Giro 2026 Route stage 3: Plovdiv - Sofia

Sunday, 10 May – Stage 3 of the Giro features a single major obstacle: the Borovec Pass. Whether this 8.9-kilometre climb at 5.3% will be enough to prevent a bunch sprint remains to be seen. The summit comes far from the finish in the capital, Sofia, making it quite likely that the 174-kilometre stage will end in a fast finishers showdown.

Starting venue Plovdiv is Bulgaria’s second-largest city. Like Rome, it was built on seven hills along a river — in Plovdiv’s case, the Maritsa. As with the other cities the Giro visits in Bulgaria, Plovdiv is a blank page when it comes to cycling history.

From Plovdiv, the peloton sets off westwards. The first 60 kilometres are almost completely flat. The road then begins to rise gently, but it isn’t until Raduil that the real climbing starts. The Borovec Pass, near the ski resort of Borovets, is 8.9 kilometres long. It’s a steady climb with an average gradient of 5.3%. Thanks to the forests lining the slopes, the riders are sheltered from any wind.

From the summit, with 71 kilometres remaining, the road descends virtually all the way to the finish in Sofia. With a population of 1.2 million, Bulgaria’s capital has plenty of potential spectators to cheer the riders on their way to a likely bunch sprint.

Fancy riding the route yourself? Download GPX 3rd stage 2026 Giro d'Italia.