Giro d'Italia 2026 stage 18 Preview| Expect more than 50 kph on an all-or-nothing stage!

While the GC riders are preparing for a decisive two-day battle in northern Italy, the attackers still have a very important appointment in their diary on Thursday 28 May. A hilly stage in stage 18 of the Giro d'Italia looks tailor-made for a wonderful fight between the escapees.

At first glance, Thursday’s 167-kilometre 18th stage looks relatively flat. But that is a little deceptive, because there are almost 1,900 metres of climbing hidden in the ride to Pieve di Soligo. The finale in particular contains a nasty little obstacle. Before that, though, the peloton will set off from Fai della Paganella, a beautifully situated village on the edge of the Alps.

The riders head east via the northern side of Trento and avoid the big mountains. It rolls up and down here and there, but never really gets too hard. The first categorised climb only comes after 83 kilometres, with the ascent to Fastro. It is a third-category climb and unlikely to have much consequence.

Then we gradually approach the finale. Before that begins, there is an intermediate sprint in Guia and later a Red Bull kilometre in Tarzo, placed 17 kilometres from the finish. But the main obstacle follows soon after: the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio. And as the name suggests, it is brutally steep.

The climb is only 1,100 metres long, but averages a whopping 12.3 per cent. After 400 metres, the gradient even touches almost 20 per cent, before rising again to 16 per cent just below the summit. And that summit is located less than 10 kilometres from the finish.

That will be crucial for how the race unfolds. Will it come down to a sprint, or will the attackers get their way again? In any case, there is no real descent. The road to Pieve di Soligo slopes gently downhill in the final kilometres. In the last kilometre there are two right-hand bends, with the final one coming only about 200 metres from the line. That could well be crucial.

Times
Start: 1:30 p.m CET
Finish: around 5 p.m CET

It is expected to be dry at the start in Fai della Paganella, although it will certainly not be as warm as in previous days and there could be a shower or thunderstorm. It will be warmer at the finish: around 28C is expected in Pieve di Soligo. But will it stay dry? A small shower could also fall there.

The sprinters have had few chances and may hope they can have a say in this semi-flat stage. We are not really looking at the pure speed merchants such as Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets), who will likely struggle on the final climb. But can Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) survive? And Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), or Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM)?

There are plenty of second-tier sprinters who will smell opportunity on a slightly harder parcours. Orluis Aular has already made Movistar work twice, without success. But he could go for it again. The same goes for riders such as Jensen Plowright (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Madis Mihkels (EF Education-EasyPost), Ben Turner (Netcompany INEOS), Corbin Strong and Ethan Vernon (both NSN).

But won’t the sprinters just have to wait until Rome? The attackers, puncheurs and rouleurs will all smell a chance on this kind of San Remo-style finish. Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) has to be the first name on every breakaway rider’s list. With his climbing legs and fast finish, almost anything is possible.

Filippo Ganna will also be motivated. He won the time trial, but missed out on the chance in his home town of Verbania. "I’m going to try for one more stage," the Netcompany INEOS rider said at the time. Looking at the route, this is the moment to do it. Among his compatriots, stage winner Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana) should also be noted, as should Lorenzo Milesi (Movistar).

We should also include Andrea Raccagni Noviero (Soudal Quick-Step), although the Belgian team already have Magnier as a top card and Jasper Stuyven could also do something. His compatriot Toon Aerts (Lotto-Intermarché) will also see this stage as a chance. Other pure attackers? Alec Segaert (Bahrain Victorious), Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost), Rémi Cavagna (Groupama-FDJ), Simone Gualdi (Lotto-Intermarché) and Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility).

Besides Narváez, UAE Team Emirates-XRG can also count on the hugely strong Mikkel Bjerg and António Morgado. Unibet Rose Rockets probably do not need to put everything on Groenewegen, and may instead look at Lukas Kubis. Niklas Larsen, Matyas and Tomas Kopecky could also show something interesting. XDS Astana can strike again with Guillermo Thomas Silva.

Finally, we cannot rule out a strong puncher riding away from the rest on the brutally steep gradients in the third week. Think of the determined Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), or riders such as Florian Stork (Tudor), Jan Christen (UAE) and perhaps even Wout Poels (Unibet Rose Rockets).

Top favorites: Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Filippo Ganna (Netcompany INEOS)
Outsiders: Jasper Stuyven, Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step), Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), Ben Turner (Netcompany INEOS) and Alec Segaert (Bahrain Victorious)
Long shots: Madis Mihkels, Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost), Orluis Aular (Movistar), Corbin Strong (NSN), Toon Aerts (Lotto-Intermarché), António Morgado, Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Lukas Kubis (Unibet Rose Rockets), Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility), Alberto Bettiol, Guillermo Thomas Silva (XDS Astana), Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), Florian Stork (Tudor) and Wout Poels(Unibet Rose Rockets).