Tour of the Alps 2026 preview, profiles, favourites & predictions - Pidcock and Pozzovivo return; Storer the defending champion and Pellizzari the big challenger
Cycling
From the 20th to the 24th of April the riders will take on the Tour of the Alps. This is often used as the ultimate preparation race towards the Tour of the Alps, whilst in itself it is a very prestigious race with plenty high mountains and its international course, often crossing borders. We take a preview the race.
The race was created in 1962 and initially won by Enzo Moser. However there was a long break and in 1980 the race finally picked up speed. Some big Italian names conquered the days-long stage-race. The race, due to its position in the calendar, was a match made in heaven for the Giro contenders and plenty have won it. Only in the last decades the likes of Paolo Savoldelli, Gilberto Simoni, Damiano Cunego, Vincenzo Nibali, Ivan Basso, Michele Scarponi and Domenico Pozzovivo all won the former 'Giro del Trentino'.
The last Italian win was in 2013 however. Ever since there has been more international list of winners, of great quality. Cadel Evans, Richie Porte, Mikel Landa, Geraint Thomas, Thibau Pinot, Pavel Sivakov, Simon Yates, Romain Bardet, Tao Geoghegan Hart, Juan Pedro López and most recently Michael Storer took the overall wins. Storer won last year after five brutal days of racing with plenty big changes due to his battle with Thymen Arensman.
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Profile stage 1: Innsbruck - Innsbruck
Innsbruck - Innsbruck, 144.5 kilometers
The race begins in Austria in the city of Innsbruck. It is the easiest stage of the race, one that may even perhaps finish in a sprint. The climb to Gotzens is ridden twice, it's 4 kilometers long at 7% and ends with 25 kilometers to go.
It's by no means a brutal stage but if it's attacked hard, then we can see gaps. If not, then we can see a reduced bunch sprint or a finale that can be very tactical in the flat roads leading back into the beautiful city that hosted the 2018 World Champions.
Profile stage 2: Telfs - Val Martello
Telfs - Val Martello, 147.6 kilometers
The second stage is rather short, only 147 kilometers in length, but quite hard. The beginning is flat out of Telfs, however the race goes into the mountains and faces three categorized climbs. The first of which is quite difficult, with around 22 kilometers in distance and just under 5% average gradient.
But the action will most likely all be left to the final climb, where the riders return to Val Martello - the climb made famous for being the end of the 2014 Giro d'Italia stage where Nairo Quintana flew away from his rivals in a snowstorm. But the riders won't go as high, instead racing the first 5 kilometers which average around 9%.
Profile stage 3: Laces - Arco
Laces - Arco, 174.5 kilometers
The third day of racing is brutal and can lead to the standings changing completely. The beginning is downhill however early on there is the Passo Castin on the route, 22.4 kilometers at 5.7% however it is a climb with two descents in the middle.
It features 7 kilometers at 9% close to its summit and the rest of the stage is either up or downhill, making it hard to chase attackers. The riders climb to Andalo (14.4Km; 5%; 65Km to go); Passo del Balino (9.7Km; 3.7%; 30Km to go); and the final hilltop to Ville del Monte (4.4Km; 4.4%) which ends with 16 kilometers to go. Most of the way to Arco is downhill, capping off a stage with 3600 meters of climbing.
Profile Stage 4: Arco - Trento
Arco - Trento, 167.7 kilometers
The queen stage? Potentially. The riders depart from Arco where they've finished the day before and right from the gun they take on the Passo Bordala which is 14.8 kilometers long at 6.9%. It is a very hard climb but it is followed by two others...
The Vicolo Vattaro (8.4Km; 6.7%) and Passo Redebus (13Km; 6.7%) are each hard enough for big moves and by the time the riders crown it, they will only have ridden half of the stage.
The 167-kilometer long day then doesn't have any other categorized climb, but by no means no climbing. There are several ascents on the way down to Trento, much more explosive, but where attacks can still happen - whilst if the attacks come early on, they can be solidified.
Profile stage 5: Trento - Bolzano
Trento - Bolzano, 128.6 kilometers
The fifth stage of the race is the final one and is also very short, only 128 kilometers in length but with a meaningful ascent right at the star to kick things off. However before ending the week of racing in Bolzano, there will be two climbs that will require tough work from the GC contenders.
The first is Montoppio (12.7 kilometers at 7%) which ends at 35 kilometers to go; whilst the second is Cologna di Sopra - an 8-kilometer ascent which starts off with double-digit gradients and has an intermediate sprint in its middle. The top is with 16 kilometers to go.
Anything can happen there and its still a day for the pure climbers. They will have to be careful with the technical descent to the finish where the race can still be lost.
Prediction Tour of the Alps 2026 overall classification:
*** Michael Storer, Giulio Pellizzari
** Derek Gee, Egan Bernal, Thymen Arensman
* Jakob Omrzel, Tom Pidcock, Chris Harper, Damien Howson, Ben O'Connor, Aleksandr Vlasov, Domenico Pozzovivo
Pick: Giulio Pellizzari
Original: Rúben Silva
List of winners Tour of the Alps
| Year | Country | Rider | Team |
| 1962 | Italy | Enzo Moser | San Pellegrino |
| 1963 | Italy | Guido De Rosso | Molteni |
| 1964–1978 | |||
| 1979 | Norway | Knut Knudsen | Bianchi–Faema |
| 1980 | Italy | Francesco Moser | Sanson |
| 1981 | Italy | Roberto Visentini | Sammontana |
| 1982 | Italy | Giuseppe Saronni | Del Tongo |
| 1983 | Italy | Francesco Moser | Gis Gelati |
| 1984 | Italy | Franco Chioccioli | Murella–Rossin |
| 1985 | Austria | Harald Maier | Gis Gelati |
| 1986 | Italy | Team edition | Carrera–Inoxpran |
| 1987 | Italy | Claudio Corti | Supermercati Brianzoli |
| 1988 | Switzerland | Urs Zimmermann | Carrera Jeans–Vagabond |
| 1989 | Italy | Mauro Santaromita | Pepsi Cola–Alba Cucine |
| 1990 | Italy | Gianni Bugno | Chateau d'Ax–Salotti |
| 1991 | Venezuela | Leonardo Sierra | Selle Italia–Magniarredo |
| 1992 | Italy | Claudio Chiappucci | Carrera Jeans–Vagabond |
| 1993 | Italy | Maurizio Fondriest | Lampre–Polti |
| 1994 | Italy | Moreno Argentin | Gewiss–Ballan |
| 1995 | Switzerland | Heinz Imboden | Refin |
| 1996 | Italy | Wladimir Belli | Panaria–Vinavil |
| 1997 | France | Luc Leblanc | Polti |
| 1998 | Italy | Paolo Savoldelli | Saeco–Cannondale |
| 1999 | Italy | Paolo Savoldelli | Saeco–Cannondale |
| 2000 | Italy | Simone Borgheresi | Mercatone Uno–Albacom |
| 2001 | Italy | Francesco Casagrande | Fassa Bortolo |
| 2002 | Italy | Francesco Casagrande | Fassa Bortolo |
| 2003 | Italy | Gilberto Simoni | Saeco |
| 2004 | Italy | Damiano Cunego | Saeco |
| 2005 | Mexico | Julio Alberto Pérez | Ceramica Panaria–Navigare |
| 2006 | Italy | Damiano Cunego | Lampre–Fondital |
| 2007 | Italy | Damiano Cunego | Lampre–Fondital |
| 2008 | Italy | Vincenzo Nibali | Liquigas |
| 2009 | Italy | Ivan Basso | Liquigas |
| 2010 | Kazakhstan | Alexander Vinokourov | Astana |
| 2011 | Italy | Michele Scarponi | Lampre–ISD |
| 2012 | Italy | Domenico Pozzovivo | Colnago–CSF Bardiani |
| 2013 | Italy | Vincenzo Nibali | Astana |
| 2014 | Australia | Cadel Evans | BMC Racing Team |
| 2015 | Australia | Richie Porte | Team Sky |
| 2016 | Spain | Mikel Landa | Team Sky |
| 2017 | Great Britain | Geraint Thomas | Team Sky |
| 2018 | France | Thibaut Pinot | Groupama–FDJ |
| 2019 | Russia | Pavel Sivakov | Team Sky |
| 2020 | |||
| 2021 | Great Britain | Simon Yates | Team BikeExchange |
| 2022 | France | Romain Bardet | Team DSM |
| 2023 | Great Britain | Tao Geoghegan Hart | Ineos Grenadiers |
| 2024 | Spain | Juan Pedro López | Lidl–Trek |
| 2025 | Australia | Michael Storer | Tudor Pro Cycling Team |
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
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.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
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)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Schreiber won. UCI please admit your fault and correct result.averagecyclist10-11-2026
- She deviated from her line - end of
leedorney10-11-2026 - If I was Lucinda Brand, I'd refuse to wear the jersey. Is there a rule that she "has to" wear it, as the winner? It would certainly feel like stolen valor.wrsty10-11-2026
- but don't let your socks be too long or handlebars be a cm too narrow.mij10-11-2026
- Saw a casual interview with Geraint Thomas and him a few years ago. Seems like a nice laid guy and I wish him well.GregT10-11-2026
- Ernesto Maggioni - The president of the commissaires Mafia. It is getting evident that this guy is basically "Iamalwaysrightandyouarestupidsoiwontlistentoyou" kind of guy. So fire him so that he can be always right in his homeabstractengineer10-11-2026
- Somehow it has got into his mind that he is a GC rider. He is primarily a classics and stage rider who can perform on GC given his day. As a result he is wasting his time on TDF GC and once committed to GC you are too tired to do anything else.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- 🐐❤️Lozza09-11-2026
- This is such a black eye to women's professional cyclocross if this result remains. Marie Schreiber won this race fairly. This finish is not unlike others in cyclocross. Lots of moving around to get to the finish not to cut anyone off , but to generate a sprint on soft wide tires caked with mud and sand. This is not nearly the same as a road race between two riders sprinting to the finish on faster bikes and thinner firmer tires. The powers in charge need to use some common sense, reverse this result and remember this is Cyclocross not Road racing. Unbelievable. . .Zencycle09-11-2026
- Tis beyond your comprehension fine sir so best not to look on with blind eyes to THE GOATS greatness.
Brucegel09-11-2026
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