Praia a Mare is no stranger to the Giro d’Italia. In 2018, Sam Bennett sprinted to victory in the coastal town, while Diego Ulissi triumphed in a punchy uphill finish back in 2016.
This time, the peloton sets off from Praia a Mare for the Giro’s first real challenge. It’s not a full-blown mountain stage, but a sneaky hilly race with plenty of climbing. The parcours begins to rise almost immediately towards Prestieri. After passing through Lauria, the climbing intensifies, as the riders face a 9.5-kilometre stretch at an average gradient of 6%, followed by a short descent before the road rises further towards Prestieri. Altogether, the climb totals 13.6 kilometres at an average of 4.8%.
The stage continues on relatively easy terrain for dozens of kilometres. The route rolls gently, initially downhill then slightly undulating, until the pre-finale opens with a 5.5-kilometre climb at 5.5% to Viggiano. There are still 60 kilometres to the finish as the riders roll through the small mountain village.
Following a brief drop, the riders tackle the Montagna Grande di Viggiano, a 6.6-kilometre climb averaging 9.2%. There is no significant descent afterwards, instead, the riders remain at altitude for roughly 20 kilometres, tackling several short climbs along the way. From the Monte Pierfaone, the road then descends towards a promising finale in Potenza.
With 7 kilometres to go and already in Potenza, the riders first face a 2.3-kilometre climb at 5.8%. After a roughly one-kilometre descent and a flat section, the road rises once more in the final 350 metres at 8% to the line.
The last 24 kilometres mirror the 2022 stage to Potenza, when Koen Bouwman sprinted to victory from the breakaway, outgunning his compatriot Bauke Mollema and Davide Formolo.
Fancy riding the route yourself? Download GPX 5th stage 2026 Giro d’Italia.
Giro d’Italia 2026 stage 5: routes, profiles, videos
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