(Rome) After Albania, Bulgaria and still a last week at altitude: as has become accustomed to it, the Tour of Italy, the route of which was revealed on Monday, will leave in 2026 from abroad and will undoubtedly be decided just before its arrival in Rome.
Five months after the Isaac Del Toro show, eleven rosy days before breaking down during the penultimate stage against Briton Simon Yates, the Giro 2026 (May 8 to 31) is already dizzying.
This 109e edition will take place over 21 stages for a total of 3,459 kilometers and a cumulative elevation gain of 49,150 m with twelve stages including the ascent of at least one pass, five high mountain stages, seven altitude arrivals and a “roof”, the Passo Giau, culminating at 2,233 m.
“It’s a more modern Giro with shorter stages, but more demanding,” summarized the emblematic Giro director Mauro Vegni who will bow out at the age of 66 in February after having designed the route for 31 editions of “his” event.
For the first time in its history, the most prestigious Italian stage race will start from Bulgaria where the peloton will spend three days.
This will be the sixteenth Grand Departure from abroad, a movement that has been accelerating since 2010, with the Netherlands (2010, 2016), Denmark (2012), the United Kingdom (2014), Israel (2018), Hungary (2022) and Albania (2025).
From Sofia, the Giro will reach Calabria after a first day of rest where it will begin its long climb towards the north of the country with a passage through Naples, the day before the first mountain stage (7e), in Abruzzo, 246 km long on May 15.
Without Pogacar
After a single stage on the Adriatic coast, the Giro will turn towards the Mediterranean with in particular the only time trial on the program for these three weeks, on May 19 (10e stage): 40.2 km as flat as a hand between Viareggio and Massa.
The event will then take up residence in the Alps with a formidable 14e stage, between Aosta and Pila, including six passes and a new arrival in the high mountains (1803 m).
After a respite with a passage through Milan for an arrival promised to a sprinter on May 24, the day before the third and last day of rest, the sequence of difficulties promises to be formidable.
A short, but grueling foray into Switzerland for the 16e stage, before the 19e and 20e steps which will undoubtedly determine the name of Simon Yates’ successor. It won’t be Tadej Pogacar, the superstar of the peloton, winner of the 2024 Giro, having made the Tour de France and the Monuments his 2026 goals.
During the 19e stage, the big names will explain over 151 km in the Dolomites with six passes, including the Passo Giau, for a total of 5000 m of altitude difference.
The next day, they will have to climb the Piancavallo twice and its 14.4 km ramp with an average slope of 8.9% and passages at 15%.
Finally, after a long transfer to Rome, the winner will show off his pink jersey for 131 km in the streets of the Italian capital before arriving at the foot of the Colosseum.
“I would of course like to have bib No. 1 attached to my jersey, but I don’t know yet if I will be there. There are ongoing discussions,” warned Simon Yates, whose Visma Lease a bike team could favor the Dane Jonas Vingegaard in his quest for the last Grand Tour which is missing from his list of achievements.
