Il Giro d’Abruzzo 2026 is ready to crown the successor to Georg Zimmermann. Four stages packed with opportunities await, with several riders dreaming of making their mark. A look through the startlist reveals two French riders in particular who, thanks to their talent and experience, have every chance of competing for the final victory.
The first is Kévin Vauquelin (Netcompany Ineos), who comes into the race after a rather disappointing Tour de France, but has already finished inside the top 10 at both Paris-Nice and Itzulia Basque Country this season. A versatile rider who has consistently excelled in short stage races, the high point of his career nevertheless came in Italy, in Bologna, when he won Stage 2 of the Tour de France’s Italian Grand Départ. Nor should his two runner-up finishes at La Flèche Wallonne, in 2024 and 2025, be forgotten.
Among his main challengers will be his young compatriot Mathys Rondel (Tudor), who is still searching for his first professional victory but has already racked up an impressive 16 top-10 finishes this season. Among them are strong overall results at Paris-Nice, the Tour of the Alps and the Vuelta a Burgos, as well as 11th place at the Giro d’Italia. The young Frenchman will also count on Lennart Jasch. The German former speed skater – who competed on the ice until 2023 – is gradually making a name for himself on two wheels, as demonstrated by his stage victory in Trento at the Tour of the Alps.
Plenty of Italians will also be targeting a strong overall result, starting with the ever-improving Alessandro Fancellu (MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort), who since April has finished inside the top six at the Tour of Hainan, Tour of Türkiye, Tour de Hongrie, Tour of Slovenia and Czech Tour, where he also claimed a stage victory. Keep an eye, too, on the evergreen Domenico Pozzovivo (Solution Tech NIPPO Rali), still as combative as ever, and the Tuscan duo of Ludovico Crescioli (Polti VisitMalta), who will step up to the WorldTour with Groupama-FDJ United next season, and Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana), who is chasing a victory that would extend his remarkable run of at least one win in every season since turning professional.
Also worth watching are Alex Tolio, Filippo Turconi (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber), Matteo Fabbro (Solution Tech NIPPO Rali), Matteo Scalco (XDS Astana) and Alessandro Verre (MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort). Nor should the ever-aggressive Team Ukyo be overlooked, with Tommaso Dati and Nicolò Garibbo in particular hoping to add another highlight to an outstanding season. Among the international contenders, Jon Castellon (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Santiago Umba and Kyrylo Tsarenko (Solution Tech NIPPO Rali) are also names to watch.
Among the experienced riders hoping to have a say will be Wout Poels (Unibet Rose Rockets), undoubtedly the man with the most prestigious palmarès on the startlist, whose team is still searching for its first stage-race victory. When it comes to individual stage wins, however, perhaps the most enticing name of all is Dorian Godon (Netcompany Ineos). A stage winner at Paris-Nice, the Volta a Catalunya and the Tour de Romandie this season, the Frenchman will be looking to get back to winning ways after a difficult Tour de France, likely influenced by the fatigue accumulated during an intense first half of the season.
