What move does Visma | Lease a Bike have planned for the queen stage of Tirreno-Adriatico 2026?

The decision in Tirreno-Adriatico 2026 usually falls on Saturday afternoon. That’s when the sixth stage, the queen stage, is scheduled in the Italian WorldTour race. For Scorito players, take note: this stage is part of the Classics game. Will Visma | Lease a Bike’s leader Matteo Jorgenson manage to take the lead? WielerFlits looks ahead!

Route

Riders who think the prize is secured after the tough fifth stage will be mistaken. On the penultimate day, the general classification will once again be shaken up. At least, that’s the expectation looking at the route. Early in the race, attention will mainly focus on the climb to Sassotetto (13.1 km at 7.3%), a well-known decisive challenge in the ‘Race of the Two Seas’.

The climb now seems little more than a footnote, given its unfavorable position in the stage and the difficulty of the finale. After a long descent from Sassotetto, there is the first passage through the finish town Camerino, but the riders only enter the final circuit after 103 kilometers. This local lap is spiced up by the climb to Camerino (3.2 km at 8.9%), where the finish line is also located.

Classifications

Favorites

It’s not truly a mountain stage, but the best climbers usually come out on top on this route. Isaac Del Toro is, on paper, the best. The 22-year-old Mexican starts this queen stage as the race leader and should normally win it with his eyes closed. Earlier this week, Giulio Pellizzari impressed most alongside him, but on Friday, the young Italian of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe struggled somewhat. Fortunately, he can rely on the experience of Primož Roglič.

The main question is what Visma | Lease a Bike is planning. Leader Matteo Jorgenson clearly has good legs. Over the last two seasons, he has won Paris-Nice during this week, and we know his team isn’t shy about a well-planned tactic. Will Wout van Aert bring out the hammer again? Then they should also keep an eye on Tobias Halland Johannessen. Almost no one talks about the 26-year-old Norwegian from Uno-X Mobility, but he has made a strong impression over the last three stages.

Another dangerous rider who finds a stage like this to his liking is Giulio Ciccone. The experienced Italian from Lidl-Trek likely won’t focus on the general classification right away, as he’s mainly targeting victories. It’s also interesting to see how far the young Italian Alessandro Pinarello will progress. The 22-year-old talent from NSN Pro Cycling was already twelfth in the Volta ao Algarve and has quietly moved up to seventh in the provisional Tirreno-Adriatico standings. That is quite surprising.

Finally, a few outsiders for the win. Richard Carapaz usually prefers tougher challenges and dropped back significantly in the final kilometers on Friday. A stage like this suits his teammate Ben Healy much better. Also, Santiago Buitrago is regaining form for this type of work. The same goes for all-rounder Magnus Sheffield, who wants to capitalize on INEOS Grenadiers’ good performance with a strong ride. Other names to watch include Thymen Arensman, Alan Hatherly, Michael Storer, Clément Champoussin, Antonio Tiberi, and Javier Romo.

Weather and TV

While winter conditions are predicted for Paris-Nice, riders in Tirreno-Adriatico won’t have to deal with that. In and around the finish town Camerino, temperatures in the afternoon will rise to a maximum of thirteen degrees Celsius. Plenty of sunshine is expected and no rain. The wind blows lightly at force two to three from the south-southwest. Don’t want to miss any of the queen stage? See below when to tune in.