The first men’s Grand Tour of the 2026 season is quickly approaching at the Giro d’Italia, with the Grande Partenza in Bulgaria set to kick start three weeks of thrilling racing all the way to Rome between some of the best riders in the world.
Last year’s race was won in stunning fashion by Simon Yates, who came full circle with an emotional triumph in Sestriere, via the Colle delle Finestre, burying his demons from seven years prior. But after his shock retirement in January, the Brit won’t be back to defend his title. And neither of the other podium finishers will be either, with Isaac del Toro set to ride his first Tour de France, and Richard Carapaz still recovering from surgery to remove a perineal cyst.
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As his long-time rival Tadej Pogačar did in 2024, Vingegaard will be attempting the Giro-Tour de France double, but it will only be in France where he’ll face the Slovenian, whose UAE team will be led by Adam Yates and Jay Vine in Bulgaria and Italy, after João Almeida was also forced to cancel his Giro participation because of a viral infection.
Specific to this, the 109th edition of the Italian Grand Tour, is the presence of only one individual time trial, on stage 10 from Viareggio to Massa, which should be better for the purer climbers – though it is still ultra-testing in length at 42km, so could be vital in the GC battle.
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