Date: Tuesday, May 26
Distance: 113km
Start location: Bellinzona
Finish location: Carì
Start time: 12:45 BST / 13:45 CEST / 07:45 EDT
Finish time (approx.): 16:14 BST / 17:14 CEST / 11:14 EDT
At only 113km, stage 16, from Bellinzona to Carì, is the shortest road stage of the 2026 Giro d’Italia. But with five categorised climbs along the route, culminating in a 11.7km at 7.9% first category test, it will be a harsh wake-up call after the Giro’s final rest day.
The mid-stage circuit, which takes in two ascents of the Torre and Leontica double-header, offers ideal terrain for a breakaway to gain time before the Carì summit finish. However, with the current heatwave forecast to remain for the rest of the week, the general classification riders who cope well in the heat may use the stage to put pressure on their rivals.
Giro d'Italia 2026 stage 16 profile
Giro d'Italia 2026 stage 16 profile (RCS)
Contenders
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) made a statement on the first Alpine stage of the Giro and duly moved into the maglia rosa for the first time in his career. If stage 16 goes to the peloton, the Dane will be favourite again. The best of the rest has been Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) and the Austrian will want to use his superior climbing to leapfrog Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain-Victorious) into second.
The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe duo of Jai Hindley and Giulio Pellizzari are sitting in fifth and sixth on the general classification and could use a multi-leader strategy to attack Gall, Eulálio, and Thymen Arensman (Netcompany Ineos) who is in fourth. Intriguingly, Red Bull are not the only team with more than one option to play – to complement Vingegaard’s dominance, Visma’s Davide Piganzoli has been climbing exceptionally well and could move further up the overall classification from his current 10th place position.
Ben O’Connor (Jayco-AlUla) suffered in the heat on stage 14, and dropped to eighth. The rider from Perth will hope to rally and catch his compatriot Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) who is a place above him going into the final week. Both will look to stay ahead of last year’s fourth-place finisher Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek), who sits in ninth.
However, the breakaway merchants will also be eyeing stage 16. Principal among them, Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), has impressed this Giro without having taken a stage. Others to look out for include Enric Mas and Einer Rubio (Movistar), Wout Poels (Unibet Rose Rockets), Jan Hirt (NSN Cycling Team), Chris Harper (Pinarello-Q36.5) and Gianmarco Garofoli (Soudal Quick-Step).
Prediction
We think the peloton will let the break have its day and Giulio Ciccone will finally get his stage win.
