Giro d’Italia 2026, Stage 16: route, favourites and where to watch it on TV

Eleven years after its last appearance, Ticino returns to the Giro d’Italia. Following the third and final rest day, the race resumes with a very short stage entirely on Swiss soil — a completely new route — starting in Bellinzona and finishing in Carì after 113 km and 3,000 metres of elevation gain. The summit finish is anything but straightforward, and the GC contenders will find the perfect terrain to go head-to-head in earnest.

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The Route

A very short mountain stage entirely on Swiss territory. After an opening section of gentle climbing, the riders enter a 22 km circuit to be completed twice, featuring two consecutive ascents: the climb to Torre (Category 3, 4.7 km at 5.6%) and the tougher ascent to Leontica (Category 2, 3 km at 8.5%).

Once out of the circuit, the route heads into the Saint Gotthard Valley, with a steady uphill approach to Faido, where the final climb to Carì — at an altitude of 1,600 metres — begins. The ascent measures 11.7 kilometres and is consistently demanding, with gradients around 8% that steepen to as much as 13% in the closing section, making for a highly selective finish.
While this marks a Giro d’Italia debut, these roads are no stranger to professional cycling: the Tour de Suisse has already featured them twice, in 2016 — when Darwin Atapuma claimed victory — and again in 2024, when Adam Yates came out on top.

The Favourites

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) has admitted that he would love to win a stage while wearing the Maglia Rosa, and the Swiss stage — thanks to its short distance and the relative ease of controlling the race — could already provide the perfect opportunity. As always, riders such as Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM), Jai Hindley and Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull–Bora–hansgrohe), Thymen Arensman (Netcompany Ineos), and the rest of the GC contenders will face the difficult task of trying to match him.

More than a few riders will likely try their luck from long range as well — perhaps the usual suspects like Giulio Ciccone (Lidl–Trek) and Einer Rubio (Movistar), or Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious), now that they no longer have the Maglia Rosa to defend. The opportunities for the climbers are starting to run out, so there’s no time to waste.

Giro d’Italia 2026, Stage 16: Schedule and TV Coverage

Bellinzona (SUI) – Carì (SUI), 113 km
Start: 1:45 PM
KM 0: 2:00 PM
LIVE coverage begins: 12:15 PM
Estimated finish: around 5:00 PM

TV: As usual, RAI will provide free-to-air coverage of every race day for the Italian public. The Giro television schedule begins with an hour of Giro Mattina on Rai Sport HD, featuring rider presentations and pre-race interviews. This is followed, on the same channel, by Prima Diretta, covering the stage start through to 2:00 PM. For the key part of the day’s action, coverage of the Corsa Rosa moves to Rai 2, with Giro in Diretta running until 4:15 PM, followed immediately by Giro all’Arrivo, bringing viewers the decisive moments of each stage through to the finish line. Straight afterwards comes the traditional post-race analysis show, Il Processo alla Tappa, usually lasting around 45 minutes, without the need to change channel. Completing Rai Sport HD’s technical and sporting coverage are TGiro, from 8:00 PM, featuring interviews, reports and analysis, and Ri-Giro, at midnight, where the most dedicated fans can relive the key moments of the stage step by step. In addition, the race will also be broadcast live in full on Eurosport and via the on-demand platforms Discovery+ and HBO Max.

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