Hi Subscribers,
By now, you’ve probably read every Giro d’Italia preview explaining why Jonas Vingegaard is the overwhelming favourite, who the fastest sprinters are, and where the race will ultimately be decided.
So instead of running through another list of GC contenders or stage favourites, I wanted to focus on riders with under-the-radar yet compelling narratives heading into the race: the surprise-package climbers, the contract-year veterans, the riders returning from setbacks, and the young wildcards who could shape the Giro in unexpected ways.
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Some are chasing podiums, others are fighting for relevance, and a few might simply be one breakaway away from changing the course of their careers over the next three weeks.
I hope you enjoy the list, and please include who you’re looking out for in the comments below. And to coincide with the first men’s Grand Tour of 2026, it’s 25% off an annual subscription right now. So for less than £1 a week, you get all my transfer exclusives, interviews and race analysis.
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No Carapaz means that EF Education-EasyPost have no legitimate card to play in the battle for the GC, and while they’ve publicly stated that it’s all about stages – which is sensible given their line-up – I’m still interested to see how Beloki can fare. Again, if you’re looking for a safe bet for a top-twenty, then you go with Jefferson Alexander Cepeda, but Beloki looks like a far more intriguing prospect, and it’s easily forgotten that he’s still only 20, despite this already being his third year in the WorldTour.
The young Spaniard strikes me as someone who would have benefited from a season or two in the U23 ranks rather than jumping straight from the juniors to the WorldTour. But if you look at his trajectory from the second half of last year, and then the noticeable uptick in results over the last couple of months, then it’s clear why Jonathan Vaughters was so keen to sign the rider in the first place.
I’m not for a second suggesting that Beloki can go from 13th in the Itzulia Basque Country and ninth in the Gran Premio Miguel Indurain to competing for a GC result in a Grand Tour in a traditional sense but he is a rider I can envisage going up the road in a key breakaway, taking a chunk of time on a day when Visma want an easy ride, and catapulting himself into a strong position. It happened for a little-known Richie Porte and David Arroyo back in 2010, so why not Beloki in 2026? I wouldn’t be surprised if Charly Wegelius, who raced that 2010 edition of the Giro, was already cooking something up. At 20, too, Beloki is a really exciting climbing prospect, and it’s a contract year, so expect lots of interest around that too.
If you’re after a rider with better odds of a GC result, look no further than Giulio Pellizzari. The Italian came out on top at the recent Tour of the Alps, finished third at Tirreno-Adriatico, and finished sixth in last year’s Giro, despite not being given a protected role until late in the race. He’s young, exciting, and essentially Italy’s answer to the future of stage racing for the next five years.
However, focusing solely on Pellizzari would be something of an oversight, especially given that there’s a former race winner within the Red Bull stable. Sure, Jai Hindley hasn’t had the best start to the year, with no top-tens to speak of, but illness has been an issue at points, and he’s only started some of the toughest WorldTour races.