Giro d'Italia 2026 Fantasy tips: IDL Pro Cycling's top fantasy picks to help you score points
CyclingWednesday, 06 May 2026 at 12:43
The spring classics are fading from memory and that means the Giro is right around the corner. Riders like Vingegaard and Jonathan Milan are quick clicks in most fantasy teams — but who do you put alongside them? IDL Pro Cycling lends the thoughtful fantasy player a helping hand.
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Everything you need to know about the GIRO on IDL Pro Cycling
- Preview Giro d'Italia 2026
- General classification favourites (pink jersey)
- Favorites points classification (purple jersey)
- Favorites mountain classification (blue jersey)
- Favorites youth classification (white jersey)
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Alessandro Pinarello - Team NSN
We start with Alessandro Pinarello, who is having his breakthrough season. The 22-year-old Italian moved to NSN from Bardiani this year and made an immediate impression. He finished twelfth in the general classification at the Volta ao Algarve before following that up with tenth at Tirreno-Adriatico.
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At O Gran Camiño, where he also finished third overall, the young Italian claimed his first professional victory — winning an uphill sprint ahead of Jørgen Nordhagen and Adam Yates. This is a young climber who knows how to beat big names.
Pinarello has already ridden the Giro d'Italia for Bardiani, but had to withdraw after just five stages. Within NSN he is being given a free role to discover what riding a Grand Tour can offer. He has said he wants a stage win but has not ruled out contesting the classification.
Mathys Rondel - Tudor
Just as young and just as in form as Pinarello is the Frenchman Mathys Rondel. The 22-year-old climber has grown into one of Tudor's key riders this season. He finished second to Remco Evenepoel at the Trofeo Andratx-Pollença, and also made his presence felt in several stage races.
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He finished twelfth at the UAE Tour, came an impressive eighth at Paris-Nice, and placed fifth at the Tour of the Alps — ahead of major Giro names including Derek Gee and Ben O'Connor. Rondel has shown excellent form and has already been rewarded by his team for it.
The Frenchman signed a contract through to 2030, a clear statement of confidence in the young climber. All eyes within the Swiss team are naturally on team leader Michael Storer, who finished tenth in the Giro classification last year, but Rondel can also count on a protected role as shadow leader, as he told IDL Pro Cycling.
Simone Gualdi - Lotto Intermarché
Staying with the talented youngsters, we turn to Simone Gualdi. The Italian climber at Lotto-Intermarché has just turned 21 and is in his first professional season. As part of Intermarché-Wanty's development team, the then 19-year-old Gualdi was given his first outings last year, including tenth at the Trofeo Laigueglia. He also finished fourth in a hilly under-23 European Championship.
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Where Italian cycling tends to focus on Giulio Pellizzari and Lorenzo Finn as the headline talents, Gualdi remains under the radar for now — even though the neo-professional has already caught the eye in 2026. He recently placed fifth at Eschborn-Frankfurt, took eighth at the Trofeo Laigueglia, and secured two top-ten finishes in the Tour of Catalonia — all in punchy finales.
The fast hill rider will normally have to ride in support of Arnaud De Lie and Lennert Van Eetvelt at Lotto-Intermarché, but he can certainly go for his own chances, as he told Bici.Pro ahead of the Giro. This race has plenty of stages suited to an explosive climber like Gualdi.
Francesco Busatto - Alpecin-Premier Tech
Cut from similar cloth is fellow Italian Francesco Busatto. The 23-year-old won the under-23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2023 and has been a name to watch ever since. Busatto raced until this year for Intermarché-Wanty but found himself at Alpecin-Premier Tech following the merger.
He rode last year's Giro for the Belgian team and came agonisingly close to a stage win with fourth place on stage one in Albania. This year, the explosive Italian has shown his quality in flashes too — a top ten at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and third in stage two of the Tour of Catalonia, where he edged out Dorian Godon among others.
Within Alpecin-Premier Tech the focus is normally on Kaden Groves, but Busatto and fellow Italian Luca Vergallito will be given their own opportunities. On the punchy hilly stages, Busatto will be the team's front-runner — precisely the type of terrain where the Italian flourishes.
Andrea Raccagni Noviero - Soudal Quick-Step
You will probably not find a more Italian name in the Giro peloton than Andrea Raccagni Noviero — and it is one worth having in your fantasy team. The 22-year-old has ridden for Soudal Quick-Step since 2023 but only became part of the WorldTour squad last year.
In the second half of 2025, the then 21-year-old made his mark with fourth at the Coppa Bernocchi, ahead of riders like Michael Matthews and Matteo Trentin. In 2026 he has carried that momentum forward, with sixth in the Tour Down Under classification — and the young rider's jersey — and a top ten in stage one of the Tour of Catalonia.
This explosive hill specialist will have to work alongside Paul Magnier at Soudal Quick-Step, but on a day when the Frenchman's legs aren't there, Raccagni Noviero could easily become the team's lead card.
Javier Romo - Movistar
With Javier Romo we move to the first name on the list that sits outside the young talents category. The 27-year-old Spaniard has started three Grand Tours, finishing fifth in the young rider classification at the 2024 Tour. He also took second and third in stage finishes at the 2025 Vuelta. Of his three Grand Tours, however, he has only completed the Tour.
Grand Tour experience ticked, then — and his 2026 form has been excellent too. He targeted the general classifications at Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of the Basque Country, finishing twelfth and seventh respectively, having already finished second in the Tour Down Under classification in 2025. In stage five of the Basque Country he even held off Primoz Roglic and Kévin Vauquelin.
Movistar are primarily counting on a strong GC ride from Enric Mas, but both Einer Rubio and Romo could go for their own opportunities in the mountains. Should Mas fall off the classification, the card of the tall Spaniard Romo could well be played.
Markel Beloki - EF Education EasyPost
Staying with the Spaniards for now: Markel Beloki is only 20 years old, but already into his third professional season. EF Education-EasyPost brought him in at 18 and gave him a WorldTour spot immediately. His debut year yielded no big results, but the following season he lined up for his first Vuelta a España.
The then 19-year-old Spaniard delivered two top-ten finishes straight away. It was the beginning of a breakthrough that has continued in 2026. He wore the white jersey for almost the entire Tour of the Basque Country — albeit a long way behind Paul Seixas — and has already collected podium results at the GP Miguel Indurain and Milan-Turin.
At the Giro, EF should give Beloki near-total freedom, with the team starting without an outright leader and in their iconic alien-themed kit. Despite his age, Beloki already has Grand Tour experience in the bank — a useful asset over three weeks.
Mick van Dijke - Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
The word 'revelation' gets thrown around a lot, but for the Van Dijke brothers it is more than justified. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe had an extremely tough spring in 2025 but made a complete turnaround in 2026. In almost every classic the German team was strong across the board, racing dominantly from the front.
That was in no small part down to both Tim and Mick van Dijke. Tim is not at the Giro, but his brother Mick is. Mick finished sixth at Paris-Roubaix this year and has already produced a fourth place at Paris-Nice. Despite the Giro not starting in Paris, there could be opportunities for the Dutchman.
Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe are going all-in on the GC and have brought no dedicated sprinter, which is where Van Dijke could find openings. At Paris-Nice 2025 he showed his sprint legs with a seventh place, so if the team gives him freedom, he could well spring a surprise in the harder sprint stages.
Johannes Kulset - Uno-X
With Johannes Kulset, the picture of what role he will play is much clearer. The 22-year-old Norwegian has been put forward as team leader for the classification and has the ambition to break into the top ten. Despite results that have been somewhat inconsistent so far, his team's confidence in him says a great deal about his ability.
Kulset started the season well with two top-ten finishes in Mallorca — where Remco Evenepoel won both events — and later finished seventeenth in the Valencia classification and second in the young rider standings at the Ruta del Sol.
In his final race before the Giro, however, form dipped: he finished 34th in the Basque Country classification, nearly an hour down on Paul Seixas. A month can change a great deal in cycling. His team at least has total faith in the young Norwegian, as his outright team leadership shows.
Lukas Kubis - Unibet Rose Rockets
The final name on this list is perhaps also its most recognisable. Lukas Kubis makes his Grand Tour debut with Unibet Rose Rockets, where he will be hunting for his first stage win. The Slovak champion led the team through the spring, though he could not improve on his strong 2025 form. Despite the high expectations, he has still delivered solid results.
He finished runner-up three times at the Étoile de Bessèges and collected top-ten finishes at the Clásica Jaén, Nokere Koerse and Le Samyn, where he even placed fifth. A very respectable spring, even if it fell slightly short of the sky-high expectations in the bigger races.
Within Bas Tietema's team the normal plan is to put everything behind Dylan Groenewegen — but the Dutchman is certainly no mountain goat. On days when the top sprinter gets dropped, Unibet Rose Rockets may well play the Kubis card. He has already been handed the role of stage hunter, meaning he can expect a fairly free rein regardless.
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Latest Comments
- Enough of this b.s. already.Just tell the world all you suspicious people what would satisfy you that he is not doping.live real time urinating and testing?.Live real time blood draws 5 seconds after a race is over?.Fecal analysis.WTF will satisfy you?
Brucegel03-05-2026 - This suspicion could be laid to rest by what? What would make all doubters happy that Pogi is clean? Just tell the world all you Frenchmen et al what you want as protocol.You will never be satisfied.That is your level of mindless groundless suspicions.Brucegel03-05-2026
- Here is a novel idea......it's a road bike race, stick to smooth asphalt courses! Cobble is like mild off-road cross riding!!!!Germanrazor14-04-2026
- To lose a race like that on a mechanical problem in this day and age is unforgivable. Why aren't all riders using the same (interchangeable) gear? It is the job of the team manager to manage and reduce risk variables. The fact that he not only didn't pick up on the potential issue but actually ok'd it is just madness.fatehasfans13-04-2026
- Rider X, y and z? Could you update?yaNzKEWL21-03-2026
- Can anyone help me understand the thinking behind the two punishments? Are the commissaires saying you get thrown out of the race for a second inadvertent disposal of a bidon (even to the delight of fans) but that as long as you can afford it you can show off your phalangeal cuticles all day long on international TV? Aking for a friend.packfiller7112-03-2026
- It's a bit embarrassing that. Isn't the main sponsor supposed to keep them at 36.5 ?tomjacques03-03-2026
- They were close to cracking a very tired Tadej that wasn't fully focused on the TdF with a team of riders focused solely on cracking Tadej. And if they cracked him, he would have still won. Tadej won't be racing the giro this year. It'll be an even easier win for him.Veganpotter09-02-2026
- Nice!Bea22-01-2026
- Those events are mental rest for him. Fun, without expectations. *Sagan lost his abilities because he gained weight and got lazy. Pogi will likely retire before that has a chance at happening.Veganpotter14-12-2025
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