Favorites stage 7 Tirreno-Adriatico 2026 | Final sprint showdown and the lead-out battle

The finish in San Benedetto del Tronto has been a fixture of Tirreno-Adriatico ever since the race’s second edition. Sometimes it has been a time trial, but for the last four years it has been a road stage. This year the same recipe will apply again (official stage information: https://www.tirrenoadriatico.it/): after a fairly hilly opening phase, the route turns completely flat. This is the day the sprinters, after all the work they have had to do this week, have been waiting for.

The stage starts in Civitanova Marche. The first 25 kilometres are flat, but after that the riders hit a stretch with several climbs. The ascent to Montefiore d’Aso is long without being especially steep at 10.9 kilometres at 3.4 percent, although it does come in steps and includes a few sharper ramps. The climb to Ripatransone is a little tougher, averaging 4.6 percent over 8.4 kilometres.

Those are, however, the only sections where there is any meaningful climbing. After the descent from the final rise, the road is almost entirely flat for nearly 80 kilometres along the Adriatic coast. There is still an intermediate sprint in San Benedetto del Tronto along the way, but under normal circumstances everything points toward a bunch sprint — unless the wind starts to play a role on the coast.

Times
Start: 10:40 AM local time
Finish: approx. 3:40 PM local time

Could we get echelons on the coast? It does not look especially likely. The wind is expected to come from the southeast and should be fairly moderate. Conditions will not be dry, and temperatures in Italy are set to hover around 15 degrees Celsius.

There are plenty of fast men at Tirreno-Adriatico, and they all came to this race with ambition. Jonathan Milan, the Lidl-Trek powerhouse, had already identified the final stage as one of his best chances for success, and he still has something to prove heading into San Benedetto del Tronto.

Paul Magnier of Soudal Quick-Step will also fancy his chances there, while Alpecin-Premier Tech are likely to back Jasper Philipsen in a sprint finish. Mathieu van der Poel, Tuesday’s stage winner, could play a crucial role in the lead-out, while Wout van Aert is expected to skip contesting the sprint himself.

Who else is in the mix? Tobias Lund Andresen, one of the standout men of the season so far. The Dane already won stage 3 in Italy, racked up multiple victories in Australia and was among the strongest riders during Opening Weekend, so the established sprint names will be paying very close attention to him this time.

Also still present are Sam Welsford (INEOS Grenadiers), Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché), Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL), Madis Mikhels (EF Education-EasyPost), Luca Mozzato (Tudor), Corbin Strong (NSN) and Giovanni Lonardi (Polti-VisitMalta).

Top favorites: Jonathan Milan(Lidl-Trek) and Paul Magnier(Soudal Quick-Step)
Outsiders: Jasper Philipsen(Alpecin-Premier Tech), Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM), Sam Welsford (INEOS Grenadiers), Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché),
Long shots: Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Arnaud de Lie (Lotto-Intermarché), Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL), Madis Mikhels (EF Education-EasyPost), Luca Mozzato (Tudor), Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Giovanni Lonardi (Polti-VisitMalta)