Italy will celebrate the 109th edition of the Giro from May 8-31, and SBS will once again deliver all the action to Australian audiences live and on demand.
What is the Giro d’Italia?
The Giro d’Italia is an annual stage race primarily held in Italy and, in some cases, parts of other neighbouring nations over a three-week period.
Originally founded in 1909 to increase sales of newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Giro has been held every year since – except during the two World Wars – to the acclaim of cycling enthusiasts around the globe.
Is the Giro d'Italia like the Tour de France?
The Giro d’Italia is known as a 'Grand Tour', a term used to describe the oldest, hardest, and most difficult events on the UCI WorldTour scene.
There are three Grand Tours in total; the other two being the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana, and winning one instantly elevates the status of a rider and his or her team.
While the Tour de France is the most prestigious stage race in the sport, the Giro is a close second with the pair used alongside the UCI Road World Championships as the unofficial 'Triple Crown of Cycling'.
How many teams and riders are involved in the Giro d'Italia 2026?
Official numbers for the 2026 edition have not been confirmed, but we saw a total of 23 teams of eight riders participate in the 2025 edition, with 18 WorldTeams and five ProTeams earning automatic invitations based on their UCI rankings at the end of 2024.
Israel–Premier Tech, Tudor Pro Cycling Team, Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, VF Group–Bardiani–CSF–Faizanè, and Team Polti VisitMalta were among the participating ProTeams.
Teams:
- Alpecin–Deceuninck
- Arkéa–B&B Hotels
- Red Bull-Bora–Hansgrohe
- Cofidis
- Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale
- EF Education–EasyPost
- Groupama–FDJ
- Ineos Grenadiers
- Intermarché–Wanty
- Lidl–Trek
- Movistar Team
- Soudal–Quick-Step
- Team Bahrain Victorious
- Team Picnic PostNL
- Team Jayco–AlUla
- UAE Team Emirates XRG
- Visma–Lease a Bike
- XDS Astana Team
- Israel–Premier Tech
- Tudor Pro Cycling Team
- Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
- VF Group–Bardiani–CSF–Faizanè
- Team Polti VisitMalta
How do you win the Giro d'Italia?
In essence, the rider with the lowest aggregate time across all 21 stages will be crowned the winner of the general classification.
The general classification is the most sought-after, however, there are three other classifications on offer for the peloton: points, mountains, and best young rider.
The winner of each individual stage is the rider first across the finish line, and each stage win is a prestigious honour.
How the general classification works:
Every stage is timed until the finish, with the rider with the lowest cumulative time to that point declared the overall leader and awarded a pink jersey – the maglia rosa – that must be worn by the rider. The jersey is pink in honour of the paper La Gazzetta dello Sport would print its content on.
Wearing the pink jersey gives one’s team and sponsors more publicity and motivates the individual to keep a hold of it for as long as possible.
Eddy Merckx wore the maglia rosa a record 78 times at the Giro d’Italia – his five GC titles matched only by Alfredo Binda and Fausto Coppi. The only Australian to ever win the Giro d'Italia is Jai Hindley, who won the race in 2022.
How the mountains classification works:
During mountain stages, points are awarded to the rider who is first to reach the top of each significant climb on offer, with points also awarded to those who closely follow each other on the ascent.
The number of points awarded depend on the category of the climb, which can range from one, the hardest; to four, the easiest. In the case of the Giro, there is also the Cima Coppi which is worth more points for being the highest point reached during the Grand Tour.
A rider with the most points at the end of a stage will have the honour of wearing the blue climbers’ jersey the next day, one first introduced at the Giro in 2012, preceded by a green jersey from 1974, though the classification has been officially recognised since 1933.
How the points classification works:
This classification is generally won by the sprinters and sees points awarded based on a rider’s position at the end of a stage.
Stages are categorised into types, and are awarded more points depending upon their climbing difficulty; flatter stages are awarded more points to keep the competition for the jersey primarily among the sprinters.
Stages can also have one or more intermediate sprints scattered along its route, whereby points are awarded to the first six cyclists across its marked lines.
A rider with the most points at the end of a stage will don the maglia ciclamino - the cyclamen colour derived from an alpine flower - the next day, all in the hope of preserving their advantage until the final podium.
How the young rider classification works:
This classification only applies to riders no older than 25 during the calendar year, with the leader determined in the same way as the general classification.
First introduced in 1976, the white jersey has been available to eligible members of the peloton in every edition of the Giro aside from an 11-year hiatus between 1995 and 2006.
Who won the GC title at the Giro d'Italia last year?
Simon Yates won the Italian Grand Tour after taking the pink jersey from Isaac del Toro on Stage 20.
When does 2026 Giro d'Italia start?
The 2026 edition of the Giro will commence on May 8 and conclude on May 31.
How long is the Giro d'Italia?
This year’s Giro will cover 3,459 kilometres from Nessebar, Bulgaria to Rome, Italy and will span 21 stages with three rest days allowing for recovery and transport.
There will also be 48,550 metres of altitude gain on offer for the peloton, with five stages spanning more than 200km.
Who are the favourites for the 2026 Giro d'Italia?
While defending champion Simon Yates will not return to the Italian Grand Tour after retiring from professional cycling in January, the balanced route is enticing enough to call several stars to the start line.
Potential contenders to win the coveted crown will be listed once participating teams have confirmed their respective rosters closer to Stage 1.
Is every stage at the Giro d'Italia the same?
The 2026 route features one time trial and five mountain stages in total, with a further eight certain to be contested by the sprinters.
Stages:
- Stage 1 - Nessebar > Burgas (156km, Flat)
- Stage 2 - Burgas > Veliko Tarnovo (220km, Hilly)
- Stage 3 - Plovdiv > Sofia (174km, Flat)
- Travel Day
- Stage 4 - Catanzaro > Cosenza (144km, Flat)
- Stage 5 - Praia a Mare > Potenza (204km, Hilly)
- Stage 6 - Paestum > Napoli (161km, Flat)
- Stage 7 - Formia > Blockhaus (246km, Mountain)
- Stage 8 - Chieti > Fermo (159km, Hilly)
- Stage 9 - Cervia > Corno alle Scale (184km, Hilly)
- Rest Day
- Stage 10 - Viarreggio > Massa (40.2km ITT)
- Stage 11 - Porcari > Chiavari (178km, Hilly)
- Stage 12 - Imperia > Novi Ligure (177km, Flat)
- Stage 13 - Alessandria > Verbania (186km, Hilly)
- Stage 14 - Aosta > Pila (133km, Mountain)
- Stage 15 - Voghera > Milano (136km, Flat)
- Rest Day
- Stage 16 - Bellinzona > Carì (113km, Mountain)
- Stage 17 - Cassano d’Adda > Andalo (200km, Hilly)
- Stage 18 - Fai della Paganella > Pieve di Soligo (166km, Flat)
- Stage 19 - Feltre > Alleghe (Piani di Pezzè) (151km, Mountain)
- Stage 20 - Gemona del Friuli > Piancavallo (199km, Mountain)
- Stage 21 - Roma > Roma (131km, Flat)
How can Australians watch the 2026 Giro d'Italia?
All 21 stages of the 2026 Giro d'Italia will be live in full on SBS On Demand and SBS VICELAND.
With catch-up replays as well as extended highlights, minis, and analysis available throughout the three weeks, SBS is the perfect place to keep up to date.
Do the women's peloton have an Italian Grand Tour?
Yes they do - the Giro d'Italia Women - and Australian viewers will be able to watch all the action live and in full on SBS On Demand and SBS VICELAND from May 31 to June 7.
Spanning nine stages, all nine days of racing will remain on Italian soil, with the Grande Partenza taking place in the northern town of Cesenatico.
Much like the men's edition, SBS On Demand's dedicated Hub will also house stage replays, minis, extended highlights and more from the women's Grand Tour.
- Stage 1 - Cesenatico to Ravenna (139km, Flat)
- Stage 2 - Roncade H-Farm to Caorle (146km, Flat)
- Stage 3 - Bibione to Buja (154km, Hilly)
- Stage 4 - Belluno to Nevegal (12.7km, ITT)
- Stage 5 - Longarone to Santo Stefano di Cadore (138km, Mountain)
- Stage 6 - Ala to Brescello (155km, Flat)
- Stage 7 - Sorbolo Mezzani to Salice Terme (165km, Hilly)
- Stage 8 - Rivoli to Sestriere (101km, Mountain)
- Stage 9 - Saluzzo to Saluzzo (143km, Mountain)
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