2026 Giro d'Italia stage 1 preview

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Stage 1 - May 8, 2026: Nessebar - Burgas, 147 km

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Route information for the 2026 Giro d'Italia
(Image credit: RCS Sport)

Start time: 13:50 CET

For the 16th time and second consecutive year, the Giro d'Italia heads abroad, with Bulgaria hosting a three-stage Grande Partenza. The race begins in Nessebar, a Unesco World Heritage Site with 147km stage 1 to Burgas where the first Maglia Rosa will almost certainly be claimed by a sprinter.


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The route follows the coastline before crossing the finish line for the first time, and then heads towards Sozopol to take on two laps of a 22.1km circuit featuring cat. 4 Cape Agalina, climbed twice. From there, 32km of fast coastal roads bring the peloton back to Burgas for a slight uphill drag to the line.

Mountains

  • Cape Agalina (cat. 4), km. 84.3
  • Cape Agalina (cat. 4), km. 106.4

Sprints

  • Red Bull kilometre, Km. 113.7 - 114.7
  • Intermediate sprint - Sozopol, km. 90
Lyne Lamoureux
Lyne Lamoureux

Lyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing. She founded Podium Insight in 2008, quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world. She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans. She is proud to have covered men's and women's news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site. Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites. 

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