Favorites stage 5 Tirreno-Adriatico 2026 | Is this finally beyond Van der Poel’s limit?

Stage 5 takes the riders from Marotta-Mondolfo to Mombaroccio, a beautiful route through the Italian interior covering a total of 186 kilometers. Officially, there are four categorized climbs, but that does not really tell the full story. The road goes up and down almost all day.

The climbing starts right from the gun and after 35 kilometers, once the riders have passed through Schieppe, the road to Vila del Monte is already dragging upward at an average of 8.7 percent. Even the following section is no gift either, with 2 kilometers at just over 7 percent.

After a fast descent, the riders thunder toward Passo Monterolo, which is strangely not categorized despite measuring 3.4 kilometers at 8.6 percent. The Monte delle Cesane, which begins after 86 kilometers, is categorized, however. That climb is a real brute: 7.2 kilometers at an average of 7 percent.

At the top, the race is roughly halfway done, but the climbing and descending continue without much let-up. Take the intermediate sprint in Saltara, which sits on top of a hill at an average gradient of 4.7 percent. Then there is also the road to Santuario San Pietro e Paolo, which rises for 2.4 kilometers at 6.5 percent.

Are we done by then? Not even close. The riders still tackle Monte della Mattera, 6.5 kilometers at 5.0 percent, and after a hilly valley they reach the road toward Santuario del Beato Sante. The gradients there kick above 10 percent on a climb that totals 4.2 kilometers.

That climb is tackled again just before the finish, with the line coming shortly after the top and a fast descent. Settle in, because this one has all the ingredients for a spectacular stage.

Start: 10:55 AM local time
Finish: around 3:45 PM local time

Friday morning should be dry at the start, with perhaps even a bit of sunshine breaking through. Conditions near the finish in Mombaroccio also look milder and drier than on the previous days. Once again, the wind is not expected to play much of a role.

Before Tirreno-Adriatico started, it was correctly pointed out that this route does not really feature a true, major summit finish. But the level of difficulty and the sequence of climbs in stage 5 should be enough to bring the climbing GC men to the front. Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) will have his hands full defending his blue leader’s jersey.

Looking at the top of the general classification, Isaac del Toro is the next obvious name to mention. The Mexican of UAE Emirates-XRG also has a strong teammate in Jan Christen, just as Primoz Roglic could be a key support rider for Pellizzari. Both leaders were also part of the front group on stage 3.

That third stage, with a serious final climb inside the last 10 kilometers, already gave us a better idea of the balance of power among the stronger climbers. Alongside Pellizzari and Del Toro, riders such as Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X), Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), Clément Champoussin (Astana), Ben Healy (EF), Alessandro Pinarello (NSN) and Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) were also among the best.

The tougher stage 5 becomes, the better that should suit them. The same goes for Antonio Tiberi and Santiago Buitrago, who finished at a respectable distance for Bahrain Victorious. They came home in a group that also included Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) and Michael Storer (Tudor). Clément Braz Afonso (Groupama-FDJ) is another rider who tends to improve when there is more climbing in the route.

And once we have covered the climbers, there is still another group of riders to mention — men who have looked remarkably strong uphill in the opening days. Stage 5 should normally be a bit too hard for them, but dropping Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike), Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers) and Andrea Vendrame (Jayco AlUla) is easier said than done.

Names like those could also try to force things from a breakaway. That is also a scenario that in-form riders such as Corbin Strong (NSN), Paul Lapeira (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X) would likely be very interested in.

Top favorites: Isaac del Toro (UAE Emirates-XRG) and Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)

Outsiders: Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X), Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) and Clément Champoussin (Astana)

Long shots: Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Michael Storer (Tudor), Clément Braz Afonso (Groupama-FDJ), Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious), Alessandro Pinarello (NSN), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike), Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers), Andrea Vendrame (Jayco AlUla), Corbin Strong (NSN), Paul Lapeira (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X)

Bram van der Ploeg (X: @BvdPloegg | e-mail: [email protected])