Beyond the GC battle – The 2026 Giro d'Italia offers more than the fight for the maglia rosa – Analysis

Twenty-four hours after the presentation of the 2026 Giro d’Italia route, riders, groups and the tifosi are nonetheless learning the 21 phases, making an attempt to work out the important thing phases, the place the race will likely be received and who will pull on the ultimate maglia rosa in Rome on Could 31.

The 2025 Giro route had a easy however logical narrative, with Strade Bianche gravel roads and a 28km time trial mid-race, some testing mountain phases after which the grand finale over the Colle delle Finestre on stage 20.

The standoff between Isaac del Toro and Richard Carapaz allowed Simon Yates to energy away on the Colle delle Finestre and snatch the general victory in some of the dramatic and most ‘Giroesque’ moments of the race’s historical past.

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Nevertheless, no one I spoke to in Rome on Monday appeared excited concerning the 2026 route or perhaps a particular stage; there have been no gasps within the viewers when the phases had been revealed and no Italian hand-waving polemics afterwards.

Revered Italian journalist Cristian Gatti described it as a Giro d’Italia route “that desires to please everybody, with out pleasing anybody particularly,” including, “It is a Giro and not using a clear design, with no legendary landmarks that assist remodel an atypical Giro right into a particular Giro.”

At first look, even with minimal stage info, it’s tough to disagree with him and determine a powerful narrative for the 2026 Giro.

There are a selection of phases the place the GC contenders can maybe acquire time on one another, however it’s unimaginable to say that it’s a gorgeous route for a rider like Jonas Vingegaard, with few possibilities to land a knockout blow, or if the 40.2km time trial on the Tuscan coast is attractive for a superior time trialist like Remco Evenepoel, who would wish to have faith will probably be sufficient to offset what he may lose within the mountains.

Maybe that could be a good factor. In spite of everything, it’s the riders who ‘make’ a race. However for now, the 2026 Corsa Rosa seems to be a Frankenstein Giro, a sum of a number of components and quite a few compromises, one thing to appease all people however solely excite just a few. Hopefully, the riders will produce the electrical energy to convey the race to life subsequent Could.

‘Trendy’ or mediocre?

Outgoing Giro d’Italia race director Mauro Vegni described the 2026 route as trendy, justifying each the lengthy 246km stage to Blockhaus and the shorter 133km mountain stage to Pila within the Val d’Aosta. He denied it was a ‘softened’ route, designed to make sure Vingegaard and Evenepoel will nonetheless be capable of goal the Tour de France after preventing for the Giro.

There are some large ‘tappone’ mountain phases within the 2026 Giro, however they’re simpler and fewer in quantity than up to now, and they’re all the time tempered by simpler phases earlier than and after.

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Stage 7, which finishes atop the Blockhaus within the central Apennines, is famous as a result of Eddy Merckx received his first Grand Tour stage right here in 1967. Simon Yates can have remembered how he cracked on the Blockhaus in 2022. The 246km stage will certainly create a while gaps, however it’s the solely main climb of the seven-hour stage. Nevertheless, it’s the first actual issue of the 2026 Giro d’Italia.

The place the gaps can type

The only real time trial alongside the Tuscan coast is a present to Evenepoel above anybody else, however it should solely shake up the GC for just a few days. Evenepoel solely beat Pogačar by 12 seconds within the 25km take a look at throughout 2024 Tour de France, with Vingegaard dropping 37 seconds on a nasty day. The Belgian might maybe acquire a minute in a 40km Giro time trial, however has all the time misplaced excess of that within the excessive mountains, even simply to Vingegaard.

Stage 14 to Pila will likely be entertaining, however at 133km it’s too quick to create main time gaps. It’s preceded and adopted by dash and switch phases, providing ample time for the GC riders to get better.

The Swiss stage to Carí is likely one of the seven summit finishes however once more consists of little climbing beforehand and is just 113km lengthy, shorter than many junior races.

Stage 19 is the Queen stage of the 2026 Giro and consists of 5000 metres of altitude acquire over 5 climbs in simply 152km. Is it too little, too late, with the double climb of Piancavallo the day after on stage 20? Marco Pantani will likely be remembered on the Piani di Pezzè end. He received there in 1992 within the newbie Giro, however the 2026 Giro isn’t any race for the pure climbers like ‘il Pirata’.

After the route presentation, Vegni was grilled concerning the doable presence of Vingegaard and Evenepoel. He hinted RCS Sport are engaged on a number of offers, however their TV rights contracts are up for negotiation, and it’s unclear how a lot of their funds they will spend on attracting big-name riders.

Vingegaard appears eager to finish his triple crown of Grand Tour victories in 2026, and it might be fascinating to see the Danish climber face the distinctive difficulties and the unpredictability of the Giro.

RCS Sport know they want Evenepoel or somebody to play the unhealthy man to Vingegaard’s good man persona. The Giro actually wants Isaac del Toro to problem Vingegaard with the assistance of a powerful UAE Staff Emirates-XRG squad. If he has the will and motivation, Primož Roglič might return but once more and mentor younger Italian teammate Giulio Pellizzari, including an additional twist.

An alternate script to the GC battle

RCS Sport know they could wrestle to persuade any of the massive GC riders to focus on the Giro, so that they correctly have built-in a Plan B into the 2026 Giro route, making the race excess of only a GC battle. The satan is within the element, however various phases have quick climbs within the last 20km adopted by a testing descent to the end.

Lately, Mads Pedersen, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert have supplied some early leisure, and the 2026 route affords various phases which may tempt return or tempt youthful riders to emulate them.

Pedersen will lead Lidl-Trek on the cobbled Classics and needs to return to the Tour de France in 2026 after concentrating on the Giro d’Italia factors classification this yr. The group might ship Jonathan Milan again to the Giro to go after a 3rd ciclamino jersey. The race has loads of sprinting alternatives, with some actually pan-flat phases and prestigious finishes in cities akin to Sofia, Naples, Milan and Rome.

The likes of Tim Merlier, Jasper Philipsen and new Decathlon sprinter Olav Kooij might also be tempted to journey the Giro, understanding it’s now not taboo to climb off after ten phases.

RCS Sport instructed there are eight flat phases and 7 medium-mountain phases. A sprinter will virtually actually take the primary stage win and the maglia rosa in Bulgaria, however then stage 2 consists of the late climb as much as the Lyaskovets Monastery overlooking Veliko Tarnovo. Google maps suggests it’s a twisting, slim highway below the timber and Sporza’s knowledgeable Renaat Schotte has already recognized it as a terrific alternative for Thibau Nys.

There are comparable finishes on stage 5 to Potenza, maybe even in Naples, because of the loop over the Fuorigrotta climb, over the steep ‘muri’ climbs of Le Marche on stage 8 and on stage 11 via the Cinque Terre hills to Chiavari.

Stage 13 to Verbania has two late climbs, whereas stage 17 to Andalo has been flattened and avoids the true mountains of western Trentino. Stage 18 additionally avoids the mountains and as an alternative affords the quick however steep hillside climb of Ca’ del Poggio. It’s virtually a gimmick of a climb to indicate off the Prosecco winery space, however it might additionally spark an exhilarating last hour of racing, even for the GC contenders.

After all, if these phases swimsuit Nys, they may even be good for Britain’s Matthew Brennan, Soudal-QuickStep’s tremendous expertise Paul Magnier, Tibor del Grosso of Alpecin-Deceuninck, and NSN duo Corbin Sturdy and Biniam Girmay, amongst different younger riders in search of a giant stage win to showcase their abilities. There are possibilities for Michael Matthews (Jayco-Alula), Alberto Bettiol and his fellow XDS-Astana factors hunters, Marc Hirschi (Tudor).

Maybe the saving grace of the 2026 Giro d’Italia is the multitude of alternatives it affords these different riders to entertain us on a near-daily foundation in Could.