Giro 2026 Favourites stage 6: For fast men #3

fotobureau Cor VosThe stage to Naples is certain to end with a fast finishers showdown, but it won’t be a run-of-the-mill sprint. The finale, with rising cobbles and a U-turn in the final kilometre, is simply too demanding for that. (Slideshow route/profile)

First published on 4 May 2026 - last updated 14 May: weather conditions finale updated

In terms of distance (142 kilometres) and climbing (500 metres), stage 6 of the Giro should be a textbook sprint stage. Even the only climb of the day is nothing to write home about: it rises at an average of 3% for 6.5 kilometres to Cava de’ Tirreni. With well over 100 kilometres still to go, it will have no impact on the outcome of the stage.

But no, everything changes in the final kilometre, where a combination of positioning and good legs is essential. After kilometres along a wide boulevard by the Bay of Naples, the riders turn left in the final 700 metres onto a narrower cobbled road. Still wide enough, but a U-turn soon follows and the cobbles rise at around 4%.

The road continues to drag after the U-turn, and the finish comes 400 metres later on the cobbles of Piazza del Plebiscito.

The first two sprint stages of this Giro were won by Paul Magnier.

Finale weather forecast:
It will be rainy all day, although it could turn dryish after 16:00 and even completely dry after 17:00, which woud then concide with the finale. If the roads dry out in time, that would take the edge off what could otherwise be a tricky finale on slippery cobbles. For the current weather conditions, see the interactive weather map in the slideshow.

Favourites 6th stage 2026 Giro d'Italia

*** Jonathan Milan, Tobias Lund Andresen, Paul Magnier
** Dylan Groenewegen, Madis Mikhels, Ethan Vernon, Orluis Aular
* Pascal Ackermann, Luca Mozzato, Erlend Blikra, Matteo Malucelli

Another interesting read: route 6th stage 2026 Giro d'Italia.