The first three stages of the 2026 Giro d’Italia will be held in Bulgaria, in an edition of the pink race that will feature plenty of mountains, organizers announced just six months before the start of one of the most anticipated races in the cycling world.
This will be the 16th time the Giro, which will take place from May 9 to 31, has started in another country, and the second consecutive time, following the three stages held in Albania in the 2025 edition, won by Briton Simon Yates.
Since 2010, seven editions of the race have started abroad, including an unusual start in Jerusalem in 2018. The three weeks of competition will begin on the Black Sea coast, between Nassebar and Burgas, the Organizing Committee announced when the full race route was revealed in Rome. Afterwards, the peloton will cover 220 km with three category 3 climbs to reach Veliko Tarnovo, before bidding farewell to the country with a 174 km stage between Plovdiv and the capital, Sofia.
From there, the Giro will have its first rest day in Calabria, from where it will begin its journey north, passing through Naples the day before the first mountain stage in the Abruzzo region.
After a single stage on the Adriatic coast, the peloton will head to the Mediterranean coast for the only time trial on the program, a flat 40.2 km course between Viareggio and Massa.
From there, it’s off to the Alps, with a challenging 14th stage between Aosta and Pila, featuring six categorized climbs and a high-mountain finish. Before the third and final rest day, there will be a passage through Milan, followed by a spectacular mountain finish.
“A more modern Giro.”
“A more modern Giro.” A brief foray into Switzerland on stage 16, six mountain passes in the Dolomites on stage 19, and two ascents of Piancavallo on stage 20 will serve as the grand finale and determine Yates’ successor.
In total, the cyclists will face almost 50,000 meters of elevation gain over a total distance of 3,458 km, culminating in the now-traditional procession around Rome.
“It’s a more modern Giro, with shorter but more demanding stages,” summarized the race’s iconic director, Mauro Vegni, who, at almost 66 years old (he’ll turn 66 in February), will retire after the next edition, having designed the race for the past 31 years.
It was also announced that the women’s edition, scheduled for May 30 to June 7, will have nine stages, one more than previous editions. The major change is that the race, previously held in July, is being moved forward a month to coincide with the end of the men’s race.
Source: By AFP