Giro 2026 Route stage 16: Bellinzona - Carì

Tuesday, 26 May – The 16th stage of the Giro takes the riders into Switzerland. The course is just 113 kilometres long, but still packs 3,000 metres of climbing. The finish is atop an 11.7-kilometre climb averaging 7.9%.

Latest update 7 May: time bonuses added

For: climbers and GC contenders
Key feature: compact mountain stage, summit finish

Both Bellinzona and Carì last saw a professional peloton in the Tour de Suisse. For the start town, we have to go back to 2018. Stage 8 was a circuit race won by Arnaud Démare, followed the next day by Stefan Küng taking the time trial in Bellinzona, while Richie Porte secured the overall victory.

For the finish town, Carì, it’s more recent. In 2024, Adam Yates won in the mountain village ahead of João Almeida and Egan Bernal.

The riders set off from Bellinzona on a gentle note. They spend the first 20 kilometres racing through the Ticino Valley to Biasca, before gradually heading uphill along the Brenno, culminating in the 4.7-kilometre climb at 5.6% to Torre. In Ponto Valentino, the route turns back, and on the opposite side of the river, another climb awaits. The riders leave the valley floor and ascend the mountainside to Leontica. The 3-kilometre climb averages 8.5%, after which they descend back to the Brenno to repeat the loop.

After the second downhill from Leontica, the riders leave the Brenno Valley and head back to the Ticino Valley. They follow the river upstream to the foot of the final climb to Carì, which rises for 11.7 kilometres at an average of 7,9%. Around 4 kilometres from the summit, there is a few hundred metres of flat section, but for the rest it is an extremely steady climb. The average gradient before and after that short flat interlude sits at 8.3%.

Fancy riding the route yourself? Download GPX 16th stage 2026 Giro d'Italia.

Time bonuses of 6, 4 and 2 seconds are up for grabs at the intermediate sprint at kilometre 100.6; at the finish line, 10, 6 and 4 await the first three riders.

Stage 16 of the Giro d’Italia starts at 13:45 and is expected to finish at around 17:15 - both local times (CEST). For details, see the timings in the slideshow below this article.

Another interesting read: favourites to win in Carì.