It was an Italian masterclass in Corato, at Molino Casillo. Matteo Fiorin (Solme Olmo Arvedi) claimed Stage 4 of the 2026 Giro Next Gen thanks to a superb sprint that allowed him to come from behind and deny Nicolò Pizzi (Technipes #inEmiliaRomagna), who had looked set for a memorable victory after launching a finisseur’s move inside the final kilometre. Maglia Rossa Davide Donati (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe Rookies) completed the podium in third.
Jasper Schoofs retained the Maglia Rosa despite crashing in the closing metres of the stage. Thanks to the five-kilometre safety rule, the Belgian lost no time, although he is likely to carry a few bruises into the coming days.
It was the first time since 2021 that Italian riders had won two stages at the race, while an all-Italian podium had already been seen last year, with Agostinacchio, Borgo and Mattio in Acqui Terme, and in 2023, when Romele, De Pretto and Maris swept the podium in Povegliano.
No room for the breakaway
Once again, the opening phase was frantic, with attacks, counter-attacks and several withdrawals due to crashes and physical issues. No breakaway was able to establish itself, and the race only began to open up once the riders entered the finishing circuit in Corato. On the first ascent to Castel del Monte, Matthew Dodd (INEOS Grenadiers Academy), Marco Martini (Technipes #inEmiliaRomagna Caffè Borbone) and Jesper Stiansen (Tudor U23) managed to break clear, building an advantage of up to one minute over the Maglia Rosa group.
For a few kilometres, Kevin Biehl (General Store-Essegibi-F.lli Curia), Roei Edinger (NSN Development), Sander Granberg (Drali-Repsol), Sebastian Grindley (Lidl-Trek Future Racing) and Moritz Mauss (UAE Team Emirates GenZ) also tried to bridge across, but they were reeled in on the lower slopes of the second ascent to Castel del Monte. There, Dodd went all in, dropping Martini and Stiansen and dreaming of pulling off another upset against the peloton, which was being driven by Red Bull, Groupama and NSN.
This time, however, too many teams were interested in keeping the race under control, and Dodd was forced to surrender with five kilometres remaining. The finale was chaotic and disorganised, with no team truly able to set up the sprint. Nicolò Pizzi tried to take advantage, launching his move right under the flamme rouge. Victory seemed within his grasp, but Fiorin emerged from the bunch with a devastating burst, latched onto Pizzi’s wheel and swept past him in the final 20 metres, securing a memorable victory for himself and his team.
