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Giro d’Italia is Live
With the Spring Classics behind us, it is time for the first Grand Tour of the Season: the Giro d’Italia. Known as the “Most Beautiful Grand Tour” for its spectacular scenery that ranges from sparkling Adriatic beaches, through the rolling olive orchards of Tuscany, and into the craggy alpine spires of the Dolomites, this will be the 108th edition of the three-week stage race.
Giro Sport Design will be at the front of the bunch with Visma | Lease a Bike as a top contender among 23 teams battling their way around the Mediterranean peninsula, chasing stage wins, the Points and King of the Mountains jerseys, and, of course, the overall Grand Classification victory.
Ride along. Follow the race. Explore the gear.
The Race
Sprint and Breakaway Stages
The 2026 Giro features eight sprint stages spread across the three weeks, from the opening days on the Bulgarian coast to the final circuit in Rome. These flat-to-rolling stages typically end in either a bunch sprint or a successful breakaway. Visma's riders will rely on the Eclipse Pro as their helmet of choice on these stages, with its optimized aerodynamics and all-day comfort for racing 4 to 6 hours at speed. Victor Campenaerts offers breakaway strength on transitional stages, while the team's positioning riders will keep Vingegaard out of trouble on the flatter roads. .
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Time Trial Stages
This year's Giro has one individual time trial that could make or break the entire race: a flat, 42km course along the Tuscan coast from Viareggio to Massa on Stage 10. At that distance, even small mistakes get punished hard. Visma takes the start ramp in the Aerohead Mips II helmet, which played a key role in development with the team and offers a radically optimized aerodynamic shape for solo efforts. Jonas Vingegaard, already a two-time Tour de France winner and proven time trialist, will be looking to build a decisive gap here over his GC rivals.
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For many fans, the Giro d'Italia is all about the mountains, and this edition does not disappoint. Stage 7 brings the first real test with a 14km ascent to Blockhaus, a climb famous as the setting for Eddy Merckx's first Giro stage win in 1967. Stage 14's sawtooth profile packs five categorized climbs in just 133km through the Aosta Valley, finishing with a 16.5km summit finish to Pila at 7% average gradient. Then comes the final week: a Swiss excursion to the ski resort of Cari, followed by the Dolomites knockout blows on stages 19 and 20, including the hors categorie Passo Giau (the Cima Coppi, the race's highest point) and the double ascent of Piancavallo. In total, the peloton faces 48,764m of climbing across 3,468km. Visma's mountain squad of Sepp Kuss, Wilco Kelderman, and young talent Davide Piganzoli will most likely rely on the Aries Spherical for these stages, where its ultra-low weight and ventilation optimized for the lower speeds found on long climbs could give them the edge they need to protect Vingegaard's position.
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Team Visma | Lease a Bike
for 2026 Giro d'Italia
Jonas Vingegaard
Nationality: Denmark
Key Results: 2x Tour de France winner, 2025 Vuelta a Espana winner, Paris-Nice 2026, Volta a Catalunya 2026
Target Stages: Stage 7 Formia - Blockhaus, Stage 10 Viareggio - Massa ITT, Stage 14 Aosta - Pila, Stage 19 Feltre - Alleghe
Sepp Kuss
Nationality: United States
Key Results: 2023 Vuelta a Espana winner, multiple Grand Tour mountain stage wins
Target Stages: Mountain support for Vingegaard across all major climbing stages
Wilco Kelderman
Nationality: The Netherlands
Key Results: 3rd GC Giro d'Italia 2020, 4th GC Vuelta a Espana
Target Stages: Mountain support, Stage 16 Bellinzona - Cari, Stage 20 Gemona del Friuli - Piancavallo
Victor Campenaerts
Nationality: Belgium
Key Results: Hour Record holder (2019), multiple breakaway stage wins
Target Stages: Breakaway opportunities on transitional and rolling stages
Davide Piganzoli
Nationality: Italy
Key Results: One of Italy's most promising young stage race talents
Target Stages: Mountain support for Vingegaard, gaining Grand Tour experience on home roads
Footwear focus: Jay Vine and Thymen Arensman
Giro Sport Design footwear will also feature at the sharp end of the race through two of the Giro's top GC contenders: Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates XRG) and Thymen Arensman (Netcompany Ineos Cycling Team). Both riders are targeting the general classification and will be racing in Giro shoes throughout the three weeks.
Vine, the Australian climber and time trialist who won the Tour Down Under earlier this season, will be using the Imperial II and Empire SLX II as his primary footwear. On stages where rain or cold weather is expected, he'll switch to the Imperial AS, designed for bad weather riding with all-season protection.
Arensman, the Dutch climbing specialist who finished third at the Tour of the Alps and is targeting a strong GC result alongside Egan Bernal, will use the same footwear setup: Imperial II and Empire SLX II for standard conditions, with the Imperial AS ready for when the weather turns.
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FAQ
Which Giro Sport Design helmets do Visma riders wear?
The pros on Visma will wear 3 key helmets. The Eclipse Pro is their choice for balanced aerodynamics and ventilation on flat and rolling stages, where a sprint or breakaway is likely. The Aerohead Mips II, developed in direct cooperation with the team, is used for time trials, where its radically optimised aerodynamic shape provides the best advantage for solo riders on specialised equipment. The Aries Spherical is Team Visma's choice for mountain stages, where ultra-low weight and excellent ventilation are the key advantages.
Which Giro Sport Design shoes are used at the race?
Jay Vine and Thymen Arensman race in Giro footwear throughout the Giro d'Italia. Their primary shoes are the Imperial II and Empire SLX II for standard conditions. When the weather turns, they switch to the Imperial AS, which offers all-season protection for wet and cold stages.
What is the Giro d’Italia?
The Giro d'Italia is one of the three Grand Tours of cycling, alongside the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana. Held in the spring, it is traditionally the first Grand Tour of the season. This year's 109th edition starts in Bulgaria for the first time before heading to Italy.
How long is the race?
The race is 3 weeks long, with 21 stages and 3 rest days. Riders will cover 3,468km (2,155 miles) with 48,764m (160,000 feet) of climbing.
What stages can Visma | Lease a Bike riders target?
Visma takes the start line with Jonas Vingegaard as their clear leader for the overall classification. He is the pre-race favourite and could become just the eighth rider to win all three Grand Tours. The team also has Victor Campenaerts for breakaway opportunities, and mountain domestiques Sepp Kuss, Wilco Kelderman, and Davide Piganzoli to support Vingegaard in the high mountains.