3 more teams make their Giro d'Italia lineup official - NSN aim for sprints whilst Groupama saves its leaders for the Tour
Cycling
The 2026 Giro d'Italia begins to take shape more quickly as we enter the week of the race, and the teams announcing their lineups this Monday morning will be quite a lot. NSN Cycling Team, Groupama - FDJ United and Team Polti VisitMalta form part of this most recent update.
The Swiss team brings a lineup in which they may support Alessandro Pinarello in a tilt for the Top10, with the withdrawal of several GC contenders and a field that gives way for surprises. The 22-year old recently finished 10th at Tirreno-Adriatico and third at O Gran Camiño, setting himself up positive into the Corsa Rosa - where he will have the experienced Jan Hirt by his side.
NSN is a team that will focus heavily on the sprints, and the lineup actually has plenty of them. Ethan Vernon should be the main choice for the flat sprint stages, aided by Jake Stewart - who may get his own opportunities depending on form. However both Stewart and Strong should most likely focus on leadout duties and breakaways taking into consideration their quality on the short climbs. Both riders can sprint well however and be candidate for some rough stages that may end in a sprint.
Ryan Mullen will provide extra firepower for the leadout train whilst the lineup is complete by Dion Smith and Nick Schultz who provide the team with more cards to aim for breakaway success.
NSN Cycling Team for Giro d'Italia 2026:
| Riders |
| Alessandro Pinarello |
| Jan Hirt |
| Ryan Mullen |
| Nick Schultz |
| Dion Smith |
| Jake Stewart |
| Corbin Strong |
| Ethan Vernon |
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Groupama - FDJ United will be at the Giro with a modest lineup, in which they are saving their main figures for the Tour de France. Absent are the likes of Romain Grégoire, Valentin Madouas, Ewen Costiou, David Gaudu, Guillaume Marin or Bastien Tronchon; but instead the team travels to Italy with the hopes of surprising.
Paul Penhoët will be its designated leader, an outsider for the bunch sprints; whilst Rémi Cavagna and Rémy Rochas will be contenders to net a stage win on some of the hilly days if they make it onto the breakaway. The lineup is completed by Cyril Barthe, Axel huens, Josh Kench, Johan Jacobs and Brieuc Rolland.
Groupama - FDJ United for Giro d'Italia 2026:
| Riders |
| Rémi Cavagna |
| Cyril Barthe |
| Axel Huens |
| Johan Jacobs |
| Josh Kench |
| Paul Penhoët |
| Rémy Rochas |
| Brieuc Rolland |
Team Polti VisitMalta have also revealed their '8' for what is perhaps the most important race of the season for them, featuring Giovanni Lonardi at the start as an outsider sprinter who will want to mix it up in the fight for the stage wins.
Mattia Bais, Ludovico Crescioli, Mirco Mastri, Andrea Misfud, Thomas Pesenti, Alessandro Tonelli and Diego Pablo Sevilla complete a lineup that should be aiming for breakaways on every stage, and to try and surprise the World Tour competition.
Team Polti VisitMalta for Giro d'Italia 2026:
| Riders |
| Mattia Bais |
| Ludovico Crescioli |
| Giovanni Lonardi |
| Mirco Maestri |
| Andrea Misfud |
| Thomas Pesenti |
| Alessandro Tonelli |
| Diego Pablo Sevilla |
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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