Bulgaria celebrates major sporting milestone

The 2026 Giro d’Italia will open on May 8, 2026, with a 156-km stage from Nessebar to Burgas, as announced at the official presentation of the route at the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone in Rome.

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, Tourism Minister Miroslav Borshosh and Youth and Sports Minister Ivan Peshev attended the presentation, CE Report quotes BTA.

Bulgaria will host the start of the Giro d’Italia for the first time. The country will stage the first three of a total of 21 stages, with participants set to cover over 600 km from Nessebar to Sofia. The Grande Partenza, the traditional start of one of cycling’s three Grand Tours, will take place on May 8 in Nessebar. The second stage on Bulgarian territory will be held the following day, covering 220 km from Burgas to Veliko Tarnovo and crossing the Balkan Mountains. The third and final stage in Bulgaria will be run on May 10, from Plovdiv to Sofia, also 220 km long.

According to Borshosh, the Giro already has two winners, Italy and Bulgaria. “I have no doubt that with Bulgaria hosting the opening, the Giro d’Italia will be an even more exciting race,” he added.

Minister Peshev said that with its more than 100-year history, the Giro d’Italia has always been a source of inspiration for young people. “Winning the trust of the Italian side was very difficult, but the Bulgarian government is fully committed to the organization of the event,” he noted.

On May 12, the race will move to Italy for the Catanzaro-Cosenza stage, which is 144 km long.

The total distance of the 2026 Giro d’Italia will be 3,459.2 km, with a cumulative elevation gain of 49,150 m.

The Bulgarian Government and Giro d’Italia organizer RCS Sport, assisted by GO Group Consultancy as transaction adviser, have signed an agreement making Bulgaria host of the opening stages of the 2026 edition. Under the deal, the Grande Partenza and the first three stages will cover more than 600 km from Nessebar to Sofia, involve dozens of municipalities and comply with all international technical and safety standards for elite cycling events.

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov has described hosting the start of the Giro d’Italia as a major opportunity to boost Bulgaria’s international visibility and place the country firmly on the global tourism map, while Tourism Minister Miroslav Borshosh and Youth and Sports Minister Ivan Peshev have underlined the government’s full commitment to the organization. The race is one of the world’s most prestigious cycling events, with a history of over a century, a roadside audience of more than 2 million people, television coverage in around 200 countries and an overall economic impact estimated at over EUR 2 billion from tourism, organization and longer-term investment effects.