Giro d'Italia 2026, from bigwigs to possible surprises: top names
Three days before the Grand Depart in Bulgaria, the list of participants in edition number 109 of the Giro d’Italia takes shape. The spotlight is on Jonas Vingegaard, making his debut in the Corsa Rosa but already a two-time winner of the Tour de France and triumphant at the Vuelta: the Dane, an obligatory favorite, will chase entry into the select club of riders capable of winning all three Grand Tours, which includes Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali and Chris Froome.
Team Visma-Lease a Bike, which has won two of the last three editions with Primoz Roglic in 2023 and Simon Yates last year, will also join its leader Sepp Kuss, king of the Vuelta 2023. Also promising battle is Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, which barring last-minute surprises will field 2022 winner Jai Hindley and young Giulio Pellizzari, as well as Aleksandr Vlasov, fourth in 2021.
Also high-profile, despite the planned absence of Tadej Pogacar and the forced absence of Joao Almeida, is the UAE Team Emirates XRG: Adam Yates, back from his success at O Gran Camiño, will lead a lineup that rediscovers Tour Down Under winner Jay Vine and launches the talented Jan Christen, among the favorites for the white jersey reserved for the leader of the Under-26 classification.
Egan Bernal of Netcompany Ineos will be at the start for the third time, following his 2021 triumph and seventh place last year. Among his teammates, eyes will also be on Thymen Arensman, twice sixth in 2023 and 2024. Also prominent among the ranking men are Derek Gee (fourth in 2025), Damiano Caruso (second in 2021 and top‑5 in 2025), Felix Gall, Ben O’Connor (fourth in 2024) and Enric Mas, making his debut and supported by Einer Rubio.
The parterre of climbers is extremely rich: Giulio Ciccone, Michael Storer, Santiago Buitrago, Javier Romo, Juan Pedro Lopez, Chris Harper, Lennert Van Eetvelt, Marc Soler, Filippo Zana, Andreas Leknessund, Wout Poels, Harold Lopez, Warren Barguil and Alessandro Pinarello will be among the main hunters of stages and the blue jersey, which rewards those who score the most points in the Grands Prix de la Montagne.
Chapter sprinters: the man to beat will be Jonathan Milan, already with six wins in 2026 and capable of winning the points classification in all three Grand Tours held. His closest rivals will be Kaden Groves, Dylan Groenewegen, Pascal Ackermann and youngsters Tobias Lund Andresen, Paul Magnier and Arnaud De Lie. Also at the start are Casper Van Uden, Ethan Vernon, Lukas Kubis, Erlend Blikra, Orluis Aular and a large group of Italians: Matteo Malucelli, Matteo Moschetti, Luca Mozzato, Giovanni Lonardi and Enrico Zanoncello.
Among the time trial specialists stands out Filippo Ganna, the most successful rider among the entrants with seven successes in the Giro. The Piedmontese rider, also motivated by the 13th stage finish in his native Verbania, will be the favorite for the Viareggio-Massa time trial, scheduled for May 19. The main opponents will be Alec Segaert, Rémi Cavagna, Magnus Sheffield and Matteo Sobrero.
Finally, wide is the list of possible protagonists for stage victories: Jasper Stuyven, fresh from a podium finish at Paris‑Roubaix, Christian Scaroni, already a winner in 2025 in Brentonico and fresh from three race wins in 2026, as well as Ivan García Cortina, Michael Valgren, Vincenzo Albanese, Corbin Strong, Jhonatan Narvaez, Antonio Morgado, Andrea Vendrame, Alberto Bettiol and Diego Ulissi.
