Sharp edges, the exuberance of youth, and 'burning race numbers' – the hits and misses of the Giro d'Italia 2026
We take a look at who suits pink and for whom this corsa was not so bella
Just like that, in a whir of freewheels and a flash of pink, the Giro d'Italia is over for another year. It crowned new champions in various classifications, some more unexpected than others, and yielded some hard-fought, heart-in-mouth stages in the beguiling scenery that the race has become known for.
Ushered in for the first time via a Bulgarian grande partenza, the 'firsts' began straight away, and only continued as the race made its way up the boot of Italy, pinballing from coast to coast before taking riders over the mountains in the north.
In Rome, after the dust had settled on the final stage, there was one brand new champion and at least one new star. And then there were the hopefuls for whom the race had not worked out as it might have – including one who joked that he'd be burning his race numbers and jerseys in an attempt to erase it from memory.
For a multitude of teams it was also a race to forget – or at least move on from: only nine came away with stage wins.
Let's take a look at the hits and misses of the Giro d'italia 2026.
THE HITS
Jonas Vingegaard (overall winner)
Few fans were in any doubt of Jonas Vingegaard's credentials as one of the best bike racers in the world, and he certainly didn't need the Giro d'Italia to validate that. But that status has, for around two-and-a-half seasons now, come with a Tadej-Pogačar-shaped caveat: the Slovenian, goes the narrative, is another level up from the diminutive Dane.
With his Giro d'Italia victory though, not to mention an already-impressive start to 2026, Visma-Lease a Bike's Vingegaard is starting to edit that story in his favour. He won the Vuelta a España last August, but the Giro d'Italia is more prestigious and the win has the added and well publicised bonus of making Vingegaard only the eighth male rider to have won all three Grand Tours. Before Pogačar too, who has yet to win the Vuelta.
Vingegaard's Italian expedition appeared lukewarm to begin with. The absolute favourite, he began taking solo victories in the mountains as soon as they began, on stage seven to Blockhaus. But he wasn't quite as far ahead of his closest rival (Felix Gall of Decathlon CMA CGM, who finished second in Rome), as onlookers might have expected.
But Vingegaard's condition seemed to hone itself to a sharper edge as the race continued, while his rivals found theirs became blunted or fell away entirely (he was only 13 seconds ahead of Gall at Blockhaus, but a full 1:15 ahead on his final summit win on stage 20 to Piancavallo).
At the final count in Rome, the Dane had won five stages (all summit finishes) and the overall by a healthy 5:22.
Post-stage in the Italian capital Vingegaard said the win had left him "lost for words", so team boss Richard Plugge took up the baton, sending an ominous message to Pogačar et al: "… Jonas is getting even stronger after this," the Dutchman said. "We planned it so that he’ll be at his peak at the Tour de France. We are looking forward to that fight.”
Paul Magnier (points jersey winner)
In a race with so few obvious sprinting opportunities, it was perhaps a surprise to find such an intriguing narrative to emerge from the fast-finishing stages.
France's Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step), still just 22, is hardly an unknown, but he hasn't been considered on quite the same level as Grand Tour success stories like Jasper Philipsen, Biniam Girmay and Jonathan Milan. Until now, that is, because now Magnier has his own Grand Tour success story to tell.
Going into this Giro d'Italia, all eyes were on home rider Milan (Lidl-Trek), a previous winner of the ciclamino points jersey on two previous occasions.
However, he found many of his sprinting intentions thwarted by the upstart Magnier, who won not only the first stage but also pulled on the first maglia rosa of the race.
He became the sprinting sensation of the race, winning a further two stages and wearing the points jersey nearly every day. An unfamiliar 11th place in Rome after he found himself boxed in – with Milan finally getting his stage – won't take the sheen off a Giro that has well and truly announced Magnier to the world.
Afonso Eulálio (best young rider)
Every Grand Tour has the potential to make a star of a hitherto little known rider. Recent editions of the Giro d'Italia have selected Derek Gee, João Almeida and Ben Healy – this year it was the Bahrain Victorious rider Afonso Eulálio.
The story was a familiar one: rider finds himself in the race leader's jersey; rider thrives in the spotlight and finds abilities he didn't realise he had in the struggle to hang on to the jersey, and in doing so wins fans over.
Eulálio, 24, might have previously flitted across the consciousness of British fans thanks to his sixth overall at last year's Tour of Britain. But for most, their first encounter with the Portuguese rider would have been his memorable second place behind Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) on stage five in the Giro – a day that was marked by crashes and wrong turns of almost farcical proportions.
The maglia rosa was the consolation prize, but one that few expected him to wear beyond the Blockhaus stage two days later.
However, Eulálio held on to it that day. And the next, and the next. In fact, he ultimately grimaced and ground his way through a further eight stages resplendent in pink. But once Vingegaard had inevitably lifted it from his shoulders, there was no dramatic capitulation. Instead Eulálio kept riding with the front runners like he had always belonged there, only ceding time in dribs and drabs, and even attacking spontaneously when he sensed there was an advantage to be had.
By the time the race reached Rome, Eulálio was still sixth overall and had won the young rider's jersey – and fans' hearts.
...AND THE MISSES
Giulio Pellizzari (21st overall)
A week before the Giro d'Italia began in Bulgaria (remember that?) Giulio Pellizzari won the Tour of the Alps, at a canter, with aplomb. The young Italian hotshot was ready, his Red Bell-Bora-hansgrohe team said at the time, to challenge for the podium at the Giro d'Italia.
However, it became clear early on that Pellizzari was no longer on sparkling form. What was happening, we wondered. Were his Alpine exertions exactly a toll? The answer, it transpired, was that he'd been struck by a bug – one ended up plaguing him for much of the race.
He slipped slowly out of GC contention and finished, ultimately, in 21st place. His participation was hardly a wasted one though – as well as gaining great experience in what it is like to keep fighting when the cause is lost, he turned in some valuable domestique duty in the final mountain days.
All the same, speaking afterwards, he said he was glad the "ordeal" was over. "I don’t want to keep a single memory of this Giro. I’m going to burn all the race numbers and all the jerseys," he joked. "After that, we’ll think about the next race.”
Egan Bernal (10th overall)
Another rider who had shown promise during the Tour of the Alps in late April, the former Tour de France winner was to form part of a two-pronged GC approach at the Giro d'Italia, alongside Netcompany-Ineos teammate Thymen Arensman.
At the Tour of the Alps, there was even talk of Bernal finally refinding his Tour-winning form from seven years ago, after a long road back from a training crash in early 2022. Perhaps he has, but if that is the case, it would appear cycling has moved on: a promising start at the Giro d'Italia gave way to a gradual time bleed that saw him drop into the mid-teens on GC.
Late in the race the Colombian looked to have discovered a second wind, and his distinctive blue, yellow and red national champion's jersey could often be seen marshalling Arensman in and around the favourites' group on various mountain stages.
He managed creditable seventh and sixth place finishes on stage 16 and 20 respectively, boosting him to a final 10th on GC in Rome.
As misses go, it was far less wide of the mark than it could have been, but Bernal's lack of mid-race form cost him dear.
