Paul Magnier leads the way for Soudal - Quick-Step at the 2026 Giro d'Italia

Soudal - Quick-Step approach the 2026 Giro d’Italia with a balanced, ambitious squad built to race on all terrains and uphold the team’s tradition of hunting stage wins. The Belgian outfit lines up with eight motivated riders of varied profiles, ready to make their mark in bunch sprints, the mountains, or breakaways.

Mikel Landa was set to headline the team in the fight for the overall classification, but after last year's disastrous start - he abandoned during the first day of the race with a serious injury - this time around he was prevented from being at the Grand Partenza after suffering a pelvis fracture when he was hit by a medical car at Itzulia Basque Country.

One of the main storylines will be Paul Magnier, set for his second Grand Tour and aiming to confirm his speed in sprint finishes, backed up by Dries van Gestel and Jasper Stuyven who will be backing him up in the bunch sprints. Stuyven, an experienced stage hunter, will also be aiming for be in breakaways throughout the race.

In the mountains, the team is giving space to its home riders Filippo Zana, Gianmarco Garofoli and Andrea Raccagni to hunt for wins, with the three riders all likely to pursue breakaways on the days where differences can be made uphill.

Ayco Bastiaens and Fabio Van den Bossche complete the lineup for the Belgian team, who will wear a special cream vintage-style jersey to mark Castelli’s 150th anniversary.

From the sports director’s chair, Davide Bramati assessed the team’s chances: “It’s one of the best, hardest, and most unpredictable races of the season, but the squad we have for these three weeks, and the ambition the riders bring, make us believe we can have an impact at the Giro. Paul returns after a solid debut last year, targeting a stage win, and he’ll have the backing of an experienced lead-out train capable of guiding him through chaotic finales.”

The Italian directeur added: “Jasper comes in after an impressive Classics campaign and can also fight for strong results, while Filippo will try to post a good general classification. The route is tough and things can change from one day to the next, so he’ll go stage by stage and together we’ll see how it evolves. If you look at our team, you’ll see many riders able to be up there, whether in the sprint or a break, which gives us confidence. There’s a lot of enthusiasm in the team and we’re eager to start.”