Giro d'Italia, here's the route: starting in Bulgaria and ending in Rome
The pink race scheduled from 8 to 31 May. Giro Women from 30 May to 7 June
The Giro d'Italia, scheduled from 8 to 31 May 2026, will start for the sixteenth time from abroad - from Bulgaria, where the first three stages will take place - and will finish in Rome (which will host the 'Grande Arrivo' for the eighth time) after 3,459 km with 50,000 metres of altitude difference.
The route of the 109th edition is unveiled at the Auditorium Parco della Musica and includes a 40.2 km individual time trial (it will be the Bartali Stage in Tuscany), eight flat stages, seven medium mountain and five high mountain stages with seven uphill finishes. The Giro will also return to Milan, which will host the race for the 90th time with a stage finish.
Almost 3,500 km in 21 stages
Nearly 3,500km in 21 stages, the 109th edition of the Giro d'Italia comes to life in Rome, starting on 8 May from Bulgaria and with the final sprint still in the capital on the 31st of the same month. Defending the title will be Simon Yates, champion of 2025, who on the stage of the Auditorium described last year's success as "extraordinary".
But repeating oneself is the most difficult thing and Elisa Longo Borghini, winner of the last two editions of the Giro Women, whose route was also unveiled today, knows this well. Unlike the men, the stages will be nine, from Cesanatico to Saluzzo, with the start on 30 May and the arrival on 7 June. So the start from abroad, the sixteenth in the history of the Giro, remains a men's prerogative for now and for the first time will be from Bulgaria with three stages. The 'Grand Arrival', on the other hand, is confirmed in Rome, while in between there will be a single individual time trial of 40.2 km (this year it will be the Bartali Stage in Tuscany), then eight flat stages, seven medium mountain and five high mountain stages, with seven uphill finishes.
Including the return to Milan
Among the novelties is the return to Milan, which has been missing from the Giro since 2021, as well as the passage through the penultimate stage to the crater of the earthquake in Friuli on 6 May 1976. The Cima Coppi of the Giro will be the Giau Pass with its 2,233 metres, while the 'Pantani Mountain' has been scheduled at Piani di Pezzè. And it doesn't end here because there will also be a trespassing in Switzerland with a stage entirely on Swiss territory from Bellinzona to Carì. The Corsa Rosa unveils its route, waiting for the riders to do battle.
