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2026 Giro d'Italia stage 10 preview – Jonas Vingegaard favoured to take race lead in Massa time trial, though the flat route is tailor-made for Filippo Ganna
A rundown of the contenders and a look at the 42km seaside route between Viareggio and Massa
Jonas Vingegaard is favourite to take the maglia rosa and gain time on his GC rivals in the Giro d'Italia stage 10 time trial(Image credit: Getty Images)
The Giro d'Italia GC battle immediately gets underway again following the second rest day as the main contenders come up against the only time trial of the race.
The 42km test against the clock could come as something of a shock to the system for some after a day of press conferences, recovery, and a short group ride to turn the legs over.
Maglia rosa Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious) will be hoping to cling onto his overall lead for a fifth stage. However, the odds look to be against the Portuguese racer as he defends a 2:24 lead over overall favourite Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike).
After Sunday's stage 9 summit finish at Corno alle Scale, Eulálio said he had reached his goal of making it to the rest day in pink. Anything more will be a huge bonus, though Vingegaard is the overwhelming favourite to take the race lead on the road to Massa.
"I've made it to the rest day in the maglia rosa. I don't know what my limits are, but to finish in the top five is crazy for me,
Vingegaard won't be racing in his team's own Nimbl-manufactured skinsuit, instead racing in a Giro-supplied king of the mountains jersey made by Castelli. As a result, he may not come away with a 100% optimal performance, but he still lines up as the strongest time triallist among the GC contenders.
"That wasn't as we had anticipated. We overlooked that a bit," his teammate Victor Campenaerts told Sporza.
"Jonas says: ‘I rode my best time trials in a leader’s jersey.’ The aero coach will probably want to say something about that, but it is what it is."
In any case, Vingegaard is set to put even more breathing space between him and his closest rivals, Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA-CGM) and Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). He holds a 35-second lead over the Austrian, while the former Giro champion lies 2:08 back.
Gall has emerged as the second-strongest climber in the race so far, but is likely to struggle on the flat route here. He'll be on the defensive against a stronger time triallist in Hindley, while Thymen Arensman (Netcompany Ineos), 2:36 behind Gall in sixth place, figures to be one of the strongest TT riders among the GC contenders.
He and Vingegaard look likely to be the big winners of the day at the top of the standings, while many others will be aiming to limit their losses. Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek) is another solid time trial rider who will hope to make up time on the rest, including that minute shed on stage 2.
Italian time trial champion Filippo Ganna looks likely to win his eighth Giro d'Italia stage in Massa (Image credit: Getty Images)
Looking away from the GC battle, there's one name that stands above the rest to win the stage – two-time world time trial champion Filippo Ganna (Netcompany Ineos). The course – totally flat and with long, straight sections running up the Ligurian coast – has been more or less tailor-made for him.
He hasn't had to push himself on the recent mountain days, either, so he should have plenty in reserve to go all-out for his eighth Giro d'Italia stage victory.
Ganna's teammate, Magnus Sheffield, is another name well-suited for a top ride, while Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Lorenzo Milesi (Movistar), Alec Segaert (Bahrain Victorious), and Rémi Cavagna (Groupama-FDJ United) are also in the frame.
As for the course itself, it first heads south from Viareggio through a pine forest until the first U-turn at Marina di Torre del Lago, 9km in. Riders then head back north along the same road to Viareggi and the first checkpoint of the day after 16.7km.
The course then rejoins the seafront road towards Massa, with the second checkpoint coming at Forte dei Marmi after 28.9km.
The last technical section of the course comes in Massa as a 90-degree right-hand turn that leads into a hairpin – and the final checkpoint – at 38.4km. From there, a short, straight run gives way to two closing right-hand bends 1km and 150 metres from the finish line.
Course details
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The profile of stage 10 of the 2026 Giro d'Italia(Image credit: RCS Sport)
The map of stage 10 of the 2026 Giro d'Italia(Image credit: RCS Sport)
Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor, later being hired full-time. Her favourite races include Strade Bianche, the Tour de France Femmes, Paris-Roubaix, and Tro-Bro Léon.
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