This is the Queen stage, with 3600 metres of climbing. The late Povo climb was included in the 2021 European Championships and could therefore be included in the 2031 Super World Championships.
Stage 5 starts in Trento and climbs north to finish in Bolzano, with two major late climbs no doubt deciding the final GC standings. It is only 128.6km long but includes the Montoppio and Cologna di Sopra climbs in a tough final circuit, north of the city.
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