If the GranPiemonte 2026 were a stage of a Grand Tour, there would be a good chance of it ending in a sprint from a fairly sizeable group. Not because the route lacks climbing – there are still 2,600 metres of elevation gain – but because the positioning and overall difficulty of the climbs are unlikely to strike too much fear into the peloton. Then again, this is a Classic steeped in history, where every opportunity and every climb, however manageable, can provide the perfect launchpad for a rider chasing a major victory.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG, for example, will line up with defending champion Isaac Del Toro and new world champion Brandon McNulty: hard to imagine them simply sitting back and watching the race unfold. They do have a fast finisher in Jhonatan Narváez, a three-time Giro stage winner this year, should it come down to a sprint, but Del Toro and McNulty will surely be keen to test their legs ahead of Il Lombardia.
On the other hand, several riders – and their teams – will do everything they can to keep the race under control. Dorian Godon (Netcompany Ineos), who is in increasingly good form, has already secured six wins this season, five of them at WorldTour level. Then there is World Championships silver medallist Michael Matthews, who will count on Andrea Vendrame and Mauro Schmid (Team Jayco Alula), alongside Orluis Aular (Movistar), Corbin Strong (NSN) and perhaps the Italians Matteo Trentin (Tudor), Davide Donati (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe), Alessandro Romele (XDS Astana) and Alessandro Borgo (Bahrain Victorious), with the latter three having made a significant step forward this season.
The La Morra climb (7.1 km at 3.8%), tackled twice in the finale, is far from brutal, but there is little doubt that it will still trigger plenty of attacks, either in an attempt to get a small group clear or simply to whittle down the peloton. UAE will certainly not be the only team looking to send riders up the road, whether to anticipate the decisive moves or provide a tactical card for their fast finisher later on.
Among the riders most likely to go on the attack are Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ United), Mikkel Frølich Honoré (EF Education-EasyPost), Simone Gualdi (Lotto Intermarché) and Marc Hirschi (Tudor). The ever-dangerous Norwegians of Uno-X Mobility will also have options, particularly Sakarias Løland, while XDS Astana can play several cards with Alberto Bettiol, Simone Velasco and Thomas Silva, the former Maglia Rosa who could also have his say in a sprint.
