Participants and bib numbers Tirreno-Adriatico 2026 | Full start list confirmed and it is mouth-watering

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) skipped the white roads, but in Tirreno-Adriatico he does want to sharpen his form further ahead of the major targets still to come. He will do so with a strong team around him, including Tibor Del Grosso and sprinter Jasper Philipsen. The latter replaces Kaden Groves, who is dealing with knee problems after a crash during Opening Weekend.

Philipsen can therefore expect sprint battles with the likes of Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step), Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) and Tobias Lund Andresen of Decathlon CMA CGM. It is also possible that Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) will throw himself into some of those fights for stage wins as well.

There will be no Tadej Pogačar at the start of this Tirreno-Adriatico, though that will probably only make the race more open and more exciting. UAE Team Emirates-XRG still arrives with a major card to play in Isaac del Toro, winner of the UAE Tour and on Saturday still the third-best rider in Strade Bianche. Riding a little in his shadow is Jan Christen, who is also clearly in very good shape at the moment.

Behind them come several strong collective blocks, with Bahrain Victorious and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe standing out in particular. The Bahrain squad lines up with Antonio Tiberi, Santiago Buitrago and Pello Bilbao, while the German team brings season-debutant Primoz Roglic, Giulio Pellizzari and Jai Hindley.

Strong climbers with a classics edge could also go a long way here, because the really high mountains are absent from this edition of Tirreno-Adriatico. Riders such as Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto-Intermarché) and Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana Team) should all see opportunities.