After being affected more than any other team by the crashes and chaos early in the Giro d’Italia 2026, UAE Team Emirates - XRG was able to find redemption with a victory in Stage 4 on Tuesday.
Jhonatan Narváez sprinted across the line ahead of Orluis Aular and Giulio Ciccone to give UAE some momentum with the race now back in Italy after three stages in Bulgaria, a first-time host.
Ciccone, a longtime Italian standout, may not have won the final sprint in Stage 4, but his efforts during the first week of the Giro were enough to earn him the pink leader's jersey in his home country.
He'll now get to wear the coveted Maglia Rosa in Stage 5 of the event, which will eclipse 200 kilometers in distance and challenge the riders with the most altitude gain they've seen this year at 4,100 meters.
- More Info About How To Catch All The Best Cycling, News And Highlights
- Giro d’Italia 2026 Schedule
- Giro d'Italia 2026 Route Map, Details
- Giro d'Italia 2026 Stage 4 Results: Jhonatan Narváez, UAE Get Redemption
The sprinters have had the chance to shine, and it now is time for some mountains and climbing, though this is just a taste of what's to come in the Italian mountains.
Behind Ciccone in the General Classification are Jan Christen, Florian Stork and 2021 Giro d'Italia winner Egan Bernal, who all are four seconds back. Pre-race favorite Jonas Vingegaard is another six second off the lead.
Stage 5 is scheduled to begin at 6:15 a.m. Eastern and should conclude around 11:10 a.m. EDT.
For viewers in Canada, FloBikes coverage of Stage 5 will begin at 6:30 a.m. Eastern.
Here’s what to know about Stage 5 of the Giro d’Italia 2026, 203-kilometer ride from Praia a Mare to Potenza:
Stage 5: Giro d’Italia 2026
The Giro d'Italia 2026 is in more familiar territory now, but that won't make the day's climbs and 4,100 meters of elevation any easier.
The climbing will begin right away with a 12-kilometer stretch that will bring the riders into the Pollino National Park. It'll be more gradual than steep, and it won't be the toughest climb of the day. That comes in the form of a Category 2 climb of Montagna Grande di Viggiano, a 6.6-kilometrer climb that averages 9.2%.
By this point in stage, the riders definitely will be feeling the altitude, and they'll stay there for another 20 kilometers filled with several shorter climbs.
For those who have been around the Giro for a while, the last two dozen kilometers mirror the finish they would have seen in 2022. The final push is a 350-meter uphill surge at an 8% gradient.
As the peloton pulls into Potenza, the capital of Basilicata, the riders will be at the highest elevation of any regional capital in Italy. The history of the area reaches from ancient times to the Middles Ages to being a cultural melting pot today, and every era along the way can be seen in the landmarks, architecture and cuisine.
Kilometers To Miles: How Long Is Stage 5 Of The Giro d’Italia 2026?
Stage 5 of the Giro d’Italia 2026 is 203 kilometers, or approximately 126.13 miles long.
Giro d’Italia 2026 Stage 5 Profile
Here is what the elevation looks like for Stage 5:
How To Watch The Giro d’Italia 2026 Stage 5
The Giro d’Italia 2026 is streaming on FloBikes and the FloSports app for viewers in Canada.
Highlights, race replays and breaking news will be available on both platforms.
In the United States, HBO Max is the official provider for the Giro d’Italia 2026.
Who Won Stage 5 Of The Giro d’Italia In 2025?
Stage 5 of the Giro d'Italia 2025 had a familiar ending, with Mads Pedersen winning another sprint finish and making a third appearance at the top of the podium. He also won Stage 1 and Stage 3, helping him spend the entire first week of the race in the pink leader's jersey.
To complete the hat trick, Pedersen needed a perfect lead out from teammate Mathias Vacek. Pedersen fought his way to the front of the race and finished a bike length ahead of Edoardo Zambanini and Tom Pidcock in the hill town of Matera.
The day started out pretty flat, but the intensity and incline increased toward the end of the stage, including a 10% ramp in the final 3 kilometers. The 151-kilometer trek from Ceglie Messapica to Matera was categorized by race organizers as a two-star level of difficulty, compared to the one star the riders faced in Stage 4.
After Stage 5, Pedersen was 17 seconds ahead of Primoz Roglic and 24 second in front of Vacek.
Though he did not hold on to the pink jersey into Rome, Pedersen added a win in Stage 13 and took home the green jersey as the race's points leader.
Giro d’Italia 2026 Results: Here’s Who Has Won Each Stage So Far
- Stage 1: Giro d'Italia Stage 1 Results: Paul Magnier Wins Stage, Takes Pink
- Stage 2: Giro d'Italia 2026 Stage 2 Results: Uruguay's Thomas Silva Makes History
- Stage 3: Giro d'Italia 2026 Stage 3 Results: France's Paul Magnier Wins Again
- Stage 4: Giro d'Italia 2026 Stage 4 Results: Jhonatan Narváez, UAE Get Redemption
When Does The Giro d’Italia 2026 Start?
The Giro d’Italia 2026 starts May 8 and will conclude May 31.
The schedule includes 21 stages and three rest days (May 11, May 18, May 25).
Every day, the cyclists start together. Every stage varies in distance and physical demand, and the characteristics of each stage determine what type of rider should excel or how the race should finish.
For example, some stages feature flat finishes, and that means the sprinters likely will be battling for those stage wins.
How Long Is The Giro d’Italia 2026?
The route for the Giro d’Italia 2026 can be found here.
The race is 21 stages and will cover 3,468 kilometers.
What Is The Schedule For The Giro d’Italia 2026?
Here is the complete schedule for the Giro d’Italia 2026.
How Many Teams/Riders Compete In The Giro d’Italia?
Traditionally, there are 22 or 23 teams and up to 184 competitors in the Giro d’Italia.
Here’s the list for 2026:
- Alpecin-Premier Tech
- Bahrain Victorious
- Bardiani CSF 7 Saber
- Decathlon CMA CGM Team
- EF Education - EasyPost
- Groupama-FDJ United
- INEOS Grenadiers
- Lidl – Trek
- Lotto Intermarché
- Movistar Team
- NSN Cycling Team
- Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
- Red Bull – Bora - Hansgrohe
- Soudal Quick-Step
- Team Jayco AlUla
- Team Picnic Postnl
- Team Polti VisitMalta
- Team Visma | Lease a Bike
- Tudor Pro Cycling Team
- UAE Team Emirates XRG
- Unibet Rose Rockets
- UNO-X Mobility
- XDS Astana Team
Who Won The Giro d’Italia In 2025?
At 32 years old, Great Britain’s Simon Yates made history at the Giro d’Italia, not because of his age, but because he won the race without winning any of the 21 stages. It was the first time that happened since Alberto Contador did so a decade earlier.
It was the second Grand Tour victory for Yates, who won the Vuelta a España in 2018, and it will be his last, as he announced his retirement seven months after winning the Giro.
Yates didn’t secure the coveted pink jersey until Stage 20, when he shot past Richard Carapaz and longtime leader Isaac Del Toro on the Colle delle Finistre climb, one of the most anticipated challenges on the cycling calendar. The same climb broke Yates in his attempt to win the Giro in 2018.
Del Toro, who had ridden in pink for 11 days, might have fallen short in his GC bid, but he became the first athlete from North America to win the Best Young Rider title.
Heading into Stage 20, Del Toro was 43 seconds ahead of Carapaz and 1 minute, 21 seconds in front of Yates. By the end of the day, Yates was nearly four minutes clear of Del Toro, with Carapaz another minute back.
In 2024, Tadej Pogacar won the Giro d’Italia in 2024 as part of a memorable season that saw him become the first rider since 1998 to win the Giro and the Tour de France in the same season.
He then added a win at the 2024 World Championships in Switzerland to became the first cyclist since 1987 to win the Giro, TDF and a world championship in the same season.
Inside The Giro d’Italia 2026 Strange Bulgarian Start
Gregor Brown reports from Bulgaria after the opening three stages of the Giro d’Italia 2026, exploring the growing trend of Grand Tour starts outside Italy.
Alongside the rise of French sprint star Paul Magnier, who won two stages in Bulgaria, riders weigh in on the practicality and meaning of the Giro beginning abroad.
Catch All The Best Races, Highlights, Insight, News And More On FloBikes
FloBikes is the streaming home to some of the best cycling from across the globe. Check out the broadcast schedule to watch more of your favorites in action.
FloBikes Archived Footage
Video footage from each event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloBikes subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.