Preview: Milan-Turin 2026 - who will follow Isaac Del Toro?

Milan-Turin will also finish this year on the Colle di Superga. In the finale, the iconic hill northeast of Turin will be climbed twice. It promises to be a battle among the strongest climbers. Who will succeed Isaac Del Toro? WielerFlits looks ahead to the 107th edition.

History

Last year

Route and information

The route of Milan-Turin has not changed compared to last year. The race again starts in Rho, a suburb of much larger Milan. After a short neutral zone, the peloton heads southwest into the final circuit in Turin. Along the way, there are hardly any notable obstacles, so the climbers can save their energy for the finale.

And that will be necessary, because the final lap promises some real excitement. About thirty kilometers from the finish, the riders enter the local circuit east of Turin. From there, it won’t take long until the first climb of the Colli di Superga (4.9 km at 9.1%).

At the summit of the first passage, 18.9 kilometers remain. But it is expected that the decisive moment will come on the final climb. Wasting energy on a solo attack in the valley between the two ascents could cost you dearly on the steep last kilometers.

Participants

The full start list for Milan-Turin is not yet known, but the provisional list already includes some strong names. Tom Pidcock, for example. The Brit recorded an impressive stage win in the Ruta del Sol in February but struggled in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and won’t be fully satisfied with his seventh place in Strade Bianche. Milan-Turin offers the 2025 Vuelta a España third-place finisher another opportunity. The fairly explosive Superga climb should suit him well.

Pidcock will face at least Giulio Pellizzari. The Italian finished sixth in the Vuelta last year and appears to have taken another step forward. After a third place in the Tour of Valencia, he recorded another podium last week in Tirreno-Adriatico. There, he wore the blue leader’s jersey for one day and gave eventual winner Isaac Del Toro a long fight.

The same Del Toro starts Milan-San Remo on Saturday and therefore seems unlikely to defend his Milan-Turin title. UAE Emirates XRG will field Jan Christen. Whether he has enough climbing ability to compete with Pellizzari and Pidcock on the Superga remains to be seen. A strong Richard Carapaz should be able to, of course, but the Ecuadorian was not at his best in Tirreno-Adriatico. Still, even without peak form, he will surely contest the race.

It’s also worth watching how Cian Uijtdebroeks is shaping up. The Belgian from Movistar returns after sustaining a cracked elbow in the Tour of Valencia. Movistar also fields Jefferson Alveiro Cepeda and the also returning Einer Rubio. Finally, we keep an eye on experienced veterans Wout Poels (Unibet Rose Rockets) and Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana).

At the time of publishing, the full start list for Milan-Turin was not yet known. If a start list becomes available in time, we will update and expand the favorites section and star ratings of this preview accordingly.