Giro 2026: Favourites
fotobureau Cor VosBefore the start, Jonas Vingegaard was the outright favourite to win the 2026 Giro d’Italia — and he delivered. Moreover, the Dane claimed five stage victories. Paul Magnier and Jhonatan Narváez also emerged as prolific stage hunters, with three wins apiece.
Read about the pre-race favourites or click on the links in the table below for the favourites per stage. Obviously, all these articles were written before the start of the race(s).
Giro d'Italia 2026 - stages
| # | date | route | km | type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8-5 | For fast men #1 | 147 | flat |
| 2 | 9-5 | Dream finish for puncheurs | 221 | hills |
| 3 | 10-5 | For fast men #2 | 175 | flat |
| 11-5 | rest day | |||
| 4 | 12-5 | Sprinters or attackers? | 138 | hill |
| 5 | 13-5 | Attackers with climbing legs | 203 | hills |
| 6 | 14-5 | For fast men #3 | 142 | flat |
| 7 | 15-5 | GC showdown at Blockhaus | 244 | mountains |
| 8 | 16-5 | Intriguing finale for attackers | 156 | hills |
| 9 | 17-5 | All to play for on final climb | 184 | mountains |
| 18-5 | rest day | |||
| 10 | 19-5 | Ganna for glory | 42 | ITT |
| 11 | 20-5 | Breakaway hopefuls in hilly finale | 195 | hills |
| 12 | 21-5 | For fast men #4 | 175 | flat |
| 13 | 22-5 | Ganna on home roads | 189 | hills |
| 14 | 23-5 | GC clash in the high mountains | 133 | mountains |
| 15 | 24-5 | For fast men #5 | 157 | flat |
| 25-5 | rest day | |||
| 16 | 26-5 | Explosive climbing face-off | 113 | mountains |
| 17 | 27-5 | Attackers in the Dolomites | 202 | hills |
| 18 | 28-5 | Breakaway day | 171 | hills |
| 19 | 29-5 | Who'll win the toughest stage | 151 | mountains |
| 20 | 30-5 | Last chance for climbers | 200 | mountains |
| 21 | 31-5 | For fast men #6 | 131 | flat |
For fast men #6
In Rome, the final word will, with near certainty, belong to the sprinters. Who will bid farewell to the Giro with arms raised in victory?
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Last chance for climbers
GC contenders or breakaway climbers? We would say the breakaway, but in this GiroIn this Giroo many unexpected things have happened that it is impossible to predict what will happen.. The only thing we are willing to say with certainty: Dylan Groenewegen will not win in the ski resort of Piancavallo.
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Who'll win the toughest stage?
The Giro is three weeks underway when the riders face the toughest test. Over 151 kilometres they tackle 5,000 metres of climbing, while the finishing climb rises for 5 kilometres at an average gradient of 9.8%.
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Breakaway day
Stage 18 of the Giro looks like a nailed-on sprint stage — were it not for a steep wall inside the final 10 kilometres that will surely sap the sprinters’ teams of the motivation to control the race. Obviously, that wall opens the door for a band of breakaway hopefuls to chase glory.
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Attackers in the Dolomites
Stage 17 of the Giro adds up to 202 kilometres with 3,300 metres of climbing. The finale is not hard enough for GC contenders to make a difference, which opens the door for the breakaway to succeed. In other words, the stage is expected to open on a furious note...
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More articles
Explosive climbing face-offFor fast men #5
GC clash in the high mountains
Ganna on home roads
For fast men #4
Breakaway hopefuls in hilly finale
Ganna for glory
All to play for on final climb
Intriguing finale for attackers
GC showdown at Blockhaus
For fast men #3
Attackers with climbing legs
Sprinters or attackers?
For fast men #2
Dream finish for puncheurs
For fast men #1
GC Favourites