Pink assignments: will the Russian be able to become an independent contender for the Giro d'Italia

On Friday, May 8, the Giro d'Italia, the first Grand Tour of the season, starts in Nessebar, Bulgaria. For Alexander Vlasov, this race may be one of the best opportunities in recent years to compete for a high result on the supermajority: Tadei Pogachar, Primoz Roglich and Remko Evenepul will not start, and the route with a difficult third week is suitable for the Russian miner. Two-time winner of the Tour de France, Jonas Wingegaard, is considered the main favorite. About the layouts before the start of the Giro — in the material of Izvestia.

Favorites

Of the 21 stages, nine are dedicated to sprinters, six to hills and easy climbs, and five to serious mountains. The only race with a separate start, the 42‑kilometer Tuscan "cutting" from Viareggio to Sponier on stage 10, is able to shuffle the general classification no worse than the Alpine stage.

Seven finishes per climb are distributed along the route with almost sadistic calculation. The first serious test is the 7th stage, Formia Blockhouse, 244 km, the final mountain of the first category with sections up to 14% and the first opportunity to see who is ready to fight for the pink jersey and who is not. Next is the Alpine bundle of the 19th and 20th stages: on the 19th, the peloton will overcome six category ascents in the Dolomites, including the Passo Jau — Chima Coppietoy Giro (2236 m, 9.9 km with an average gradient of 10.4% and peaks up to 14%). Stage 20, with the finish line at Piancavallo, will make the final diagnosis before the Roman parade.

Jonas Wingegaard (Visma–Lease a Bike), the two—time winner of the Tour de France (2022-2023) and the winner of the Vuelta 2025, will start the Giro for the first time. The Dane won this season's Paris – Nice and Vuelta a Catalunya, demonstrating overwhelming superiority in the mountains. His goal is obvious: to complete the Grand Slam and become the ninth rider in history to win all three Grand Tours. Considering that Tadeusz Pogacar, Remko Evenepul, Primoz Roglic and Joao Almeida, who is out due to injury, are not going to the Giro, Wingegaard has a chance to turn the race into a benefit for one actor. It consists of Gregory — Sepp Kuss, Wilko Kelderman and Davide Piganzoli. Moreover, after his triumph at Paris – Roubaix, Wout van Art joins his team, which makes Visma the absolute dominant of the peloton.

Julio Pellizzari (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe). Italy's main hope. Sixth at the Giro 2025 and third at the Tirreno Adriatico 2026, Pellizzari is approaching the home Grand Tour at the peak of his form: two weeks before the start, he won the Tour of the Alps, taking two stages. The minimum task is to improve on last year's sixth place and bring the Italian back to the podium, which has not been seen since 2021.

Adam Yates (UAE Emirates XRG). Simon's twin brother, who won the Giro 2025, gets a unique chance. Without Almeida and Pogachar, he is the sole leader of the UAE. The Briton won the O Gran Camiño and feels great in the cutting, which is critical for the 42‑kilometer Tuscan "clock race".

Jay Hindley (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe). The winner of the Giro 2022 returns with an eye on the general classification. This year's route favors the Australian: the finish on the Blockhouse is an exact replica of the stage where he won a landmark victory three years ago.

Egan Bernal (Netcompany Ineos). The winner of the Giro 2021 and Tour de France 2019 has finally achieved conditions close to those of the champion. Last year, the Colombian finished seventh; now we are talking about the podium. In conjunction with him is the Dutchman Teimen Arensman, who was twice sixth at the Giro.

Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CM). The Austrian, who finished fifth in the 2024 Tour de France, returns to the Giro four years later. Sixth at the Vuelta a Catalunya 2026, he leads a rapidly progressing Decathlon team capable of imposing a fight on the grandees.

Enric Mas (Movistar). The Spaniard, who is three times second in the Vuelta, will make his first serious attempt to conquer the Giro. The absence of the usual Movistar leaders makes him the sole captain with the right to ambition.

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Dark horses

Derek Gee and Julio Ciccone (Lidl‑Trek), as well as the owner of the 2025 Tour de France mountain jersey, Jay Vine from UAE Emirates XRG, are able to intervene in the fight for the top 5.

Alexander Vlasov (Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe), who finished fourth at the Giro 2021, is heading to the Corsa Rosa as a "lieutenant" under Pellizzari and Hindley. However, the 30‑year-old Russian remains one of the strongest climbers of the peloton. His experience of three weeks at the top level (including fifth place at the 2022 Tour de France) means that in any case of force majeure at the Red Bull captains, he is able to retrain from an assistant to an independent contender for a high place in the general classification.

Separately, it is worth telling about the battle for the cyclamen jersey. The 2026 Giro sprint squad is probably the strongest on the Grand Tours in recent years. The main favorite of the points classification is Jonathan Milan (Lidl—Trek), winner of the green jersey of the Tour de France 2025 and a three‑time winner of the stages of the Giro 2024. His main rivals are: Kaden Groves (Alpecin – Premier Tech), Dylan Groenewegen and young Paul Magnier. It is noteworthy that Tim Merlir, who won the duel against Milan at the Tour de France 2025, is absent this time, which makes the Italian the undisputed favorite of the sprint standings.

The opening shot is on Friday, May 8, on the Black Sea coast. Apparently, three weeks of pure Italian drama are waiting for us.

The prize money for 2026 is €1.56 million, of which the winner will receive 265 thousand.