Giro 2026 Favourites stage 6: For fast men #3

fotobureau Cor VosThe stage to Naples is certain to end with a fast finishers showdown, 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 - last updated 11 May: weather conditions for finale added

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.

The first two sprint stages of this Giro were won by Paul Magnier.

Finale weather forecast:
There is a chance of showers, which will make the finale tricky, as the cobbles become slippery. (We will update the weather forecast on Thursday morning. For the current weather conditions, you can use the interactive weather map in the slideshow.)

Favourites 6th stage 2026 Giro d'Italia

*** Jonathan Milan, Tobias Lund Andresen, Paul Magnier
** Kaden Groves, Dylan Groenewegen, Madis Mikhels, Ethan Vernon, Orluis Aular
* Pascal Ackermann, Arnaud De Lie, Luca Mozzato, Erlend Blikra, Matteo Malucelli

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