The 2026 Giro d’Italia will take place next May, stretching from Bulgaria to Rome via the Apennines, Alps and Dolomites. 40km of individual time-trialling is on offer, a fair distance longer against the clock than in the 2026 Tour de France, which otherwise offers more elevation gain and fewer flat stages.
Currently, Guilio Ciccone is the only rider to officially state his intention to ride the Giro d’Italia next spring. However, more leads are bouncing around the pro bubble, suggesting that Jonas Vingegaard will be on his way to Bulgaria for his Corsa Rosa debut next May. Otherwise, there’s en expectation that Isaac del Toro will make his return after an impressive effort in 2025, while Red Bull’s position of leader appears to be open, with Remco Evenepoel out and Primož Roglič in.
Having analysed the route map and weighed up Tour prospects and ambitions, we’ve highlighted some names we’d like to see at next year’s Giro d’Italia.
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Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike)
After winning the Vuelta last autumn, the Giro d’Italia is the only three-weeker missing from Vingegaard’s palmares. Since rival Tadej Pogačar has already stated his intent to skip the Corsa Rosa, the door appears to have been thrown wide open for the Dane to complete a Grand Tour trilogy of wins.
It seems like a no-brainer for Vingegaard, who has even admitted that a Giro win is better than no Grand Tour victory in 2026. With his versatility, top-drawer climbing ability and superior team support, he could win the pink jersey at a canter.
If he needed any further compliments, the route suits him well. The tough Dolomite queen stage in the final week should allow the two-time Tour winner to shine, and the time-trial could leave him ahead of the crowd, which is likely to lack either Evenepoel or Pogačar.
In that case, it’s a one-way ticket for Vingegaard to enter the Grand Tour hall of fame. Not many riders have won all three, not even Pogačar.
Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)
With Evenepoel chickening out of the Giro, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe need to call on one of its other star names to anchor the Giro roster. Florian Lipowitz has already ruled it out, but Roglič, on the other hand, has not.
The 2023 Giro winner made his return to the race back in May, and it seemed to be off to a flying start when he pulled on the pink jersey for some of the opening week. While the full Giro project didn’t quite go to plan this year, I reckon the Slovenian has a good chance to get some redemption in 2026.
Of course, 40km against the clock will be appreciated in the Roglič camp, as should the unipuerto finishes and uphill finales primed for Roglification. As a whole, the parcours looks reminiscent of the 2023 edition he claimed in last-minute style during the final week of racing.
To strengthen his campaign in the final week, Roglič is likely to be joined by Jai Hindley, whose Giro expertise wouldn’t go amiss. Giulio Pellizzari is another strong link to consider, and almost a shoo-in given his Italian nationality and top ten overall last year.
Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates XRG)
Del Toro made quite the impression on Giro debut last year, and would then go on to secure seven victories on Italian soil later in the year, proving his strong relationship with this country.
The parcours suits Del Toro’s sensibilities. The number of long climbs has been limited, and there are plenty of mountain stages that lack a prelude climb to test the legs too early on. However, his inexperience on this front may be counteracted in due course during the build-up to the 2026 race. To boot, the Mexican’s time-trialling improved through 2025, and I don’t think the 40km of flatland against the clock should be much of a turn-off.
No doubt, UAE Team Emirates XRG are bound to send a contender of some sort. It’s likely to be either Del Toro or Almeida, but based on this route, I’d back the former. While we’re at it, throw Brandon McNulty in for good measure to help support Del Toro to an inevitable podium finish (or higher).
Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike)
Matthew Brennan was one of the standout names from 2025. A breakthrough season later, many are left wondering when his Grand Tour debut will arrive, especially now that he’s settled at Grand Tour-winning squad Visma-Lease a Bike.
The Giro could be an ideal place to cut his Grand Tour teeth, not least because the race opens with a Grande Partenza almost tailor-made to his strengths. Even if he doesn’t stake his claim on the opening day, Brennan’s consistency and versatility could be rewarded with a maglia rosa stint or a hopeful run for the maglia cicclamino if all goes swimmingly for him on Grand Tour debut.
Outside of his own stage-winning exploits, Brennan could be put to his paces as a domestique for either Vingegaard or Simon Yates. If this experiment works out, we could be looking at the heir to Wout van Aert’s Swiss Army knife role at the Tour de France. Plenty are saying he’s his successor after all.
Derek Gee
Now, we don’t know where Derek Gee will end up next year. He ripped up his contract at Israel-Premier Tech during the summer, but his future home is unknown. Rumours suggested Ineos Grenadiers, but we haven’t heard much since he disclosed that his former team would be pursuing legal action. If he’s racing in 2026, then he should definitely investigate a Giro return.
Upon first glance, the 40km time-trial should play to his strengths as a former track rider and Canadian TT champ.
Gee’s been praised for his fatigue resistance, meaning he often goes well in the final week of racing. This was evident at the 2025 race, when he sailed close to the podium during the final throes of the race. The attritional final week of the 2026 edition should, therefore, be right up Gee’s alley. He’s well used to playing the patient game at Grand Tours by now.
Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché)
Belgium’s Arnaud De Lie has only ever ridden two Grand Tours, both the Tour de France. In search of something different, the Giro could be an interesting challenge for the sprinter/Classics man.
The opening week is well-suited to De Lie. In fact, like with Brennan, the first few stages in Bulgaria look promising for the Belgian if he’s thinking of the possibility of pulling on a Grand Tour leader’s jersey for the first time. In particular, Stage 2’s finish to Veliko Tarnovo looks De Lie-friendly, as does the arrival into Naples on Stage 6.
If De Lie wants an easier shot at winning a Grand Tour stage – or even the chance to wear pink – he should consider the Giro, even if it comes straight after his understandable spring objectives in the Classics. After two forays in France, maybe the unpredictable Italian weather of May would suit the Belgian. Not to mention, a stage victory would also end a four-year drought for both Lotto and Intermarché at the Giro.
Cian Uijtdebroeks (Movistar)
Cian Uijtdebroeks has ended a contract early for the second time in his young career in order to jump ship to Spanish squad Movistar. It might seem like an odd move at first, but his new team are gasping for a new GC leader.
This Giro could be a good chance to test this out, given he hits the ground running in Movistar blue and white. UIjtdebroeks’s last Grand Tour was, in fact, the Giro d’Italia back in 2024. There, he was sat firmly inside the top ten with the white jersey on his back until he was forced to abandon ahead of the second week. Next year, he has the chance to rectify this DNF with a GC bid.
The route isn’t exactly ideal for Uijtdebroeks, with a 40km time-trial probably sending shivers down his spine already. However, the Belgian should be able to hang on and claw his way up into the lower ranks of the top ten come the final week. If he were to fall within that strata, it would be Movistar’s best Giro result since Richard Carapaz’s victory in 2019.
Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno X Mobility)
Uno X will be hoping to make an impact during their first year at the WorldTour level. On Giro d’Italia debut, a top ten overall would be the ideal way to make a strong first impression.
After finally reaching the top ten at the Tour de France, Tobias Johannessen has demonstrated his Grand Tour prowess. A Giro flutter could, therefore, be the perfect follow-up. Perhaps he’ll even be able to better his sixth place from last year’s Tour.
The time-trial may not be to his liking, but the set of punchy arrivals should be tailored to his strengths. Above all though, the Norwegian proved at last year’s race that he can handle the final week well. In that case, the GC curtain call in the Dolomites should be of no trouble.
Paul Seixas (Decathlon-CMA CGM)
Paul Seixas’s long-awaited Grand Tour debut is getting a lot of fans excited ahead of 2026.
That’s for good reason. The French rider made a huge splash last year, becoming the youngest rider in a generation to finish inside the top ten of a WorldTour stage race at June’s Critérium du Dauphiné. He backed this promise up later in the year with a string of impressive performances in the autumn, chiefly a podium finish on home turf at the European Championships.
Now, I’m backing Seixas for the Giro because I think this would be the best way for him to get a taste for Grand Tour without the pressure of leading a Tour de France squad, where he’d be subject to a waft of pressure and scrutiny from the French press.
Otherwise, this Giro could be an interesting proving ground for Seixas. The first summit mountain stage will be a huge test of stamina, while the final week will distil whether he’s ready to genuinely fight for a Grand Tour crown or not. If he falls short, it won’t be such a big issue domestically, sparing him from the potential media onslaught.
