Giro 2026 Favourites stage 18: Breakaway day

fotobureau Cor VosStage 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. (Slideshow route/profile)

First published on 7 May 2026

The riders tackle 2,050 metres of climbing, spread fairly evenly across the 171-kilometre route. After 20 kilometres, a 4.9-kilometre climb at 6.2% stands out (perfect launchpad for the breakaway!), and midway through the stage comes a 3.2-kilometre ascent at 3.9%. Just after the final 40 kilometres begin, the road rises again for 1.9 kilometres at an average of 6.2%, but these are all stretches that won’t keep any sprinter awake at night.

That changes on the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio, a brutal 1.1-kilometre ramp at 12.3%, with its summit 9.3 kilometres from the finish. Sprint teams with the tougher fast men may have fancied controlling the stage in the first week, but that’s unlikely this deep into a Grand Tour.

In other words: attackers, step right up!

How the race unfolds will depend on the standings; we will update this article during the Giro.

Favourites 18th stage 2026 Giro d'Italia

*** Magnus Sheffield, Alberto Bettiol, Lennert Van Eetvelt, Andrea Vendrame
** Marc Soler, Jasper Stuyven, Ben Turner, Jhonatan Narváez, Florian Stork
* Aleksandr Vlasov, Andreas Leknessund, Koen Bouwman, Alec Segaert, Orluis Aular

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Another interesting read: route 18th stage 2026 Giro d'Italia.