Giro d’Italia 2026 – Stage 2: route, favourites and where to watch it on TV

After an opening taste of the Black Sea, the Giro d’Italia leaves the coast behind and heads into the Bulgarian interior for a long 221-kilometre stage from Burgas to Veliko Tarnovo, the ancient capital of Bulgaria. The race is expected to come alive as the finale is far from straightforward, with the tricky Lyaskovets Monastery Pass likely to play a key role and the Maglia Rosa already potentially set to change shoulders. It will be a long day in the saddle, but the finale promises to make it worthwhile.

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The Route

The race leaves Burgas and the Black Sea behind, heading inland across Bulgaria. Midway through the stage, the peloton tackles the Byala Pass (Cat. 3, 7.7 km at 4.6%) and the Vratnik Pass (Cat. 3, 9.2 km at 4%), but the real fireworks are expected deep into the finale, with more than 200 kilometres already in the riders’ legs.

The climb to the Lyaskovets Monastery (3.9 km at 6.8%) comes around 10 kilometres from the finish and is almost certain to tempt attacks, especially from riders looking to distance the pure sprinters. Inside the final 3 kilometres, through the streets of Tsarevets, the riders will also face short cobbled sectors with steep ramps reaching 9%, before a flat but highly unpredictable run to the line.

The Favourites

Predicting a winner on a finale like this is incredibly difficult. Riders who thrive in the Classics could feel right at home given both the length of the stage and the explosive finish, so keep a close eye on Filippo Ganna (Netcompany Ineos), Antonio Morgado, Jan Christen and Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana), Andrea Vendrame (Jayco AlUla) and Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) – all riders with a sharp acceleration perfectly suited to this kind of terrain. But they won’t be the only contenders. Watch out as well for Filippo Zana (Soudal-QuickStep), Alec Segaert and Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious), along with Lukáš Kubiš (Unibet Rose Rockets), Orluis Aular (Movistar) and Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost). With a finish like this, not only the stage win but potentially the Maglia Rosa itself could be at stake.

Predict the stage 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 on the evening before the stage until 10:00 on race day)

Giro d’Italia 2026, Stage 2: Schedule & TV Coverage

Burgas – Veliko Tarnovo, 221 km

Start: 11:00
KM 0: 11:00
LIVE coverage begins: 09:30
Expected finish: around 16:00

TV: As always, RAI will bring every stage of the Giro d’Italia live and free-to-air to Italian viewers. The pink-themed TV coverage begins with an hour of Giro Mattina on Rai Sport HD, featuring rider presentations and pre-race interviews. Coverage then continues on the same channel with Prima Diretta, following the start of the stage through to 14:00. For the decisive part of the day, the broadcast moves to Rai 2 with Giro in Diretta until 16:15, followed immediately by Giro all’Arrivo, covering the key moments of the stage right through to the finish line. Straight afterwards comes the traditional post-stage analysis show Processo alla Tappa, usually lasting around 45 minutes, without viewers needing to switch channels. The coverage on Rai Sport HD is rounded out by TGiro at 20:00, featuring interviews, reports and analysis, and Ri-Giro at midnight, giving die-hard fans a full recap of the day’s defining moments. The race will also be broadcast live in full on Eurosport and streamed on the on-demand platforms Discovery+ and HBO Max.