Giro 2026 Favourites stage 2: Dream finish for puncheurs

fotobureau Cor VosThe punchy riders in the peloton will be right in their element on the second day of the Giro. A sharp climb with its summit 11 kilometres from the line precedes a twisty finale with two cobbled sectors and several uphill stretches. (Slideshow route/profile)

Published on 28 April 2026

Over 221 kilometres, the riders will tackle 2,600 metres of elevation gain, most of it coming in the second half of the stage. After two mid-stage climbs — Byala Pass (7.7 kilometres at 4.6%) and Vratnik Pass (9.2 kilometres at 4%) — the fight for stage victory will be an intriguing one.

It kicks off with a bonus sprint at the foot of the day’s third classified climb. Immediately after the time bonuses are handed out, the road rises towards the Lyaskovets Monastery — and steeply so, as the first half is by far the hardest. Over the full 3.9 kilometres, the climb averages 6.8%.

Once the riders pass the monastery, there are 10.4 kilometres left to the finish in Veliko Tarnovo. It begins with a descent, and just over 2 kilometres from the line comes the first of two cobbled sectors appears. The road then rises for 1 kilometre at 5.8%, with another cobbled section halfway up. Just after the flamme rouge the gradient eases, before a gently rolling run to the finish.

There’s a good chance plenty of riders in the peloton will fancy their chances in such a finale. That means teams will want to keep the breakaway under control and the whole bunch will fight for victory — including the GC contenders.

We will update this article in the run-up to the Grande Partenza.

Favourites 2nd stage 2025 Giro d'Italia

*** Richard Carapaz, Egan Bernal, Jhonatan Narváez
** Giulio Pellizzari, Alberto Bettiol, Giulio Ciccone, Kaden Groves
* Jonas Vingegaard, Filippo Ganna, Santiago Buitrago, Alessandro Pinarello

Another interesting read: route 2nd stage 2026 Giro d'Italia.