The 2026 Giro Next Gen remains in Calabria for its second stage, with the 154-kilometre Tropea–Crotone route. It looks straightforward on paper, although nothing can ever be taken for granted in the Under-23 ranks. Tropea last hosted a stage of the senior Giro d’Italia in 2011, while Crotone returns to the pink spotlight 30 years after its previous appearance, which came in 1996.
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Relive the key moments of the race:
A predominantly flat stage linking Calabria’s Tyrrhenian and Ionian coasts. After passing through Pizzo, the riders tackle the short Marcellinara KOM (2.5 km at 4.2%), the day’s only climb, before heading towards Catanzaro Lido. The final kilometres run smoothly along the coast to Crotone, with a finish well suited to the fast men.
It is hard to see the sprinters’ teams letting this opportunity slip, especially after what happened on the opening stage, when the peloton was outwitted by Kasper Haugland. The Decathlon CMA CGM rider will start the day in the Maglia Rosa.
Davide Donati (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe Rookies) remains the rider to watch most closely, but keep an eye on Alessio Delle Vedove (XDS Astana Development), Christian Fantini (Solme-Olmo-Arvedi), Davide Stella (UAE Team Emirates Gen Z), Seth Dunwoody (Bahrain Victorious Development), Halvor Dolven (Lotto Intermarché), Eliott Boulet (Groupama-FDJ United CT) and Patrick Boje Frydkjær (Lidl-Trek Future Racing) as well.
Tropea – Crotone, 154 km
Start Time: 12:45 PM
Official Start (KM 0): 1:05 PM
Expected Finish Time: 4:30 PM
TV: The race dedicated to the brightest talents in world cycling will be broadcast live on the Discovery+ and HBO Max streaming platforms from 2:30 PM onwards.
