The Giro d’Italia 2026 begins this week in Bulgaria before crossing Italy and finishing in Rome. Last year’s race was a classic, with Isaac del Toro leading until the penultimate day, only for Simon Yates to snatch victory on the Colle delle Finestre. Yates has since retired, and 2024 champion Tadej Pogacar is focusing on the Classics and Tour de France, leaving the door open for new contenders.
Several big names are missing. Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) withdrew due to illness, ending a potential showdown with Jonas Vingegaard. Mikel Landa fractured his pelvis in a crash at Itzulia Basque Country and will miss out, while Richard Carapaz (EF-Education EasyPost) is recovering from surgery and targets the Tour instead.
The undisputed favourite is Jonas Vingegaard, who has won both Paris-Nice and Volta a Catalunya this season. The Dane aims for a clean sweep of Grand Tour titles after his Vuelta victory last summer and leads a strong Visma-Lease a Bike squad. Home hope Antonio Pellizzari, 22, is the king-in-waiting after finishing sixth at both the Giro and Vuelta last year and winning the Tour of the Alps. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe have a dual leadership with Pellizzari and former winner Jai Hindley, who finished fourth at the 2025 Vuelta despite illness disrupting his early season.
