Giro d’Italia 2026, Stage 11: route, favourites and where to watch it on TV

The breakaway specialists are sharpening their knives, because the 195 km Porcari (Paper District) – Chiavari stage looks tailor-made for them. From the paper-producing district of Lucca, the race heads towards the elegant and prestigious Ligurian coast, passing through the Cinque Terre on a route packed with rolling terrain and constant ups and downs, setting the stage for a fiercely contested day from kilometre one. Anyone hoping to make the break will light the fuse right from the start — and there will be plenty trying. Expect attacks, chaos and a relentless battle for the move of the day.

The Route

The stage becomes far more demanding, especially in its second half. The opening section is almost flat, though quite twisty between Lucca and Camaiore, before the route follows the Via Aurelia for many kilometres. Before reaching La Spezia, riders face a short climb to Pieve dei Santi Stefano e Margherita (2.5 km at 5.5%). After La Spezia, the race tackles the Passo del Termine (Category 3, 7.4 km at 4.9%) and the Colle di Guaitarola (Category 2, 9.9 km at 6.2%), taking the peloton through the stunning roads of the Cinque Terre.

After Sestri Levante, the riders face two short but steep climbs: Colla dei Scioli (Category 3, 5.7 km at 6.4%), which will be officially timed, and Cogorno (4.6 km at 6.7%), with the Red Bull KM placed at the summit, before the race heads into the finale in Chiavari.

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The Favourites

Once again, it is fair to expect a major battle in the opening kilometres as riders fight to make the breakaway, especially since there are unlikely to be many teams willing to keep the race under control. As always, naming favourites on a stage like this is little more than a lottery, but we can expect riders such as Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), Filippo Zana and Gianmarco Garofoli (Soudal Quick-Step), Javier Romo and Einer Rubio (Movistar), Johannes Kulset (Uno-X Mobility), Jefferson Cepeda (EF Education–EasyPost), Alessandro Pinarello (NSN) and many others to be on the attack.

The riders of UAE Team Emirates-XRG certainly won’t sit back either, with Jhonatan Narváez, Igor Arrieta and Jan Christen all looking to animate the race and chase another stage victory.

Predict the winner with our ‘stage winner Predictor’. CLICK HERE head to the FanZone and earn one entry into the final prize draw of the Join the FanZone Challenge for every vote you cast. (Voting is open from 20:00 the day before the stage until 10:00 on race day.)

Giro d’Italia 2026, Stage 11: Schedule and TV Coverage

Porcari (Paper District) – Chiavari, 195 km
LIVE coverage begins: 11:05 a.m.
Start: 12:35 p.m.
KM 0: 12:45 p.m.
Expected finish: around 5:00 p.m.

TV: As usual, RAI will provide free-to-air coverage of every stage of the Giro d’Italia for viewers in Italy. The day begins with “Giro Mattina” on Rai Sport HD, featuring rider presentations and pre-race interviews, followed by “Prima Diretta” on the same channel to cover the start of the stage until 14:00. For the key moments of the race, coverage moves to Rai 2, with “Giro in Diretta” until 16:15, followed immediately by “Giro all’Arrivo”, taking viewers through the decisive phases of the stage right to the finish line. Straight after comes the traditional post-stage analysis show, “Il Processo alla Tappa”, usually lasting around 45 minutes without the need to switch channels. The day concludes on Rai Sport HD with “TGiro” at 20:00, featuring interviews, highlights and commentary, while the most dedicated fans can relive every key moment with “Ri-Giro” at 00:00. The race will also be broadcast live in full on Eurosport, as well as on streaming platforms Discovery+ and HBO Max.

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