Date: Saturday May 30
Distance: 200km
Start location: Gemona del Friuli
Finish location: Piancavallo
Start time: 10:00 BST / 11:00 CEST / 06:00 EDT
Finish time (approx.): 15:15 BST / 16:15 CEST / 10:15 EDT
With Sunday's Rome finale processional by tradition, this is it – stage 20 is the last GC battlefield of the 2026 Giro d'Italia. The 200 kilometre route runs from Gemona del Friuli to Piancavallo and unlike Friday’s multi-summit Dolomite epic, it’s a more straightforward proposition. After a flat opening, the riders tackle the Piancavallo climb twice – 14.5 kilometres at 7.8%, with the first half the most demanding: the opening six kilometres average 9.4% and peak at 14%.
Rome awaits on Sunday. For any climber with unfinished business – a stage win not yet claimed, a GC position not yet sealed – this is the last road that matters.
Giro d'Italia 2026 stage 20 profile
Giro d'Italia 2026 stage 20 profile (RCS)
Contenders
Visma-Lease a Bike have controlled all the mountain stages of this Giro, with Jonas Vingegaard dominating four summit finishes and Sepp Kuss conquering Friday’s Queen stage.
The Dutch team have been open about their ambitions throughout the Corsa Rosa, and with Vingegaard’s pink jersey all-but secured and Kuss’s Grand Tour stage-win collection complete, they will likely turn their attention to Davide Piganzoli’s white jersey bid. The Italian is currently in eighth place overall, 01:03 behind the leader of the young rider competition and former pink jersey wearer, Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain-Victorious), who is sixth on the overall classification. Since the chaotic stage five, when Eulálio first moved into pink, Piganzoli has clawed back 05:19 from the Portuguese rider over the subsequent fortnight. With another 01:14 gained on the Queen stage, the momentum is with the Italian – if he can keep it up he will be in the white jersey in Rome on Sunday.
Other general classification riders looking to continue their rise up the rankings are Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek) and Michael Storer (Tudor Procycling) who were part of the elite group of climbers on the day’s break on stage 19. Gee-West finished second on the stage and moved up to fifth overall, one position shy of his final position at last year’s Giro.
The Canadian has Thymen Arensman (Netcompany Ineos) in his sights – the Dutchman lost his podium spot to Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) on Friday. The Australian, who won the Giro in 2022, is likely to be content with defending his third-place rather than attacking second-place Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM), who has looked the next best climber behind Vingegaard all race.
Other riders to look out for include: Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), Chris Harper and David de la Cruz (Pinarello-Q36.5), Jan Hirt (NSN), Mathys Rondel (Tudor Procycling), Damiano Caruso (Bahrain-Victorious), Einer Rubio (Movistar) and the resurgent duo of Egan Bernal (Netcompany Ineos) and Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).
Prediction
We believe Giulio Ciccone will finally get his stage win at the last opportunity, and in doing so secure the blue jersey.
