The Giro d’Italia 2026 is approaching quickly, and the start list continues to take shape.
We know there will be 23 teams participating this year for the event’s first visit to Bulgaria, and there will be many superstars lining up for the opening stage May 8.
The race will continue through May 31, with three stages in Bulgaria and 18 more across Italy’s familiar terrain.
Viewers in Canada can catch all the action from the first of the season’s three Grand Tours live on FloBikes and the FloSports app, while fans in the United States can watch on HBO Max.
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We know last year’s winner, Great Britain’s Simon Yates, won’t be back to defend his title in 2026 due to his retirement from professional cycling, but his twin brother, Adam, will be there to see what he can do.
Among the past champions who will be there are Jai Hindley (2022), Egan Bernal (2021) and Richard Carapaz (2019), who will be joined by one of the most anticipated rookies in race history, Jonas Vingegaard.
Vingegaard is one of the sport’s brightest stars and is looking to become the eighth rider to win all three Grand Tours. He won the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023 and was the runner-up to Pogacar in 2021, 2024 and 2025.
Vingegaard added his first Vuelta a España victory in 2025, and he entered 2026 with his eye on becoming the fourth rider in history to hold all three Grand Tour titles at one time, though no one has ever won them all in the same calendar year.
The feat is especially rare because most athletes are selective with their schedules each year and don’t usually appear in all three.
Learn more: Jonas Vingegaard Targets Giro d'Italia & Tour de France Double In 2026 | The Giro d'Italia 2026 Move Jonas Vingegaard Hinted At For Years
In 2024, Tadej Pogacar became the first person since 1998 to win the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in the same season. He's one of a dozen riders with five or more Grand Tour wins, but that includes four TDF victories and the Giro triumph. He has made just one appearance at La Vuelta, in 2019, finishing third in the GC standings and taking home the white jersey as the best young rider.
As always, there will be a handful of riders challenging to reign in the General Classification at the Giro d’Italia, but the diversity of the terrain and the 21 exciting stages mean there will be multiple opportunities for riders with different specialties to enjoy time in the spotlight, too.
For example, the first few stages should give the sprinters the chance to fight for the headlines and the first crack at the coveted pink leader’s jersey, the Maglia Rosa.
To read more about the Giro d’Italia 2026 and how to follow the action, check out our other race preview: How To Watch The Giro d’Italia 2026
As far as the complete list of participants for the Giro d’Italia 2026, there’s still time for things to change or shuffle before the race organizers post their official roster, but here’s a look at what we know so far:
Giro d’Italia 2026 Project Entry List
As of April 27
World Tour Teams
Alpecin–Deceuninck
- Kaden Groves
- Francesco Busatto
Bahrain Victorious
- Santiago Buitrago
- Damiano Caruso
- Afonso Eulálio
- Alec Segaert
- Matevz Govekar
- Edoardo Zambanini
Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
- Felix Gall
- Oliver Naesen
- Tobias Lund Andresen
- Tord Gudmestad
- Gregor Mühlberger
EF Education–EasyPost
- Richard Carapaz
- Michael Valgren
- Darren Rafferty
- Samuele Battistella
Groupama–FDJ
- Lorenzo Germani
INEOS Grenadiers
- Thymen Arensman
- Filippo Ganna
- Egan Bernal
Lidl–Trek
- Derek Gee
- Giulio Ciccone
- Jonathan Milan
- Max Walscheid
- Matteo Sobrero
Lotto–Dstny
- Lennert Van Eetvelt
- Simone Gualdi
- Liam Slock
Movistar Team
- Enric Mas
- Juan Pedro López
- Javier Romo
- Einer Rubio
- Nelson Oliveira
Team DSM–Firmenich PostNL
- Alessandro Pinarello
- Ethan Vernon
- Corbin Strong
- Dion Smith
- Nick Schultz
Red Bull–BORA–Hansgrohe
- Giulio Pellizzari
- Jai Hindley
- Aleksandr Vlasov
- Danny van Poppel
- Frederik Wandahl
- Ben Zwiehoff
Soudal Quick-Step
- Mikel Landa
- Jasper Stuyven
- Paul Magnier
- Filippo Zana
Team Jayco AlUla
- Ben O’Connor
- Pascal Ackermann
- Koen Bouwman
- Filippo Conca
- Luka Mezgec
- Alan Hatherly
Team Picnic PostNL
- Frank van den Broek
- Casper van Uden
- Max Poole
- James Knox
- Juan Guillermo Martinez
UAE Team Emirates–XRG
- Jay Vine
- Adam Yates
- Marc Soler
- Jan Christen
- António Morgado
- Igor Arrieta
- Jhonatan Narváez
Uno-X Mobility
- Johannes Kulset
- Anders Skaarseth
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
- Jonas Vingegaard
- Victor Campenaerts
- Sepp Kuss
- Wilco Kelderman
- Bart Lemmen
- Davide Piganzoli
- Timo Kielich
- Edoardo Affini
XDS Astana Team
- Alberto Bettiol
- Diego Ulissi
- Lorenzo Fortunato
- Davide Ballerini
- Christian Scaroni
- Harold Martín López
Pro Teams
Bardiani CSF–Faizanè
- Manuele Tarozzi
- Filippo Turconi
Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
- David de la Cruz
- Chris Harper
Polti VisitMalta
- Mirco Maestri
Tudor Pro Cycling Team
- Michael Storer
- Mathys Rondel
Unibet Tietema Rockets
- Dylan Groenewegen
- Wout Poels
- Elmar Reinder
- Hartthijs de Vries
Giro d’Italia 2026 Schedule
- Stage 1 - May 8: Nessebar - Burgas (147km)
- Stage 2 - May 9: Burgas - Veliko Tarnovo (221km)
- Stage 3 - May 10: Plovdiv - Sofia (175km)
- Rest day - May 11
- Stage 4 - May 12: Catanzaro - Cosenza (138km)
- Stage 5 - May 13: Praia a Mare - Potenza (203km)
- Stage 6 - May 14: Paestum - Naples (142km)
- Stage 7 - May 15: Formia - Blockhaus (244km)
- Stage 8 - May 16: Chieti - Fermo (156km)
- Stage 9 - May 17: Cervia - Corno alle Scale (184km)
- Rest day - May 18
- Stage 10 - May 19: Viareggio - Massa (42km ITT)
- Stage 11 - May 20: Porcari (Paper District) - Chiavari (195km)
- Stage 12 - May 21: Imperia - Novi Ligure (175km)
- Stage 13 - May 22: Alessandria - Verbania (189km)
- Stage 14 - May 23: Aosta - Pila (Gressan) (133km)
- Stage 15 - May 24: Voghera - Milano (157km)
- Rest day - May 25
- Stage 16 - May 26: Bellinzona - Carì (113km)
- Stage 17 - May 27: Cassano d’Adda - Andalo (202km)
- Stage 18 - May 28: Fai della Paganella - Pieve di Soligo (171km)
- Stage 19 - May 29: Feltre - Alleghe (Piani di Pezzè) (151km)
- Stage 20 - May 30: Gemona del Friuli 1976-2026 - Piancavallo (200km)
- Stage 21 - May 31: Rome - Rome (131km)
The total distance for 2026 is 3,468 kilometers, with an average of 165 kilometers per day and a total altitude gain of 48,700 meters.
How To Watch The Giro d’Italia 2026
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 will be the official provider for the Giro d’Italia 2026.
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.
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.
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.
More History Of The Giro d’Italia
For nearly half of a century, the Giro d’Italia started in Italy and finished in Milan.
By starting the race in other locations, including 15 previous foreign starts, it allows the organizers to expand the footprint of the race and the sport. And, what could be more special than your final destination being the beautiful city of Rome.
In the previous 108 years of Giro competition, 22 riders have won more than once, with three owning five victories – Italians Alfredo Binda and Fausto Coppi and legend Eddy Merckx of Belgium.
Italy is the only country with more than three wins at the Giro d’Italia, claiming the overall title a staggering 69 times. The next closest is Belgium with seven.
The other two Grand Tours on the calendar – the Tour de France (July 4-26) and La Vuelta (Aug. 22-Sept. 13) – still are ahead and account for another 42 days of action, so we’re just getting started!
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