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February 25, 2026
30th Giro di Sardegna 2026 🇮🇹 (2.1) ME – Stage 1 – Castelsardo – Bosa : 189,8 km
The Giro di Sardegna is a UCI 2.1 category event that typically consists of five stages.
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February 25, 2026
30th Giro di Sardegna 2026 🇮🇹 (2.1) ME – Stage 1 – Castelsardo – Bosa : 189,8 km
The Giro di Sardegna is a UCI 2.1 category event that typically consists of five stages. After being absent from the professional calendar since 2011, it was officially revived for the 2026 season under the organization of GS Emilia. The race is known for its rolling terrain, coastal winds, and punchy climbs that suit versatile riders and classics specialists rather than pure sprinters or pure climbers.
Nicolò Garibbo delivered a major surprise to outpower two Soudal-QuickStep rivals on the hilly stage 1 of the newly revived Giro di Sardegna, and claim a major win for Continental squad UKYO against his WorldTour rivals.
In a drawn-out four-way sprint in Bosa, Garibbo narrowly defeated former Italian Champion Filippo Zana, with Urko Berrade (Kern Pharma) completing the day’s podium ahead of Zana’s Soudal teammate Gianmarco Garofoli in fourth.
The quartet of attackers formed on the hilly middle section of the 189 section, passing a four-man earlier break and going on to battle it out of the day’s honours almost a minute ahead of a loosely formed peloton of some 40 riders
Zana and Garofoli did their utmost to shed their two rivals in the closing kilometre, but Garibbo handled the situation well then just outpaced Zana to claim the first professional win of his career against notably superior odds.
“It’s unbelievable, I didn’t have good feelings in the start, in the climb I felt better, I tried to attack several times, on the hardest climb I was close to the first riders, but I preferred to wait with the other riders,” Garibbo said.
“Then when Garofoli attacked I followed him, and I don’t have words to express what happened. It’s a win I dreamed of every day during the winter training, I try to do my best because i wanted to increase my level and in the past I had many problems, but now I want to show what I can do. I’m very happy for the team and they believed in me, we did a great job – incredible.”
How it unfolded
Back on the calendar for the first time since Peter Sagan won in 2011 and counting on the island’s most famous pro of recent years, 2015 Vuelta a España winner Fabio Aru, among the new race organisation, the race set out on Wednesday for a 189.8km opening stage from Castelsardo to Bosa.
Five riders made a move early on in the rugged first half running down the western side of Sardinia on a warm Wednesday afternoon: Roberto Carlos González
(Solution Tech NIPPO Rali), Cristian Remelli (General Store – Essegibi – F.Lli Curia), Hamish Armitt (Novo Nordisk), Philipp Hofbauer (Novo Nordisk) and Matteo Spreafico (Mg.K Vis Costruzioni e Ambiente).
González picked up maximum points in the first two climbs, the Osilo and the Ossi to stake an early claim in the mountains competition whilst Soudal-QuickStep took a nominal command of the pursuit in the peloton.
The wildly uneven slopes of the third and final ascent, the Vilanove Monteleone, proved too much for Spreafico, in any case, whilst an acceleration by former Giro d’Italia Alpine stage winner Zana (Soudal-QuickStep) shattered what was left of the chasing peloton.
Visibly the strongest rider on the day, Zana’s move put paid to the bulk of the break on the long descent off the Vilanove, with only Remelli and González able to hang on.
Results :
 ME - Stage 1 </strong> - Castelsardo - Bosa : 189,8 km
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The Giro di Sardegna is a UCI 2.1 category event that typically consists of five stages. After being absent from the professional calendar since 2011, it was officially revived for the 2026 season under the organization of GS Emilia. The race is known for its rolling terrain, coastal winds, and punchy climbs that suit versatile riders and classics specialists rather than pure sprinters or pure climbers.
Nicolò Garibbo delivered a major surprise to outpower two Soudal-QuickStep rivals on the hilly stage 1 of the newly revived Giro di Sardegna, and claim a major win for Continental squad UKYO against his WorldTour rivals.
In a drawn-out four-way sprint in Bosa, Garibbo narrowly defeated former Italian Champion Filippo Zana, with Urko Berrade (Kern Pharma) completing the day's podium ahead of Zana's Soudal teammate Gianmarco Garofoli in fourth.
The quartet of attackers formed on the hilly middle section of the 189 section, passing a four-man earlier break and going on to battle it out of the day's honours almost a minute ahead of a loosely formed peloton of some 40 riders
Zana and Garofoli did their utmost to shed their two rivals in the closing kilometre, but Garibbo handled the situation well then just outpaced Zana to claim the first professional win of his career against notably superior odds.
"It's unbelievable, I didn't have good feelings in the start, in the climb I felt better, I tried to attack several times, on the hardest climb I was close to the first riders, but I preferred to wait with the other riders," Garibbo said.
"Then when Garofoli attacked I followed him, and I don't have words to express what happened. It's a win I dreamed of every day during the winter training, I try to do my best because i wanted to increase my level and in the past I had many problems, but now I want to show what I can do. I'm very happy for the team and they believed in me, we did a great job - incredible."
<strong>How it unfolded</strong>
Back on the calendar for the first time since Peter Sagan won in 2011 and counting on the island's most famous pro of recent years, 2015 Vuelta a España winner Fabio Aru, among the new race organisation, the race set out on Wednesday for a 189.8km opening stage from Castelsardo to Bosa.
Five riders made a move early on in the rugged first half running down the western side of Sardinia on a warm Wednesday afternoon: Roberto Carlos González
(Solution Tech NIPPO Rali), Cristian Remelli (General Store - Essegibi - F.Lli Curia), Hamish Armitt (Novo Nordisk), Philipp Hofbauer (Novo Nordisk) and Matteo Spreafico (Mg.K Vis Costruzioni e Ambiente).
González picked up maximum points in the first two climbs, the Osilo and the Ossi to stake an early claim in the mountains competition whilst Soudal-QuickStep took a nominal command of the pursuit in the peloton.
The wildly uneven slopes of the third and final ascent, the Vilanove Monteleone, proved too much for Spreafico, in any case, whilst an acceleration by former Giro d'Italia Alpine stage winner Zana (Soudal-QuickStep) shattered what was left of the chasing peloton.
Visibly the strongest rider on the day, Zana's move put paid to the bulk of the break on the long descent off the Vilanove, with only Remelli and González able to hang on.
<strong>Results : </strong>
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