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Tirreno-Adriatico 2026 | No Pogačar, but gravel, Van der Poel, Arensman, Van Aert, Del Toro and lots of punchy climbs!

Cycling
by Tom van der Salm
Sunday, 08 March 2026 at 09:44
mathieu-van-der-poel
After Strade Bianche, it’s quickly time for the next big Italian stage race: Tirreno-Adriatico, the race between the two seas. Over seven tough, long days, we’ll look for a successor to Juan Ayuso — but the organisers have opted for a slightly different build-up than in recent years. IDLProCycling.com explains and breaks it down!
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Ayuso won the race in 2025, but this year he will ride Paris–Nice for his new team Lidl-Trek. In the seasons before that, top names like Jonas Vingegaard, Primož Roglič, Tadej Pogačar and Simon Yates added their names to the palmarès.
The last ‘classics-style’ riders to win Tirreno-Adriatico were Michał Kwiatkowski in 2018 and Greg Van Avermaet in 2016. Will we get another one this year? We’ll find out in San Benedetto del Tronto on Sunday 15 March.
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Latest winners Tirreno-Adriatico

2025 Juan Ayuso
2024 Jonas Vingegaard
2023 Primoz Roglic
2022 Tadej Pogacar
2021 Tadej Pogacar
2020 Simon Yates
2019 Primoz Roglic
2018 Michal Kwiatkowski
2017 Nairo Quintana
2016 Greg Van Avermaet
juan ayuso
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Course, favorites stage wins and times Tirreno-Adriatico 2025

Stage 1, Monday, March 9: Lido di Camaiore - Lido di Camaiore (11.5 km, time trial)

tirreno-1
RCS have made it a bit of a habit to kick off Tirreno-Adriatico with a short time trial in Lido di Camaiore — and in 2026 it’s 11.5 kilometres again. That means the first blue jersey is for the riders with pure power in the legs.
Favorites
Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers)
Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step)
Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious)
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Times
Start: 12:40 PM (first rider)
Finish: 3:45 PM (last rider)

Stage 2, Tuesday, March 10: Camaiore - San Gimignano (206.0 km)

tirreno-2
Stage two offers something special on every front. First of all, the finish is in San Gimignano, one of Tuscany’s real gems. And not far from Siena — and therefore Strade Bianche territory — the finale goes onto gravel. The final ten kilometres are largely on dirt roads, and the last 1.2 kilometres also rise at 7.2%. Beautiful, and fair!
Favorites
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
Jan Christen (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Christian Scaroni (XDS-Astana)
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Times
Start: 10:55 AM
Finis: 3:45 PM

Stage 3, Wednesday, March 11: Cortona - Magliano de Marsi (225.0 km)

tirreno-3
Stage three is one of those trademark Tirreno transition stages: 225 kilometres to help make the move from one sea to the other. Not too easy, not too hard — and hopefully the weather behaves. A sprint? Not so straightforward, because the second part of the stage climbs plenty, and the final kilometre drags uphill as well.
Favorites
Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché)
Times
Start: 10:45 AM
Finish: 3:45 PM

Stage 4, Thursday, March 12: Tagliacozzo - Martiniscuro (210.0 km)

tirreno-4
By day four it starts to sink into the legs: for a third day in a row, the riders face 200+ kilometres. This time there’s also extra climbing, although the finish is a fair bit lower than the start. On paper, it’s a lovely chance for the breakaway.
Favorites
Paul Lapeira (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Roger Adria (Movistar)
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Times
Start: 10:25 AM
Finish: 3:45 PM

Stage 5, Friday, March 13: Marotta-Mondolfo - Momboraccio (186.0 km)

tirreno-5
Day five goes from Marotta-Mondolfo to Mombaroccio over 186 kilometres. This one deserves the “walls” label: especially in the second half, it’s relentless up and down. Just before the line, the riders crest the Beato Sante: 4.2 kilometres at 6.2%.
Favorites
Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious)
Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost)
Isaac del Toro (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Times
Start: 10:55 AM
Finish: 3:45 PM

Stage 6, Saturday, March 14: San Severino Marche - Camerino (199.0 km)

tirreno-6
The outright queen stage comes on Saturday 14 March, as the race heads from San Severino Marche to Camerino. After around sixty kilometres, the Sassotetto looms: 13.1 kilometres at 7%, a climb that has even served as a finish in past editions of Tirreno-Adriatico. From there, it moves onto a local circuit in and around Camerino, with a (final) climb of 3.2 kilometres at 8.9% as the key feature.
Favorites
Isaac del Toro (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious)
Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Times
Start: 10:45 AM
Finish: 3:45 PM

Stage 7, Sunday, March 15: Civitanova Marche - San Benedetto del Tronto (143.0 km)

tirreno-7
The Tirreno finale is traditionally a day that ends in San Benedetto del Tronto. This year, the organisers have added an extra climb in the first half to try and make it a bit harder for the fast men — but a bunch sprint still feels like the most logical outcome.
Favorites
Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Times
Start: 12:30 PM
Finish: 3:45 PM

Favorites final classification Tirreno-Adriatico 2025, according to IDLProCycling.com

Note: the start list has not been definitively confirmed yet, so the section below may still change.
No Tadej Pogačar at the start of this Tirreno-Adriatico — and that might actually make it even more fun. UAE Team Emirates–XRG do bring Isaac del Toro, winner of the UAE Tour and third in Strade Bianche on Saturday. In his shadow rides Jan Christen, who also looks in strong shape.
Behind them are a couple of powerful blocks, with Bahrain Victorious and Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe leading the way. The Bahrain squad brings Antonio Tiberi, Santiago Buitrago and Pello Bilbao, while the German team lines up Primož Roglič to kick off his season, alongside Giulio Pellizzari and Jai Hindley.
primoz-roglic
Because the really high mountains are missing, strong climbers with a classics edge could go a long way here. For Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert the overall still looks a touch too heavy, but riders like Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto–Intermarché) and Christian Scaroni (XDS-Astana) could feature prominently.
From a Dutch perspective, the presence of Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers) is particularly interesting. We also note Michael Storer (Tudor), Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step) and Paul Lapeira (Decathlon–CMA CGM).
Top favorites: Isaac del Toro (UAE Emirates-XRG) and Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious)
Outsiders: Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) and Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost)
Long shots: Giulio Pellizzari, Jai Hindley (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Michael Storer (Tudor), Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers), Lennert Van EeItvelt (Lotto-Intermarché), Jan Christen (UAE Emirates-XRG), Christian Scaroni (XDS-Astana) and Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step)

Data powered by FirstCycling.com

TV broadcast Tirreno-Adriatico 2026

Tirreno-Adriatico can be watched on HBO Max and Eurosport 1, who will be on air daily from 01:05 PM.

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