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  "description": "With three sprint days, an uphill ITT, and at least two other GC stages, this year's Giro route has a little bit of everything.",
  "path": "/preview-a-stage-by-stage-look-at-the-2026-womens-giro-ditalia/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-27T21:22:06.000Z",
  "site": "https://escapecollective.com",
  "tags": [
    "Marlen Reusser",
    "Subscribe now"
  ],
  "textContent": "Cor Vos\n\nThe Giro d'Italia, the second weeklong stage race of the women's season, starts on Saturday in Cesenatico, heading across northern Italy before it concludes in Saluzzo on Sunday, June 7.\n\nRace organizer RCS added a ninth stage to this year's route, bringing the race closer to the 10 days it was once famous for, and those nine stages feature a healthy mix of courses to entice the sprinters and general classification hunters alike. Indeed, the change in calendar and particularly challenging parcours means the competition this year for the pink jersey is steep, with Elisa Longo Borghini hoping to defend her title against Demi Vollering, Anna van der Breggen, and even Marlen Reusser.\n\nA full breakdown of the overall contenders and other riders to watch is coming to _Escape Collective_ later this week. For now, here's everything you need to know about the route of the 2026 women's Giro d'Italia.\n\n* * *\n\n## Stage 1: Cesenatico to Ravenna (139 km)\n\n**When:** Saturday, May 30 at 15:30 CEST (22:30 AEST, 9:30 EDT)\n_Estimated finish: 18:40 CEST (+1 02:40 AEST, 12:40 EDT)_\n**Stage type:** Flat\n**Quick summary:** There are very few scenarios that could prevent a sprinter from pulling on the first pink jersey of the race.\n**Detailed breakdown:** Stage 1 starts in Cesenatico, on the Adriatic coast of Italy. The stage start is going to be a stunning one, and potentially a hot one as well. Already a few days before the race start, temperatures were up to 27°C (80°F). That will still feel cool compared to the boiling hot temperature the peloton is used to racing through for the Giro, which previously took place in early July. But as the stages, and the first stage particularly, are quite late, they will be starting during the warmest time of day.\n\nAfter the flag drops, the peloton will zip through smaller towns east of the coast and roll north towards Ravenna where the stage finishes. The peloton will finish the race with four 12 km circuits in the city. Each circuit contains one punchy climb, the final ascent of which comes with 10 km remaining.\n\nSince we're looking at a sprint stage, the final run into the line is important. The riders will have seen the finish line multiple times before they sprint for stage honours and the first pink jersey of the race. With about 900 metres to go, the peloton veers right, and there is another tiny chicane with 400 meters to go. From there, it's a straight line to the finish.\n\n**Live coverage:** 🇦🇺 SBS 22:30 AEST, 🇪🇺 HBOMax 14:30 CEST, 🇬🇧 HBOMax 13:30 BST, 🇺🇸 Peacock 8:30 EDT, 🇨🇦 FloBikes 8:30 EDT\n\n### This post is for subscribers only\n\nBecome a member to get access to all content\n\nSubscribe now",
  "title": "Preview: A stage-by-stage look at the 2026 women's Giro d'Italia",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-27T21:29:18.623Z"
}