Welcome to the Giro-E Enel 2026! Now in its eighth edition, the Giro-E has become a permanent fixture on the calendar. It’s been a thrilling ride ever since the pioneering and poetic ‘zero’ edition of 2018, which Giro-E director Roberto Salvador organised largely by himself. Already back then, it was an event that was truly forward-looking.
But let’s get back to the present day. The Giro-E is an exclusive e-bike experience run by RCS Sports & Events which has had the same title sponsor since day one: Italian energy company Enel. Held on the same roads and the same days as the Giro d’Italia, it is the first and only stage race for pedal-assisted bikes in the world and has established itself as a veritable Grand Tour in its own right.
The 2026 edition will see the involvement of 29 teams: 16 Official Teams taking part in every stage, plus 13 Daily Teams who will participate in just one or several stages. There will be a total of 18 stages between now and 31 May, starting in Amantea and finishing in Rome, covering 1,091 kilometres and 20,450 metres of elevation – four times the height of Mont Blanc.
Alongside the many guests who make up a distinguished group worthy of a Grand Tour are various cycling stars who, from the start, have helped to boost the appeal and the success of this event. Participants will be able to chat and ride – on roads closed to the public – with icons such as Gianni Bugno (Valsir), Claudio Chiappucci (Regina), Igor Astarloa (Valsir), Damiano Cunego (Continental) and Andrea Tafi (Autostrade per l’Italia), together with former pros Marta Bastianelli (Tudor), Marco Canola (Virgin Active) and, for the first time at the Giro-E, Giacomo Nizzolo (RCS Sports & Events). An extraordinary experience for any fan.
The team captains meanwhile contribute to the soul of the Giro-E Enel and include the likes of TV presenter Justine Mattera (Enel), Amedeo Tabini (Citroën, involved since the first stage of the ‘zero’ edition in 2018), Emiliano Cantagallo (Sara Assicurazioni), Lello Ferrara (Italia.it), para-cyclist and triathlete Andrea Pusateri (Rovagnati), musician and producer Davide Ferrario (ETJCA TicketOne), DJ Federico Scavo, and journalist and presenter Stefania Andriola (RCS Sport).
The Giro-E Enel bikes may come equipped with motors and batteries but there is still plenty of leg work for the participants. The first and third weeks are especially challenging in terms of elevation (7,600 and 7,700 metres, respectively), with some five-star mountain stages such as Roccaraso-Blockhaus, Sasso Marconi-Corno alle Scale, Agordo-Alleghe and San Daniele del Friuli-Piancavallo. The stage finishing in Alleghe will be the toughest of the lot, with 2,700 of climbing in just 66 kilometres.
However, there will also be some much easier stages, like Pompei-Naples (stage 3, not exactly a cruise but the most picturesque), Forte dei Marmi-Massa (under 30 kilometres), the finish in Milan (the 90th Giro stage finish – a record), and the grand finale in Rome.
Prior to the start of the Giro-E, the Green Fun Village was inaugurated in Catanzaro on 9 and 10 May, when the Teams Presentation also took place. This opening ceremony – borrowed from the Giro d’Italia – brought all the captains, team managers and pedal-assisted bikes onto the stage ahead of the Giro-E Enel 2026. After the presentation on Lungomare Stefano Pugliese, the captains jumped on their bikes for a sunset parade through the streets of Catanzaro – a brief teaser of the poetry that awaits from today on the roads of Italy. A thrilling journey in the name of sustainability.
Stage 1 begins in Amantea, near Cosenza in the south of Italy. The town boasts a rich history dating back to the Magna Graecia era. Conquered by the Arabs in the 9th century, it was renamed Al-Mantiah (The Fortress) and has kept the name ever since. In 1861 it became a municipality of the Kingdom of Italy and in 1973 a city. Amantea’s coat of arms is a blue shield with a gold tower, symbolising the hilltop medieval village it once was. The old town, which clings to the cliff face of the castle, is well worth a visit, if only for the stunning view of the Tyrrhenian Sea stretching all the way to Stromboli. Here it seems time stands still. It was only in the 1950s that the modern part of the city began to expand down to the sea. The Byzantine port is also worth seeing. Two delicacies you simply must try are the dried dark and white chocolate figs and Bucconotto, a typical boat-shaped cake covered in chocolate, spices and other secret ingredients.
