Stage 5 of the 2026 Giro d’Italia could be the first major day for breakaway riders, with a hilly 203-km route from Praia a Mare to Potenza offering few chances for the sprinters. (Hey, they’ve lots of fun already!)
Although only two climbs are officially categorized, the stage rises and falls almost constantly through southern Italy.
This is where the fun begins
The opening climb, the Prestieri, comes soon after the start and is expected to help form the day’s breakaway. The key climb later in the stage is the Montagna Grande di Viggiano, a 17-km ripper averaging 4.7 per cent with several steeper ramps. Riders still face more than 40 km after the summit, including another late uphill section inside the final five km.
Forecasts are also calling for unstable weather, which could complicate matters. Just a few days ago some nasty rain led to a bunch of pile-ups, one of which severely decimated Team UAE.
The stage is expected to favour attackers and opportunists — maybe even a day for Nickolas Zukowsky of Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team — while the fight for the maglia rosa could also intensify ahead of Friday’s summit finish at Blockhaus.
On Tuesday, the Giro was back in Italy after three days in Bulgaria. UAE Emirates-XRG managed to take a win–despite losing three riders in that nasty stage. took the win through Jhonatan Narváez. Giulio Ciccone took the pink jersey from Stage 2 winner Thomas Guillermo Silva. Lidl-Trek’s Derek Gee-West had a bit of a scare when he flatted at the wrong time, but thankfully he was able to hitch a ride with some guys who were catching back on, including Egan Bernal. He finished 26th, and now sits 30th, but still 1:11 behind.
The Flobikes broadcast begins at 7:30 a.m. EDT, and as always, Canadian Cycling Magazine will have a full report after.
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