Giro 2026 Favourites stage 6: For fast men #3

fotobureau Cor VosThat the stage to Naples will end in a sprint seems a certainty, 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

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.

All in all, a finale to look forward to!

Favourites 6th stage 2026 Giro d'Italia

*** Jonathan Milan, Tobias Lund Andresen, Paul Magnier, Arnaud De Lie
** Kaden Groves, Dylan Groenewegen, Filippo Ganna, Ethan Vernon, Orluis Aular
* Pascal Ackermann, Casper van Uden, Luca Mozzato, Erlend Blikra, Jake Stewart

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