The Giro d’Italia 2026: A New Chapter Begins
The Giro d’Italia, the first grand tour of the 2026 season, is set to begin this weekend. This year’s edition promises to be a thrilling spectacle as the peloton covers 3,468 kilometres with over 48,000 metres of climbing across three weeks. Starting in Nessebar, a UNESCO World Heritage resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, the race will see the cyclists spend three days in Bulgaria before heading to Catanzaro in southern Italy. From there, the route will meander north towards the Alps, culminating in Rome on May 31.
None of the last three overall winners will take part in the race. Defending champion Simon Yates has retired, while world champion Tadej Pogačar (2024) and his Slovenian compatriot Primož Roglič (2023) are both absent. This means that the most recent winner of the maglia rosa to start this year’s race will be Australian Jai Hindley, one of 12 Australians set to compete.
Who Are the Favourites?
Two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard Hansen of Team Visma | Lease a Bike is the overwhelming favourite for this year’s Giro. The 29-year-old Dane has been in exceptional form this season, winning Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya, building on his Vuelta a España triumph in 2025. A win in Italy, where he will be racing the Giro for the first time in his career, would complete the grand tour set for Vingegaard, placing him among elite company alongside legends like Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali, and Chris Froome.
A key subplot is whether Vingegaard can not only win the Giro but also back it up to claim the Tour de France title later in the year, emulating Pogačar’s feat in 2024. If successful, he would become just the fourth person after Merckx (1972–73), Hinault (1982–83), and Froome (2017–18) to hold all three grand tour titles simultaneously.
However, there are plenty of serious contenders standing in his way. In the absence of Pogačar, UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s Adam Yates will look to keep the maglia rosa in the Yates family as the sole leader of world cycling’s most powerful team. Canadian Derek Gee-West is targeting a podium place for Lidl-Trek, while Netcompany Ineos’s Egan Bernal provides a compelling story for fans.
Australian Contenders
Last year, Australians claimed three stage victories at the Giro through Kaden Groves, Luke Plapp, and Chris Harper. Two of those, Groves and Harper, are among the 12 Australians named to start this year’s edition, led by 2022 Giro winner Jai Hindley. Hindley comes into the race as the nominal leader of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, though if Giulio Pellizzari is within touching distance of the leaders, he may need to support the young Italian.
“We’re both here as leaders and we’re both going all in,” Hindley said. “We’ll try to race it like that, to keep two riders in the GC for as long as possible.”
Another Australian, Tour Down Under winner Jay Vine, is likely to be a key lieutenant for Yates in the mountains. He has no general classification ambitions, only targeting the stage 10 time trial. “I’m really looking forward to the time trial in stage ten,” he said. “42 kilometres, completely flat. I’ve worked really hard for that — including with the Australian team in the summer.”
For Netcompany Ineos, former Vuelta podium finisher Jack Haig will help Bernal survive in the mountains. Michael Storer, who won the Tour of the Alps last year, may be coming in slightly under the radar. Ben O’Connor will lead the Jayco AlUla squad, though he has not recorded the sort of results that would instil confidence in a podium push this season.
Sprinters and Their Chances
Australia’s best chance of success in Italy will be in the sprints, with two-time Vuelta points jersey winner Kaden Groves the key man for Alpecin-Premier Tech. Aided by fellow Aussie Jensen Plowright, the 10-time grand tour stage winner is carrying the hopes of the Dutch squad at this Giro. However, Groves faces strong competition from sprinters like Jonathan Milan, Paul Magnier, Tobias Lund Andresen, and Dylan Groenewegen.
How to Watch the Giro d’Italia
The Giro d’Italia will be broadcast live for free on SBS and SBS On Demand in Australia. There will be live coverage of every stage, as well as on demand highlights.
