Giro d’Italia 2026 route to be unveiled on Monday: Here's what we know so far

The full route of the Giro d’Italia 2026 will be presented on Monday 1 December in Rome, with both the men’s race and the Giro d’Italia Women set to be unveiled together at the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone. The presentation begins at 15:30 local time and will confirm the detailed layout of a highly anticipated edition already carrying major intrigue.

This will be the first Giro to start in Bulgaria, with the Grande Partenza locked in for Friday 8 May. Organisers are working around a three-day opening block made up of two sprint-friendly stages and a third finishing uphill. After leaving Bulgarian roads, the race is expected to transfer directly to southern Italy, with Calabria viewed as the likely host of the first Italian stages.

Route rumours point towards a demanding first week, highlighted by a summit finish on Blockhaus — an early test that would force the general-classification contenders into action far sooner than usual.

A single individual time trial is under discussion, planned at approximately 40 kilometres between Viareggio and Massa. If confirmed, it would be the Giro’s only ITT of the 2026 edition, putting added weight on the climbing stages later in the race.

The final week is expected to revolve around the Alps and Dolomites, with multiple high-mountain stages and at least one especially punishing day finishing at Piani di Pezzè. A double-ascent penultimate weekend is also being considered — a layout that could leave the maglia rosa undecided until the final moments before the traditional closing stage in Rome.

Broadcast coverage in Italy will once again be provided by RAI, with daily programming on Rai Sport and Rai 2. Across Europe, the race will be available on Eurosport and the Warner Bros. Discovery streaming platforms Max and Discovery+, depending on each country’s rights. Coverage in South America is typically delivered by DirecTV, with some nations also carrying races via local broadcasters depending on regional agreements.

The 2025 Giro concluded with victory for Simon Yates, who seized the overall lead with a decisive attack on Stage 20 and held it through to Rome. He finished 3:56 ahead of Isaac del Toro and 4:43 ahead of Richard Carapaz, while the final stage was won in a sprint by teammate Olav Kooij. The points, mountains and best young rider classifications were claimed by Mads Pedersen, Lorenzo Fortunato, and Isaac del Toro respectively.