The 2026 Giro d’Italia will feature ten Spanish riders. The race kicks off on Friday, May 8, in Bulgaria and concludes on May 31 in Rome, with a starting list of 184 cyclists and a route blending time trials, high mountains, and several stages ideal for brave attackers.
The headline name is Enric Mas. The 31-year-old from the Balearic Islands makes his debut in the Corsa Rosa with the goal of aiming as high as possible in the general classification. He doesn’t arrive as a top favorite, as Jonas Vingegaard is the main reference, but he represents the strongest Spanish hope for a significant overall placing. Movistar has confirmed Mas as their leader, with the team built around protecting him and giving him room in the mountains.
Around him, a very interesting block emerges. Javier Romo could be one of the most exciting riders for fans: an attacking, resilient racer with the terrain to chase a stage win if the race opens up. Juanpe López, who already knows what it means to shine in Italy, brings experience, race reading, and legs for grueling days. He already has a top-10 finish in the Italian grand tour, achieved in 2022. The list of Spanish riders at Movistar is completed by veteran Iván García Cortina, who offers something different: power, positioning, and options in nervous finishes, hilly stages, or finals where it’s not all about pure sprinting.
Outside Movistar, Marc Soler will ride for UAE Team Emirates XRG. He’s one of those riders never to lose sight of. He can work for his leaders, yes, but he also has character and the legs to join a high-level breakaway and turn an apparently secondary day into a huge opportunity. In the same team will be Igor Arrieta, still young but increasingly established in the WorldTour.
The remaining Spanish names in the Giro: David de la Cruz (Pinarello Q36.5) brings veteran savvy, craft, and the ability to move over tough stages. David González (same team) will aim to be useful within the block and seize any opening in transitional days. One of his best results this year came with a fourth place in the final stage of the Volta a Catalunya in Montjuïc. Diego Pablo Sevilla (Polti VisitMalta) appears as another workhorse, breakaway-bound, and competitive survivor. At 30 years old, the rider from San Martín de la Vega will contest his second Giro after debuting in 2023 and finishing 96th overall. Just weeks ago, he won the mountains jersey at Tirreno-Adriatico.
Finally, Markel Beloki, son of legendary Joseba Beloki, joins at just 20 years old with EF Education, aiming for an enormous experience in a grand tour that can accelerate his growth. He recently raced the Volta a Catalunya and finished second in the youth classification of the Itzulia.
