Tre Valli Varesine 2026 preview | Evenepoel, Pidcock, and McNulty warm-up for Lombardy

Tre Valli Varesine is one of those races that may not have the status of a Monument or a WorldTour event, but in terms of its list of winners, it easily ranks among the great Italian classics. The first edition was held as early as June 22, 1919, and over the years, winners have included Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, Eddy Merckx, Francesco Moser, Giuseppe Saronni, Vincenzo Nibali, and Primož Roglič.

Saronni and Gianni Motta are the record holders, with four victories each. The field has also been impressive in recent years. Tadej Pogacar won in 2022 and did so again last year, when he crossed the finish line solo in his rainbow jersey on Via Sacco. This made the Slovenian only the third reigning world champion to win the race, following Eddy Merckx in 1968 and Francesco Moser in 1978.

Pogacar won't be competing in 2026, so there will definitely be a new name at the top of the results list.

2025 Tadej Pogacar
2024 Canceled due to rain
2023 Ilan Van Wilder
2022 Tadej Pogacar
2021 Alessandro De Marchi
2020 COVID-19 year
2019 Primož Roglič
2018 Toms Skujins
2017 Alexandre Geniez
2016 Sonny Colbrelli

Anyone familiar with the Tre Valli Varesine knows that it’s all about the accumulation of elevation gain. There are no monster climbs of ten or fifteen kilometers, but rather a constant series of twists, turns, descents, and climbs. The 105th edition covers approximately 200 kilometers from Busto Arsizio to Varese and, according to various route analyses, features over 3,000 meters of elevation gain.

The race starts at the Museo del Tessile in Busto Arsizio. There, the riders first complete a local loop of about 12 kilometers, after which the peloton heads toward Varese. After 41.5 kilometers, the riders will cross the finish line on Via Sacco for the first time. By that point, the riders will have already tackled the Ronchi, a well-known climb that starts near Lago di Varese and winds back up toward the city center.

Then the classic section begins. The riders complete six laps of a short 15.9-kilometer circuit. Central to this are Montello and, once again, the Ronchi. Montello is about 2 kilometers long with an average gradient of 5 percent, though there are steeper sections. The Ronchi is about 1.9 kilometers long with a 5.3 percent gradient and is tackled each time after the riders climb back toward Varese from the lower sections around the lake.

Taken on their own, those numbers might not seem like much, but six sections make a big difference. Moreover, there’s hardly any real chance to recover on the circuit. After Montello comes a fast and technical section leading toward the lake, after which riders must immediately prepare for the next climb. Anyone who consistently finds themselves twenty places too far back could pay a heavy price for it in the final.

And it’s precisely in that final stretch that the course gets even tougher. After the six short laps, there are two long circuits of 31.4 kilometers. Montello and Ronchi remain part of the route, but the Muro delle Cinque Piante is also added. On paper, it’s just a short climb—about 300 meters at an average gradient of 10 percent—but after nearly 200 kilometers, a stretch like that can serve perfectly as a launching pad. On the final pass, Cinque Piante is about 14 kilometers from the finish line.

After that, Barasso awaits—about 900 meters at a 7.9 percent gradient. Via Luvinate and Casciago, the course eventually heads back toward Ronchi and Varese. This means the race won’t necessarily be decided on a single designated climb. There are several spots in the final 20 kilometers where a strong rider can make a move, while the relatively flat final kilometer offers opportunities for someone who can sprint from a small group.

WeatherFortunately, the weather doesn’t seem likely to play a major role this year. That’s worth noting for the Tre Valli Varesine: in 2024, the men’s race was suspended due to extreme weather. For Tuesday, temperatures in Varese are currently forecast to be around 21 to 23 degrees, with partly cloudy skies, little wind, and no significant precipitation. Perfect racing weather, in other words.

Times
Start: 12:00 p.m GMT
Finish: approximately 4:35 p.m GMT

The final start list won’t be officially confirmed until Monday evening, but if all the current names actually show up, Tre Valli Varesine will have a mouthwatering field of competitors. World champion Brandon McNulty ( UAE Emirates-XRG), European champion Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), and Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) immediately stand out.

The big question, of course, is how much the European title cost Evenepoel. He had to push himself to the limit on Sunday, took a fall, and has had barely any time to recover between Slovenia and northern Italy. Red Bull, however, has other options. Giulio Pellizzari, Florian Lipowitz, and Jai Hindley are also on the preliminary roster, meaning Evenepoel doesn’t necessarily have to carry the entire load himself starting 100 kilometers from the finish.

McNulty also has a strong support group at UAE Emirates-XRG. Jhonatan Narvaez, Tim Wellens, and Benoît Cosnefroy are also on the preliminary list. So UAE and Red Bull are two major contingents, and we can add Visma | Lease a Bike to that mix. That team will feature Giro dell’Emilia winner Davide Piganzoli at the start, but Ben Tulett, Matteo Jorgenson, and Jorgen Nordhagen are also listed.

Oscar Onley also cannot be overlooked, after he and Pidcock nearly caught up to Piganzoli in the Giro dell'Emilia. Netcompany INEOS is also bringing Thymen Arensman and Carlos Rodríguez, so that team isn’t entirely dependent on a single leader either. Lidl-Trek is fielding Juan Ayuso and Giulio Ciccone from the European Championships, but we’re also keeping an eye on Quinn Simmons and Andrea Bagioli.

EF Education-EasyPost has Ben Healy; Bahrain Victorious has strong contenders in Lenny Martinez, Santiago Buitrago, and Antonio Tiberi; and Romain Grégoire could win a sprint from a small breakaway on behalf of Groupama-FDJ United. Mauro Schmid is in excellent form for the Italian fall season, as are Christian Scaroni of XDS Astana and Lennert Van Eetvelt of Lotto-Intermarché.

Any other dark horses? Paul Lapeira won the Coppa Agostini for Decathlon CMA CGM, Ramses Debruyne is a dangerous contender with Alpecin-Premier Tech, and we’re also curious to see how Henrique Bravo performs—he won the Tour of Lombardy for U23 riders with Soudal Quick-Step. We also can’t leave out Lorenzo Fortunato (Astana).

Top Favourites: Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Davide Piganzoli (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Dark horses: Brandon McNulty (UAE Emirates-XRG), Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), and Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS)
Long shots: Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Ben Tulett (Visma | Lease a Bike), Juan Ayuso, Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), Jhonatan Narvaez, Benoît Cosnefroy (UAE Emirates-XRG), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Lenny Martinez, Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla), Christian Scaroni, Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana), Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto-Intermarché), Michael Storer (Tudor), Paul Lapeira (Decathlon CMA CGM), and Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin-Premier Tech)