2026 Giro d'Italia route rumours - Bulgaria start; Blockhaus, Cervinia and Switzerland as queen stages?

Last year the Giro d'Italia's presentation was delayed until late December, hampering the decision making of the World Tour's leaders to make the decision to which Grand Tour they would be riding. There's no sign of the delay repeating itself this year and within the next month we should learn about the route of the 2026 edition, and there are a lot of details which seem to already be well decided on.

The race is certain to begin in Bulgaria, an unusual destination for the start of a Grand Tour but continuing with the Corsa Rosa's trend in recent years which has also included central or eastern European nations such as Hungary and Albania which get the chance of a lifetime. By all accounts, it is said that the start of stage 1 next May will take place in the Black Sea, on the city of Burgas after a multi-million euro deal reached a few months ago with the race organizers. It is interesting that the news have not been confirmed or made public by the Giro itself, creating the space for change, although that is unlikely. Earlier this year it had been rumoured that the northeastern city of Trieste could host the Grande Partenza, but it remains an unlikely backup at this point in time.

What is likely to be on the menu is a three-stage ordeal in Bulgaria with stage finishes in Veliko Tarnovo, Plovdiv and of course the capital of Sofia which would host stage 3. As was the case next year, it is a chance to stimulate the sport in a country where there isn't much culture at the time being, before a rest/travel day back into Italy's south. A traditional format is set to be followed, with the race heading north, and with the Apennines also being used for early mountain challenges with a potential finish in Blockhaus, the mythical mountain which has in the past created massive differences between the favourites. Napoli has in recent years hosted several finishes and one such is likely once again in 2026.

Not much is known about the transition into the Alps however, with rumours of a finale into Torino being quite logic, specially as we should also see another full stage within the Valle d'Aosta - this time around with a summit finish in Cervinia, an ascent that has seen multiple summit finishes over the past decades in the race.

There have been back and forth rumours that the Monte Zoncolan could have a return in 2026, a climb that had been used together with Cervinia in the 2018 edition, but at this point in time it seems unlikely. But it remains a strong possibility that the race will briefly head towards Switzerland for a summit finish in Carí within the second or potentially the third week of the race which we should also see a difficult stage in the Dolomites, likely to feature the Passo Giau but not featuring a summit finish in there.

Unlike the Tour, the Giro route still remains very undisclosed close to its reveal, which ultimately fuels the mystery and the various possibilities the race organizers have. Finishes in Sella dei Generali and Val Comelico have also been rumoured but without strong backing, it remains difficult to know if they will come together. The race is likely to end in Milano after several editions with Rome hosting its finale, and this could very well be with a time trial as has happened in the past on several occasions.