Date: Friday, May 8
Distance: 147km
Start location: Nessebar / Несебър
Finish location: Burgas / Бургас
Start time: 11:50 BST / 12:50 CEST / 06:50 EDT
Finish time (approx.): 15:04 BST / 16:04 CEST / 10:04 EDT
For the big guns of the peloton, Friday is the day: the Giro d'Italia kicks off with the first of its eight sprint stages, a 147 kilometre route along Bulgaria’s Black Sea coastline sporting just 500 metres of elevation gain across the entire day. A few lumps and exposed sections open to crosswinds lead the way to a slight upward finish, but this shouldn’t prove too challenging for the pure sprinters vying for the first maglia rosa awaiting them at the line in Burgas.
Giro d'Italia 2026 stage one profile
Giro d'Italia 2026 stage one profile (RCS)
Contenders
Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) is the man to beat on this year’s opening stage. With two maglia ciclaminos already under his belt and six wins to his name this season, the Italian sprinter will be looking to don pink for the first time in his career. His lead-out train looks a little different to usual, with Edward Theuns swapped out for Tim Teutenberg, but Simone Consonni and Max Walscheid remain at his disposal for the final deciding phase of the stage.
Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets) is perhaps Milan’s most realistic challenger, and has been the most successful of Tietema’s shiny crop of transfers this season, picking up four of the team’s five wins. The Dutchman returns to the Giro after a five year hiatus, hoping to add to a whopping tally of 81 professional victories at his team’s first Grand Tour.
Groenewegen took Unibet Rose Rockets' first WorldTour win at Ronde van Brugge (Image credit: Getty)
22-year-old Paul Magnier is looking to target the first three flatter stages for Soudal Quick-Step following a successful Giro debut last year. The young Frenchman lost out to Groenewegen on his first race of this season in Valencia, but took victory on his second outing at stage one of Volta ao Algarve, and again on stage four.
Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM) has shown his credentials this spring, winning a Tour Down Under stage and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, before showing what his sprint train could do at Tirreno-Adriatico, where he won stage four. The Dane recently tested his legs out at Eschborn-Frankfurt, where he fronted the peloton sprint to finish 12th.
Australian sprinter Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Premier Tech) is back from the injury he sustained at Omloop Het Niewsblad. While his absence so far this season leaves a question mark over his current form, Groves arrives on familiar terrain, having already achieved two Giro stage wins in 2025 and 2023. It’ll be interesting to see how a rider with only six full days of racing this season and no podium places will line up against the likes of Milan and Groenewegen.
Groves sprinted to victory on stage six of the Giro last year (Image credit: Zac Williams/ SWpix.com)
Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché) is also expected to shine in the opening days before his planned exit after Stage 10. The Belgian took second ahead of Jasper Philipsen and Paul Magnier in the bunch sprint of stage three at Tirreno-Adriatico, and recently stole top-spot at Lotto Famenne Ardenne Classic. Just behind him in that race was Matteo Moschetti, who will be looking to collect points for Pinarello-Q.36.5.
Brit Ethan Vernon looks in great shape for NSN heading into his second Giro, having won a sprint at the Tour Down Under, the shortened stage four at the Volta a Catalunya, and two stages at the Région Pays de la Loire Tour.
Ethan Vernon beat the field of fastmen at the Tour Down Under (Image credit: Zac Williams/ SWpix.com)
Ben Turner could also be one to watch, although the Netcompany-Ineos rider might be aiming for the punchier intermediate episodes over these bunch-sprint stages. Meanwhile, Orluis Aular (Movistar) will be hoping to improve on his two podium finishes in the 2025 edition. Picnic PostNL have their sprint ambitions laid in Casper van Uden, who took victory on stage four last year, and the experienced Pascal Ackermann (Jayco AlUla) should also see this stage as a major chance.
Prediction
A bunch sprint is frantic and unpredictable at the best of times, let alone during the opening stage of a Grand Tour. However, we think stage one of the Giro d'Italia 2026 is Jonathan Milan’s race to lose.
