2026 Giro d'Italia Stage 5 Live Coverage
Welcome to our live coverage of Stage 5 of the 2026 Giro d'Italia! Our live profile and commentary are below, followed by a preview of the technical aspects of the route.
Course Preview
Stage 5 of the Giro d'Italia spans 204 kilometres from Praia a Mare to Potenza. The riders tackle 3,700 metres of climbing on their way to a punchy finale. The last 350 metres rise at 8% gradient to the line.
Praia a Mare is no stranger to the Giro d’Italia. In 2018, Sam Bennett sprinted to victory in the coastal town, while Diego Ulissi triumphed in a punchy uphill finish back in 2016.
This time, the peloton sets off from Praia a Mare for the Giro’s first real challenge. It’s not a full-blown mountain stage, but a sneaky hilly race with plenty of climbing. The parcours begins to rise almost immediately towards Prestieri. After passing through Lauria, the climbing intensifies, as the riders face a 9.5-kilometre stretch at an average gradient of 6%, followed by a short descent before the road rises further towards Prestieri. Altogether, the climb totals 13.6 kilometres at an average of 4.8%.
The stage continues on relatively easy terrain for dozens of kilometres. The route rolls gently, initially downhill, then slightly undulating, until the pre-finale opens with a 5.5-kilometre climb at 5.5% to Viggiano. There are still 60 kilometres to the finish as the riders roll through the small mountain village.
Following a brief drop, the riders tackle the Montagna Grande di Viggiano, a 6.6-kilometre climb averaging 9.2%. There is no significant descent afterwards; instead, the riders remain at altitude for roughly 20 kilometres, tackling several short climbs along the way. From the Monte Pierfaone, the road then descends towards a promising finale in Potenza.
With 7 kilometres to go and already in Potenza, the riders first face a 2.3-kilometre climb at 5.8%. After a roughly one-kilometre descent and a flat section, the road rises once more in the final 350 metres at 8% to the line.
The last 24 kilometres mirror the 2022 stage to Potenza, when Koen Bouwman sprinted to victory from the breakaway, outgunning his compatriot Bauke Mollema and Davide Formolo.
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