Giro d’Italia Ride Green 2026 closes with sustainability milestones

The first part of the Giro d’Italia Ride Green project comes to a close. Launched twelve years ago, Ride Green has made the Corsa Rosa one of the world’s leading stage races to place environmental sustainability and low environmental impact among its top priorities.

Since its introduction, Ride Green has celebrated the host locations that have stood out for their commitment to separate waste collection, the core activity of the project, by recognising the best-performing start and finish venues at the end of the event.

Giro d’Italia 2026 – Best Start Locations

– Voghera (Lombardy): 95.886% RD

– Fai della Paganella (Trentino-Alto Adige): 95.232% RD

– Imperia (Liguria): 94.150% RD

Giro d’Italia 2026 – Best Finish Locations

– Milan (Lombardy): 94.483% RD

– Piancavallo (Friuli-Venezia Giulia): 94.341% RD

– Chiavari (Liguria): 94.127% RD

RD = Separate waste collection rate.

During this edition, 59,969.50 kg of waste were collected, with more than 92% destined for recycling. These important figures highlight the contribution made by local institutions, stage host cities and regions, commercial partners, as well as the fans and athletes involved throughout the event.

Over recent editions, Ride Green has expanded through the introduction of new initiatives, including the Giro-E, a true ambassador of sustainable mobility, and BiciScuola, the educational project designed to introduce children to cycling, its values and environmental awareness.

VAIA

One of this year’s highlights was the launch of “Three Green Trails: 3,000 New Trees to Plant Together”, an initiative developed in collaboration with VAIA, the benefit company established following the devastating 2018 storm that destroyed 42 million trees across the Dolomites and is now actively engaged in mountain reforestation.

In April, 3,000 trees were planted with the participation of local communities and cycling fans in three Giro d’Italia host areas located in the Dolomite regions of Trentino, Veneto and Friuli: Darzo (Valdonea area), Canazei (Penia area) and Claut (Lesis area). The collaboration was born from the shared ambition of leaving a positive and lasting legacy in the territories crossed by the race.

VAIA also presented the BiciScuola winners with a VAIA Cube, an object crafted entirely from reclaimed wood sourced from the trees destroyed by the 2018 storm. It stands as both a symbol and a tangible reminder of an initiative whose meaning is further strengthened through Ride Green’s commitment to environmental sustainability.

Biciscuola

This year, BiciScuola celebrates its 25th edition with record-breaking numbers. Since its launch, the project has recognised 33,000 children, involved 9,500 schools, reached 2 million students across 72,500 classes, and inspired the creation of 28,500 creative projects.

The first half of 2026 alone produced remarkable results:

– 408 schools registered

– 2,490 classes participating

– 63,140 students involved

– 4,860 teachers engaged

The aim of this long-running edutainment project has always been to encourage children to use bicycles as a symbol of a healthy lifestyle, promote the values of fair play and ethical behaviour in sport, raise awareness of gender equality by highlighting the importance of equal opportunities for future generations, and educate young people about the benefits of healthy and balanced nutrition.

Throughout the Giro, BiciScuola was supported by the Italian Traffic Police (Polizia Stradale), whose “Pullman Azzurro” (Blue Bus) visited the race stages to introduce children to the fundamentals of road safety and the principles of the new sustainable mobility. Other partners included Conad, Continental, Novi, Kometa and Sara Assicurazioni.

Kahoot!

Joining them this year was Kahoot! as Digital Learning Partner. Through its free game-based learning platform, used to create interactive quizzes, polls and educational discussions, Kahoot! developed dedicated content centred on the values of BiciScuola, helping to actively engage participants and enhance learning both in the classroom and during event activities.