The Giro d’Italia 2026 stage 10 is a 40.2-kilometer individual time trial from Viareggio to Massa along the Tuscan coast on May 17. The route runs north on flat roads beside the Ligurian Sea, offering the race’s first pure test against the clock and a chance for GC riders to gain or lose significant time before the Dolomites arrive.
Filippo Ganna enters as the clear favorite on home roads. The Italian time trial champion has won stages like this before, and the flat profile suits his power. For GC contenders including Santiago Buitrago, Richard Carapaz, and Giulio Ciccone, the goal is damage limitation. Ben O’Connor, who has named the Giro his main 2026 target, will need to stay within range of the better time trialists if he wants to remain in contention for pink.
How will the stage be won?
This is a power test, not a technical one. The route is exposed to coastal wind, but the profile is flat enough that aerodynamics and sustained wattage will decide the result. Ganna should take the stage win. The real question is whether climbers like Buitrago or Carapaz can hold their losses under a minute, or whether a stronger time trialist currently sitting outside the top five uses this stage to move into GC contention.
What should you watch for?
Watch the time gaps at the first intermediate check. If a GC rider is already losing 30 seconds halfway through, the final deficit will be painful. Positioning in the overall classification could shift dramatically, and any rider hoping to challenge for pink in the third week cannot afford to lose more than 90 seconds here. The coastal wind may also create uneven conditions depending on start times, so early and late starters could face different races entirely.
Stage 10 will not settle the Giro, but it will clarify who can still win it. Expect Ganna to take the stage, and expect the GC picture to tighten or fracture depending on how the climbers handle 40 kilometers of flat, honest effort.