Giro d’Italia 2026 | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe fully back up Giulio Pellizzari for Jonas Vingegaard battle

Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe has named a line-up squarely built for the overall at the 2026 Giro d’Italia, with Jai Hindley and Giulio Pellizzari leading a block designed to wrest the title from Jonas Vingegaard.

The German squad opts for a two-pronged strategy for the GC, just as last year's La Vuelta. Hindley, a former winner of the Italian Grand Tour, returns with favourable markers on this year’s route, including the ascent to Blockhaus, where he took a standout victory in 2022 and which will again be decisive in this edition. However the main card will be his teammate.

Giuli Pellizzari tackles his home race on a sharp upward curve, but already as an established star after winning the recent Tour of the Alps, including two stages. He also finished 6th overall last year at both the Giro and the Vuelta a España.

After finishing third at this year's Tirreno-Adriatico where he challenged Isaac del Toro, Pellizzari has shown the quality and consistency that outlines the talent of his generation, seemingly able to perform on every terrain. He is widely seen as Jonas Vingegaard's biggest challenger into the Corsa Rosa; and the removal of Danny van Poppel from the lineup makes this a fully GC-oriented '8'.

To support their leaders, the team will field a versatile group blending climbers with riders able to control the race in varied scenarios. In the mountains, Aleksandr Vlasov will be a pivotal piece, backed by Giovanni Aleotti and Ben Zwiehoff to add ballast on the hardest days - as was the case at the Tour of the Alps.

On flatter, rolling or transition days, the workload will fall to riders such as Mick van Dijke, Gianni Moscon and Nico Denz, the latter with a strong Giro record that already includes three stage wins. Besides protecting the leaders on flat stages, they will at some point also likely have freedom to chase stage wins in the second half of the race.

Sports director Zak Dempster outlined the team’s plan before the start:

“We come into this Giro with a clear focus on the general classification and with two riders who bring different strengths to that ambition. Jai knows what it takes to win this race, and Giulio keeps making important steps in his development. They have a good relationship, and around them we’ve selected a group that offers experience, climbing ability, and control across different types of stages.”

“The route is demanding. There are the obvious mountain stages, but also long days, nervy finishes, rolling terrain, and moments where positioning and calm decision-making can make the difference. That’s why the balance of this line-up is crucial. We have riders who can protect Jai and Giulio before the climbs, riders who can steer the race when the pressure rises, and riders who can stay present deep into the mountain stages. We want to race with ambition, but also with composure, and give both leaders the support they need to be in the fight when the Giro reaches its decisive moments.”