'If it rains, it's not going to be funny' – Jasper Stuyven warns of potential danger of cobbled sprint finish in Naples at Giro d'Italia

While the profile for stage 6 of the Giro d'Italia looks simple on paper – an almost flat 141km route from Paestum to Naples – Jasper Stuyven has warned of the potentially huge risks in the cobbled finale if rain closes in on the riders as it did on Wednesday.

Naples as a finish location will almost always be hectic, with the tricky roads around Southern Italy's main city tending to bring chaos to the Giro in recent years, most recently 12 months ago, when a wet downhill section on the run towards the city caused a mass crash.

As a result of that incident, which forced former winner Jai Hindley out of the race, no GC times were taken at the finish, allowing a safer sprint to play out along the coast, where Kaden Groves came out on top.

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2026 will be the fifth year in a row at the Giro with a stage ending in Naples, but there is a new finish to contend with, and it doesn't look easy; after a slight bend in the road with 1km to go, the riders will steady themselves for a key left-hand corner at around 650 metres to go, before they enter a section of cobbles that runs all the way to the line, take a U-turn with 300 metres to go, and then sprint to the finish at the Piazza del Plebiscito.

"I don't want to say that it really looks super dangerous already. I mean, if it rains, of course, it's not going to be funny, but I think Napoli is always known as a tricky run into the city," Stuyven told Cyclingnews at the start of stage 5, noting how a technical finish isn't always the cause of crashes, with rider behaviour playing its part.

"The roads themselves are not in the best condition. But it's hard to say. Nowadays, we can have a straightforward finish line and a big crash, or we can have a very technical final and bad crashes.

"I think it's more how [organisers] deal with narrowings and road furniture, and then part of it is also on the riders themselves. But of course, it's a hectic final for tomorrow, and if it rains, it might be chaos, but I think that's the same every time you arrive in a big city, and we'll see."

Current forecasts project around a 50% chance of rain for most of the afternoon before the riders' arrival, but even if there is only a brief downpour, any wetting of the polished cobbles could lead to a serious crash risk – one which the GC teams will be desperate to avoid.

Stuyven is one of the three CPA [rider's union] representatives at this year's Giro, alongside two fellow experienced heads from the peloton in Victor Campenaerts and Simone Consonni, and has already had his say on safety after the mass crash on stage 2. He described the race director as looking like a "frightened dog" as he restarted the racing after a brief neutralisation, during which time the Belgian said the riders wanted GC times to be neutralised, as they were in Naples a year ago.

Asked what one thing he would change to do with safety in the sport, Stuyven's focus was more on the process than a specific rule: "One thing, it's hard to say. I think there's an effort needed from everyone, organisers, the UCI and riders, without just defending their own position, I think that's where we struggle the most."

Revitalised at Soudal-QuickStep in Classics and as Magnier's lead-out

Stuyven joined Soudal-QuickStep for 2026 after 12 years with Trek but, even at 34, he has really found a new gear on his home team. Seventh in Milan-San Remo – a race he famously won before in 2021 – sixth at the Tour of Flanders, and third at Paris-Roubaix were how his Monument results read.

He was a great example of consistency for the Belgian team, who were looking to move back into their previous leading position at the Classics. While not able to fully challenge the likes of Tadej Pogačar and Wout van Aert for the wins at those races, Stuyven doesn't believe there was anything better they could have achieved.

"I wasn't here the last few years, but I think we didn't really start the year great. Missing Tim [Merlier], of course, that makes a big difference, the guy that wins easily, let's say," said Stuyven.

"And then Paul, apart from Algarve, didn't have the best start. But then I think in the Classics, we did what was maximum, maybe even a little bit better – although some people didn't agree with that."

Stuyven has kicked on at the Giro as one of the key cogs in Paul Magnier's lead-out train, which guided him to the front and to two sprint victories during the Bulgarian Grande Partenza, taking the pink jersey on day one.

"We just kept going on a good vibe, and it was great winning here, taking pink, and I think you can see and feel within the team, within the staff, that we are back to where we belong," said the Belgian.

"There were questions where they were counting on Paul from the outside, also the inside, but it was an argument to say that his last one was in Algarve and had been a while. He didn't have the best spring, but I think within the team, we knew we had a great training camp, worked really hard, and everything was positive.

"Of course, as a sprinter, you need confidence, but I think we gave him that confidence and made a great plan, and once you win, then you go with more to the next race."

Magnier's next chance for a Giro hat-trick of stages should come on the tricky final run into Naples on Thursday, and perhaps the services of Classics expert Stuyven will be just what is needed to get the job done.

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