Giro d'Italia 2026 stage 3 preview, profiles, favourites & predictions - Sprinters get one more opportunity before leaving Bulgaria

The 2026 Giro d'Italia will take place from the 8th to the 31st of May. It is the first Grand Tour of the season, and there are 21 stages that will take the riders through many of Italy's iconic cities, the mythical Alps, and many treacherous stages - each one can end the climber's chances of winning. We preview stage 3, which is expected to start and finish at 12:15 and 16:30CET.

The first edition of the Corsa Rosa took place in 1909, won by Luigi Ganna that year. Italy has always been one of the most influential countries in professional cycling and the Giro provided, every year, the opportunity for the biggest riders to show off their abilities in all terrains. It is one of the races with the most history. Eddy Merckx, Alfredo Binda and Fausto Coppi have each won it five times and hold the record together.

These are riders that have marked different generations, but other generations have too been marked by the victories of Gino Bartali, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain and Marco Pantani, as examples. In recent decades less Italians have won it; with Vincenzo Nibali being its latest home winner back in 2016. The likes of Alberto Contador, Nairo Quintana, Tom Dumoulin and Chris Froome all marked their name in the Trofeo Senza Fine (the Giro's 'endless trophy'.

Tao Geoghegan Hart won the 'Covid edition' in 2020; Egan Bernal won it back in 2021; Jai Hindley took the win in 2022; In 2023 it was Primoz Roglic who beat Geraint Thomas in a dramatic final mountain time trial to win his first Giro; In 2024 Tadej Pogacar dominated the edition from start to finish whilst in 2025 it was Great Britain's Simon Yates who won the pink jersey after a brilliant attack on the final mountain stage which dethroned Isaac del Toro.

Stage 3 is another opportunity for the sprinters. There is a small climb halfway through the day but it's not too difficult and the remainder of the day is pan-flat which means the fast men shouldn't be too bothered.

175 kilometers from Plovdiv to Sofia, with a 9-kilometer long climb at 5% halfway through. The finale is as simple as you could possibly imagine, as the run-in to the Bulgarian capital is not only completely flat but a complete straight line. The riders will in fact ride in a straight line for dozens of kilometers, directly into the finish line which will crown a sprinter. It will bring memories of the UAE Tour, only in an Eastern European landscape.

The wind will not be blowing and taking into consideration the peloton's attitude on the first days of the race, we will have a day without much of a breakaway effort and the peloton will have an easy day on the bike without technical roads into Sofia.

There, we will have a second bunch sprint. It will be another one that is not technical, where positioning in the final kilometers and energy into the final sprint will be the key aspects. We've seen how a Jonathan Milan arrived at the sprint on Friday completely cooked and did not have the legs to sprint. Because the peloton will arrive very fresh to the final kilometers, speeds will be incredibly high, and not a linear and regular sprint.

Hence the win can fall in many directions, but Paul Magnier already proved himself on the first day and his leadout also worked to perfection amongst the big teams - hence, he can certainly do it again. Tobias Lund Andresen will be in the mix and is also a potential winner.

Kaden Groves crashed and may have a harder time whilst Dylan Groenewegen did too but I would say his chances remain the same. A pure flat sprint, it will suit him well.

Ethan Vernon, Ben Turner, Giovanni Lonardi, Madis Mihkels, Luca Mozzato, Paul Penhoët, Orluis Aular, Pascal Ackermann, Erlend Blikra, Arnaud de Lie and Matteo Malucelli are also riders to take into consideration for the finale.

*** Jonathan Milan, Tobias Lund Andresen, Paul Magnier

** Dylan Groenewegen, Ethan Vernon

* Kaden Groves, Ben Turner, Paul Penhoët, Orluis Aular, Erlend Blikra, Arnaud de Lie, Matteo Malucelli

Pick: Paul Magnier

How: Regular bunch sprint.