Tirreno-Adriatico
9-15 March
1,166km
ItalyA key preparation race for the Classics and Grand Tours, Tirreno-Adriatico is where riders look to test their form ahead of the major races, with the route often lending itself to a variety of rider types. A prestigious race in its own right, the ‘Race of the Two Seas’ is second only to the Giro d’Italia when it comes to Italian stage races, with both races being organised by RCS Sport.Though winning this race is far from a guarantee of success later in the season, it is certainly the mark of a strong rider, as Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, Primož Roglič and Simon Yates have all won the general classification here in recent editions. Last year, Juan Ayuso secured the coveted trident trophy and maglia azzurra, as he took the overall victory, but the Spaniard will not be in attendance to defend his title in 2026. Here’s everything to look out for at this year’s race.
Classics specialists clash ahead of Milan-San RemoSandwiched amongst the Spring Classics, Tirreno-Adriatico is often used by many of the top riders as preparation ahead of the major one-day races. This year’s race is no exception, with Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Filippo Ganna and Julian Alaphilippe all in attendance as they prepare for the first Monument of the season, with Milan-San Remo less than two weeks away. We can certainly expect to see some of them mixing it up on stages 2 and 4, which should lend themselves to the more versatile riders in the bunch. Ganna won stage one's time trial.
