The last chance – What to expect from the third week of the 2026 Giro d'Italia

The peloton has reached the third and final week of this Giro d'Italia, and a lot has happened in the first two weeks of this edition, from the start in Bulgaria to the journey back to Italy.

That first week of racing seems like ages ago now, but to recap; it offered a chance for the sprinters and opportunists, where Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep) and Guillermo Thomas Silva (XDS-Astana) spent time in the overall race lead.

Once on Italian soil, a dramatic stage 5 saw victory for Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious) take the race lead and hold onto it through two mountain stages won by Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) at Blockhaus on stage 7 and Corno alle Scale on stage 9.

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The second week of racing kicked off with a 42km decisive time trial into Massa, where a few of the main contenders gained time on Vingegaard, but saw the Dane move significantly closer to Eulálio's lead.

It wasn't until the next summit finish on stage 14 to Pila that he donned the maglia rosa for the first time in his career, and he will carry that jersey into the final week of racing.

In between there were a peppering of surprises, well-deserved and memorable victories that came from Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who captured a third stage win in Chiavari, Alec Segaert (Bahrain-Victorious) stole the show in Novi Ligure, Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana) secured a solo win in Verbania, and perhaps most surprising of all was the breakaway that thwarted the sprinters in Milan, where Fredrik Dversnes Lavik (Uno-X Mobility) took the honours.

And so, after 15 days of racing, Cyclingnews highlights some of the main talking points for the next six stages as the race heads toward its conclusion in Rome next Sunday.

Vingegaard in control of maglia rosa

Vingegaard may have suffered through illness in the first week of the Giro, but once fully recovered, his performance on stage 14 to the summit of Pila has given him a commanding lead in the Giro d'Italia.

He now leads the race by 2:26 ahead of Eulálio and 2:50 ahead of Felix Gall (Decathlon-CMA CGM) and 3:30 ahead of Thymen Arensman (Netcompany-Ineos), and the pair of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe teammates Jai Hindley and Giulio Pellizzari are trailing at 3:43 and 4:22 back, respectively.

Having won the three major mountain stages of the first two weeks, Vingegaard will almost certainly target back-to-back stage 19 at Alleghe (Piani di Pezzè) and stage 20 at Piancavallo before the Giro heads into Rome.

"The third week is by far the hardest here in this Giro. First, we start with the stage Carì, which will obviously be a hard day where we have to ride as GC riders," Vingegaard said in an interview on the final rest-day on Monday in Milan.

"As it looks now, it will be warm last week. I hope for more good weather rather than rain. Then Wednesday's stage is also quite a hard stage, and you cannot underestimate that. There might be a breakaway on Thursday, but then we have two very hard stages in the Dolomites. There is still a lot of racing before Rome."

A GC podium reshuffle could happen in the mountains

It will be Visma-Lease a Bike's race to control in the final week, and while those two final mountain stages will be key for those riders in the fight for the overall classification podium, they could also have an opportunity to pull back time on one another on stage 16 to Carí.

There are questions around whether Eulálio will be able to maintain his runner-up spot on the GC, especially with several riders who are positioned closely behind him actively looking to put time into him in the mountains.

Behind Vingegaard, there are just under two minutes separating Eulálio, Gall, Hindley, and Pellizzari. And further back in the top 10, riders like Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling), Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla), and Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek) will also be aiming to pull back time to move up the GC standings.

Young riders making their mark at the Giro

There are several young riders to watch who are emerging at this Giro d'Italia. Eulálio may have lost the maglia rosa, but he now wears the best young rider jersey.

As with the main GC standings, it is unclear whether Eulálio, 24, will be able to maintain this position, as several riders just behind him will be aiming to move up.

Pellizzari, 22, winner of the Tour of the Alps last month, is currently runner-up at 1:56 back in the young rider classification at the Giro. His teamwork with Hindley in the overall standings could inadvertently bring him into the young rider lead, too.

Not too far behind him at 3:47 back is the revelation of Visma-Lease a Bike, Davide Piganzoli, 23, who has been working tirelessly for Vingegaard in his pursuit of the maglia rosa. Piganzoli's most telling moment at this Giro so far was on the slopes of Pila, where he completed his support work for eventual winner Vingegaard and then went on to finish fourth himself. He was also third on Corno alle Scale on stage 9.

Mathys Rondel, 22, gives Tudor Pro Cycling an option for the young rider classification at 4:32 back, while Markel Beloki (EF Education-EasyPost), 20, rounds out the top five at 9:07 back.

The fight for points

The race for the maglia ciclamino has been one of the most exciting special-jersey competitions at this Giro d'Italia, mainly because the two riders locked in a head-to-head battle couldn't be more different.

Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep) won two stages in Burgas and Sofia, and has been collecting points in the limited stage sprint opportunities at this Giro d'Italia.

The French sprinter currently leads the classification with 145 points, but only by a slim 45 points. He even lost the jersey for one day to his nearest rival, Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).

The Ecuadorian all-rounder has proven to be a savvy rider, securing three stage wins in Cosenza, Fermo and Chiavari. He has made it clear that he will keep fighting for the maglia ciclamino by securing points in the intermediate sprints.

On top of that, the final week of racing suits his style and strengths, more so than Magnier, with plenty of moderate to mountainous stages. Magnier, on the other hand, will have to rely on the final sprint in Rome in his bid to win the prestigious jersey.

Last chance for the sprinters in Rome

While anything can happen in bike racing, many of the top sprinters believe that stage 21 would be their last chance to go for a bunch sprint in Rome.

There are limited opportunities for the sprinters at this Giro d'Italia, and Magnier scooped up victories in Burgas and Sofia, while Davide Ballerini (XDS Astana) won in Naples.

The pressure continues to build for Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) to capture a stage victory before the end of the Giro d'Italia.

The Italian is a four-time stage winner of the Giro d'Italia, taking a stage win in San Salvo in 2023 and three stage wins in Andora, Francavilla al Mare and Cento in 2024, and he secured the maglia ciclamino in both editions.

To make matters worse, the sprinters lost out on a chance at victory on stage 15 in Milan, where a breakaway of four thwarted the bunch sprint and Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility) took the victory.

So for those sprinters who have not yet secured a coveted victory, we can expect their teams to support them in a blistering final stage into Rome.

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