Giro 2026 Route stage 2: Burgas - Veliko Tarnovo

We find Burgas on the coast of the Black Sea. From there, the peloton heads into Bulgaria’s interior, following an almost straight line westwards. The riders travel westwards towards Sliven before the landscape changes from flat to hilly. They crest the Byala Pass after 7.7-kilometre of climbing at an average gradient of 4.6%. Immediately after the (short) descent the next ascent begins: the Vratnik Pass, which rises for 5.3 kilometres at an average of 5.4%, topping out at 920 metres above sea level.

There will undoubtedly be riders in the breakaway who fancy their chances of picking up points for the mountains jersey on both passes. The odds of the break surviving all the way to the third and final climb of the day are slim. The summit of the hairpin-laden climb to the Lyaskovets Monastery lies just 8 kilometres from the finish. The road rises for 3.5 kilometres at around 7.5%, which should be tough enough to put the pure sprinters into difficulty, leaving them unable to contest the spoils at the line.

Fancy riding the route yourself? Download GPX 2nd stage 2026 Giro d’Italia.

Giro d’Italia 2026 stage 2: route, profile, videos

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