For the first time the Giro d’Italia Women changes skin and revolutionizes the international cycling calendar. No longer the early July event: the 2026 edition will start on May 30th, simultaneously with the last, decisive days of the men’s Giro, creating a spectacular bridge between the two great Italian races. A choice that increases visibility, media attention and pressure on the protagonists of the women’s pink race which will end on 7 June after nine stages and over 1,150 kilometres.
And there is already a name at the center of every prediction: our Elisa Longo Borghini. The Italian champion will in fact try to achieve her third consecutive success, a feat that would definitively place her among the legends of modern women’s cycling.
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A longer, harder Giro and all in Northern Italy
The 37th edition of the Giro d’Italia Women will cross exclusively Northern Italy, starting from Cesenatico and final arrival in Saluzzo, Piedmont. The athletes will have to face over 12,500 meters of altitude difference, in a route built to mix speed, resistance and big mountains.
The first two stages seem to smile on the sprinters. The inaugural Cesenatico-Ravenna in fact promises a group finish, as does the subsequent Roncade-Caorle, although the passage on the Ca’ del Poggio climb could break the pace of the peloton. But the Giro will really start to change its face from the third day, with the nervous circuit of Buja and the tough wall of Montenars ready to select the contenders for the general classification.
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The Nevegal time trial and the Dolomite stage
The first major watershed will arrive on June 2 with the Belluno-Nevegal, an individual time trial of just 12.7 kilometers but destined to create enormous gaps. The last kilometres, with gradients over 10%, will be a brutal test for the legs of the favourites.
Immediately afterwards it will be the turn of the queen stage of the Dolomites: the Longarone-Santo Stefano di Cadore. Here the group will face four Mountain Grand Prix and over 3,400 meters of altitude difference, passing through historic climbs such as Passo Tre Croci and Passo Sant’Antonio. Between one mountain and another, the sprinters will try to carve out space in the hamlets of Brescello and Salice Terme, even if the choppy finish could favor escapes and attacks from afar.
Colle delle Finestre, the big news that can decide the Giro
However, the stage destined to go down in history is the eighth and it will be another first for the Giro d’Italia Women. In fact, we will climb the legendary Colle delle Finestre, one of the most legendary and ferocious mountains in world cycling, where last year’s men’s Giro was decided with Simon Jates who was able to launch the decisive attack and secure the final ranking.
The Piedmontese climb has very tough slopes and especially the last kilometers on dirt road, a detail that makes the climb even more spectacular and unpredictable. After Finestre, the athletes will have to find residual energy to reach the finish line in Sestriere. This is where the pink race could be definitively decided.
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Saluzzo will crown the new queen
Even the last stage will not be a simple catwalk. The final circuit of Saluzzo offers several challenging climbs, including the very difficult Montoso, ready to give one last chance to overturn the rankings. In the meantime, the wait is growing to see if Longo Borghini will really be able to complete his historic consecutive trio. But the new Giro d’Italia Women promises much more: iconic mountains, aggressive stages and a media centrality never seen before for Italian women’s cycling. And we can say: finally!
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