Profiles & Route Giro D'Italia Donne 2026 - Colle delle Finestre headlines route with 4 mountain stages

The 2026 Giro d'Italia Donne will be taking place from the 30th of May to the 7th of June and it is one of the most important races in the women's calendar. It will feature nine stages and amongst them is a mountain time trial in Nevegal, a brutal stage through the Dolomites and even an ascent to the Colle delle Finestre.

The nine-day race hence features four mountain stages (one of them an individual time trial), three stages that are purely for the bunch sprinters and two stages that could either end in a sprint finish (bunch or reduced peloton) or potentially with a breakaway taking the triumph.

The race starts off in Cesenatico and the first day of racing takes the riders into Ravenna, where a bunch sprint is expected at the end of the day to attribute the first pink jersey to a sprinter.

The second stage of the race is also going to have a sprint finish with certainty in Caorle, however the riders do have to pay attention to the short but brutally steep Muro di Ca del Poggio which is inserted in the route and could split the peloton to bits.

Stage 3 into Buja from Bibione is 154 kilometers long and is a day that the sprinters should take, but there is a small obstacle less than 20 kilometers from the finish line where a few fast women may struggle.

The battle for the overall classification starts on stage 4 with a time trial into Nevegal. This is a tricky one with the first 5 kilometers either slightly downhill or uphill, but only the final 7 are truly in the climb. But this is a brutal one, featuring over 4 kilometers at 10%, whilst it doesn't get too easy either towards the summit.

The queen stage? It is, potentially, there is an immense amount of climbing in the Dolomites starting off with a very long run-up and the Passo Tre Croci, but also the brutal Passo di Sant'Antonio, a climb the Giro hasn't ridden through in a long time. The peloton will still take on two smaller climbs in Costalissoio where further attacks can take place beefore the finiale in Santo Stefano di Cadore.

The riders return to the flatlands for another bunch sprint stage, starting in Ala and finishing in Brescello.

Stage 7 is the only day where we truly don't know what the outcome should be in this Giro Donne. Most of the stage is pan-flat, benefiting the sprinters, and there will only be two efforts close to the finish in Salice Terme. The climbs won't be too hard but should drop a few riders. The question is if we'll still have a sprint to the line between all the sprinters or if the GC riders or some attacks can truly split the race permanently.

The riders will be heading to the western Alps and take on none other than the Colle delle Finestre, one of the toughest and most iconic climbs in pro cycling. Most likely, this will be the most decisive day of the race, with the 19-kilometer climb set to take well over an hour even for the top climbers. Even then, the finale is only at the top of Sestrière, a few kilometers ahead and at altitude.

The final stage of the race starts and finishes in Saluzzo, featuring three categorized climbs where the action can explode once again. The climb to Montoso mainly is a brute, and the fight for the pink jersey may open up one final time. It's a day that's open to several scenarios.