The 2026 edition of the Giro d’Italia was not only about Jonas Vingegaard’s sweeping success. Behind the spotlight taken by the Dane from Visma | Lease a Bike, who claimed five wins on five iconic climbs to dominate the race from start to finish, a new generation of riders emerged. Many of them came through the Giro Next Gen, the development race that RCS Sport has nurtured since 2023 as a launchpad for future stars of the Corsa Rosa and beyond.
The brightest star of these three weeks was undoubtedly Paul Magnier, whose emotional tears after the podium in Pieve di Soligo last Thursday captured the magnitude of what this Giro meant to him. At 22, the Frenchman born in Laredo (USA) has finally confirmed, on the biggest possible stage, the sprinting prowess that has delivered an impressive 23 victories since June 2025.
He leaves Rome with three wins and, above all, a Maglia Ciclamino secured after a firece points classification battle, in which he struck a decisive blow against Jhonatan Narváez a few days ago on the punchy slopes of the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio, backed by an immaculate Soudal Quick-Step train – spearheaded by Jasper Stuyven with his lead-out masterclass – to dispel any doubt about who has been the peloton’s most consistent finiosher throughout the race.
Magnier wore the Maglia Rosa on the opening day, and on Stage 2 it passed to Thomas Silva (XDS Astana), a rider from the same generation who immediately showcased his versatility. His victory in Veliko Tarnovo set the tone for a remarkably consistent campaign that included two third-place finishes, a fourth place, a sixth place and several aggressive breakaways. Silva demonstrated the qualities of a complete rider, equally comfortable animating the race from the front or surviving the toughest days in the bunch. In the rider from Maldonado, Uruguay has found a genuine flagbearer for its cycling future.
But if Silva’s rise has been spectacular, that of Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious), the great revelation of this Giro, has been nothing short of extraordinary. Nine days in the Maglia Rosa provided the 24-year-old Portuguese with an unforgettable showcase. Beyond the final Maglia Bianca he carried into Rome, what will endure is his panache-filled racing style, his relentless attacking instinct, his infectious smile and his remarkable resilience. Once again, the toughest Grand Tour has unearthed another gem capable of lighting up the sport for years to come.
Alongside him in the Potenza breakaway that propelled him into the race lead was Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who capitalised on his team’s withdrawals to seize opportunities and shine as one of the Giro’s most enterprising attackers. The list of Giro Next Gen graduates who left their mark on this edition is completed by two riders from the 2003 generation: Alec Segaert (Bahrain Victorious), author of a brilliant finisseur-style solo move in Novi Ligure, and Mathys Rondel (Tudor Pro Cycling), who, in his first Grand Tour as a professional, finished just one place shy of the GC top ten, ending 11th overall after a remarkably consistent display in the high mountains.
