Stage 5 of the 2026 Tirreno-Adriatico is going to be one of the race’s toughest days. The 184-km route from Marotta to Mombaroccio packs nearly 4,000 m of elevation, with a relentless series of steep hills that will mean that all the GC favourites need to be at the front to avoid missing selections.
The opening section is “relatively” easy, even if riders have sore legs from four days of tough racing. But after around 90km, well, that’s where the fun begins.
You’ve got the Monte delle Cesane, a 7.2-kilometre climb averaging 7 per cent. From there the peloton faces a punishing sequence of shorter efforts. The sharp Montefelcino ramp, the climb to the San Pietro e Paolo sanctuary, and the steady Monte della Mattera.
After descending, riders pass the finish in Mombaroccio before tackling two finishing circuits..
Each lap includes the climb to the Beato Sante sanctuary. That’s 4.2 kilometres at 6.2 per cent with steeper pitches near a leg-breaking 9 per cent. With the summit just two km from the finish line, it is the obvious launch point for decisive attacks. Or, in the case of the GC, the need to follow every move.
A day for Del Toro?
The big question is whether anyone can stop Isaac Del Toro. The Mexican’s punchy climbing and fast finish make this stage almost tailor-made for him. Giulio Pellizzari has already shown strong form, recently. He was impressive going claw-to-claw with Mathieu van der Poel on the tough Stage 2 finish.
At one point, it looked like the Italian could even beat him. American. Matteo Jorgenson, Giulio Ciccone and Tobias Halland Johannessen are also riding well and look well suited to the repeated climbs. Jorgenson was on domestique duty on Stage 4, where we cycling fans were treated to a proper bike race–where MvdP once again won. With time bonuses, Pellizzari took the leader’s jersey by two seconds over the Mexican.
But with attacks all over the place–including one that almost stuck with Filippo Ganna, it had shades of the great 2019 Amstel Gold Race. There, the finale was one of the best finishes in recent years, with van Der Poel catching the final moves and sprinting to the win. Don’t expect much from the Alpecin-Premier Tech rider today. Or Visma-Lease a Bike’s Wout van Aert–who was also in the mix on Thursday. The Belgian was fifth on Stage 4, but right there with long-time rival van der Poel.
The action gets underway on FloBikes.com at 8:05 a.m. EDT. Forza ragazzi, buon venerdì!
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