Not just for climbers? Rome presents the 109th Giro d'Italia.

ROME – Expected, dreamed of, spoiled, but finally here it is Tour of Italy number 109 in history. An engaging and certainly tough Giro, but one that doesn't seem impossible at all from the start. And this, according to what the athletes say, could be synonymous with a greater spectacle... especially if there were to be some expected protagonists, two above all: Tadej Pogacar and, much more likely, jonas vingegaard.

The Dane was not present at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, where the Giro route was discovered. In his place there is the companion Simon yates, the outgoing pink jersey. He has "big cheeks," the Englishman: for now, that's fine. He still sends messages of love to the Giro d'Italia, says how he guards the Trofeo Senza Fine almost like a totem, but reveals nothing about his future plans or those of his team.

Bulgaria and Southern Italy

But let's get to the route. The route starts in Bulgaria, more precisely in Nessebar, and will arrive in Rome after 21 stages, 3.459 kilometers, and approximately 50.000 meters of altitude difference.
Nessebar is a town of about 15.000 inhabitants, a sort of Bulgarian Rimini, its shores bathed by the Black Sea. Its first contact with "Italy" was in 71 BC, when it was conquered by the Romans. More or less 2.100 years later, we return to export one of the pearls of the Bel Paese: the pink race.

Three stages in Bulgaria, then, as is now common when a Grand Tour starts abroad. A fast start, but with a scream at the end of the second stage: a 3,5-kilometer climb at 7,5 percent gradient. Then, the finish line in the splendid Bulgarian capital, Sofia.

You arrive in Italy and go up the Peninsula from the South: Catanzaro It's the first Italian city to host the Giro. The stages are fast and unpredictable, only on paper. The Potenza race, as always, will be a sprint that sprinters will have to sweat for.

Il blockhouse and the time trial

The music changes radically with the seventh stage, the longest of the entire Giro: The 246-kilometer Formia – Blockhaus route finishes on the legendary Abruzzo mountain. One of the toughest climbs of the entire 2026 race, especially since it is tackled from the Roccamorice side, the “nastiest” one.
Blockhaus starts a hat-trick, all Apennine, with also the blocks of Fermo and the arrival of Horn at the Stairs.

This hat-trick will see the peloton reach the individual time trial Viareggio – Massa, the only one on the list, with the standings already fairly clear. The time trial, after the rest day, could provide a big boost to the specialists. It's quite long considering modern times, 40,2 kilometers, and completely flat. Our thoughts go to the Giro d'Italia of Miguel Indurain's era.

We are heading towards the end of the week with perfect stages for sprinters and breakaway riders, before the third big finish at Pila, the mountain of Aosta. It's a "Tour-worthy" climb, with a relatively wide road and a steady gradient: 17 kilometers at 7 percent. The finish isn't impossible, but it's tough. Pila is one of those climbs where those with the legs can make a big difference. But above all, Pila arrives after a very tough stage: 133 kilometers and over 4.400 meters of altitude difference. A fraction like that can really do a lot of harm.

The Dolomites and Rome

After the arrival in Milan and the third and final day of rest, the last week opens with the very short but intense Bellinzona – Carì: therefore there is a new border crossing, in Switzerland. The Carì climb is tough and could almost be the surprise of this race: it is 11 kilometers long and has an average gradient of over 8 percent. Not to mention that it comes after the rest day. This stage, and the two following ones perfect for breakaways, lead to the last two big stages.

The first of these is the Feltre-Alleghe, more precisely at Piani di Pezzè, tackling in order Duran, Staulanza, Giau – which will be Cima Coppi – and Falzarego before the finish.
The 109th Giro d'Italia will be decided in Piancavallo, with the double ascent of the Friulian mountain. A curiosity: once again there is a climb in the name of Marco Pantani. The Pirate in fact won both in Piancavallo in 1998, starting the comeback against Alex Zulle, and in Piani di Pezzè where he won the Giro dilettanti.

The grand finale? Again in Rome. It's the fourth consecutive year.Let's hope it can be something permanent like Paris is for the Tour de France.", said Rome's Sports Councillor, Alessandro Onorato.

Not just climbers?

The Auditorium's mixed zone is transformed into a sort of "Trial of the Stage." We're trying to figure out how tough it will be, who will be best suited to it, and maybe even name a few. Our feeling is that it's going to be a balanced Giro d'Italia. There are four climbs that could be more decisive than others: Blockhaus, Pila, Carì and PiancavalloBut overall, the third week seems "softer" than usual, especially in the final stages. The classic hat-trick is missing, and who knows, it might be a plus for the spectacle and the attacks.

Another consideration, which perhaps many will not like: A truly long stage returns within a Grand Tour. Formia – Blockhaus is 246 kilometers long. It's been a while since we've had the courage to propose such a long fraction. Even Vincenzo Nibali He emphasized it. Is it a gift from Mauro Vegni, who designed his latest pink creation? Perhaps... We like one—and we emphasize one—long section like this. It helps bring out the deep-lying players and those with recovery skills. In total, there are four hamlets over 200 kilometers.

This dose of "vintage" is contrasted by the modernity of the Aosta district: 4.400 meters of elevation gain in 133 kilometers are numbers that make everyone's legs tremble, especially the sprinters.

So is it a Giro exclusively for climbers? A time trialist like Remco Evenepoel, for example, couldn't he dig a large gap and then run on the defensive? It wasn't a coincidence that we first considered Indurain. We'll see who participates and what kind of race, including tactically, it turns out to be. The terrain for attack or defense is all there. All that remains is to wait until May 8th.