The Giro d’Italia crosses borders, explores new horizons, and builds lasting connections. In 2026, the chosen country to host the Grande Partenza of the Corsa Rosa is Bulgaria. It will be the 16th foreign start in the history of the race and the second in a row. The Giro will bring a wave of pink to a country eager to present itself on the international stage and to share with its own people the magic of world-class cycling.

The Grande Partenza 2026 will take the Giro across Bulgaria from east to west, visiting some of its most striking landscapes and most important cities. The opening stage unfolds along the shores of the Black Sea, from the enchanting peninsula of Nessebar – linked to the mainland by a man-made isthmus – to Burgas, Bulgaria’s fourth-largest city. The stage is completely flat, perfectly suited to the fast wheels and destined to award the first Maglia Rosa to a sprinter.

The second stage will also roll out from Burgas, this time over a long route that leads the peloton to Veliko Tarnovo, perched on the rocky banks of the Jantra River, a tributary of the Danube. Here the fast men may find themselves in difficulty: near the finish, riders must tackle the climb to Lyaskovets Monastery Pass, where those with a sharp acceleration can unleash their full power.

The third and final stage on Bulgarian soil will connect the country’s two most populous cities, Plovdiv and Sofia, its capital. The largely flat profile is sharply interrupted by the climb to Borovets Pass, near the well-known ski resort, but the sprinters will have enough distance and terrain to come across, and to leave Bulgaria with an unforgettable memory.

Friday 8 May 2026

156 km, 900 m elevation gain

A very fast and essentially flat stage tailor-made for sprinters. The first Maglia Rosa will almost certainly go to a fast man. The peloton rolls out from Nessebar and heads toward Burgas, with an initial pass through the town though not across the finish line yet. The route then loops around Lake Burgas and continues along the coast before returning to the finish city. After crossing the finish line for the first time, the riders will tackle an 11-km finishing circuit, setting up the final bunch sprint. The last straight is slightly uphill, perfect for a powerful, long-range sprint to claim the first pink jersey.

Saturday 9 May 2026

220 km, 2600 m elevation gain

A long, rolling stage. The riders start again from Burgas (previous day’s finish) and head across the mountainous region near Ruse, tackling two categorized climbs before entering the Veliko Tarnovo area. In the finale, the peloton faces the steep ascent to the Monastery of Lyaskovets – about 3.5 km at 7.5%, with the opening section featuring sustained double-digit gradients. From the top, a fast descent of just a few kilometers leads into the finish. Expect a reduced group or punchy finisher to seize the day.

Sunday 10 May 2026

174 km, 1600 m elevation gain

Another day likely destined for a sprint, though the route features a long, steady climb midway: the Borovets Pass, tackled just before the well-known ski resort. After cresting the pass, the riders face about 70 km of descending or false-flat downhill terrain all the way into the Bulgarian capital. The final 7 km are dead straight – a pure drag race for the fast men on a perfectly flat run-in to the line.

Watch the video route of the Great Departure Bulgaria 2026.