The China Mail - Cycling's Giro d'Italia to start in Bulgaria in 2026: organisers

It will be the second year running and third time in total that the Giro has begun in the Balkans, having started in Durres, Albania earlier this year and in Athens, Greece in 1996.

"We started last May in Albania, next year it will be from Bulgaria," RCS owner and president Urbano Cairo said on the sidelines of the Festival of Sport organised by the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper, which is also owned by RCS.

"These Grande Partenze abroad have a positive impact, both in the countries we start from and for Italians who discover new territories," added Cairo.

"We energise Italian exports, the Giro is an ambassador of sport throughout the world."

It will be the 16th time that the Giro, which takes place from May 9-31, starts in a foreign country.

Those have become far more frequent since 2010 with seven out of the 16 starts since then taking place abroad, including in Jerusalem in 2018.

Britain's Simon Yates won the Giro in May after a daring solo attack on the penultimate stage in the high mountains allowed him to overcome Mexico's Isaac del Toro and Richard Carapaz of Ecuador.

Y.Su--ThChM