Among all the stages of Tirreno Adriatico 2026, today’s Stage 4 finishing in Martinsicuro is the hardest to interpret, as the profile opens the door to several types of riders: attackers, sprinters and even the GC contenders. What is certain is that for the third consecutive day the distance will go beyond 200 kilometres, with 213 km from Tagliacozzo to Martinsicuro. A solid test for riders preparing for the long distances of Milano Sanremo, perhaps a little less welcome for the others
Tirreno Adriatico 2026, Stage 4: route, favourites and TV coverage
The Route of Stage 4
From Tagliacozzo the stage heads toward the climbs of Ovindoli (10.6 km at 5.3%) and the Valico delle Capannelle (HC, 12.8 km at 4.6%). After a long descent toward Teramo, the final 55 kilometres begin, marked by a sequence of climbs and short, punchy ramps.
The riders will tackle Castellalto (7.5 km at 4.6%) and Mosciano Sant’Angelo (3.1 km at 3.8%), which will host the intermediate sprint, before the key point of the finale: the wall of Tortoreto via Badetta, 12 kilometres from the finish (1.6 km at 8.4% with ramps up to 20%). From there the riders plunge into a descent that leads to the final 8 flat kilometres along the seafront in Martinsicuro.
The Favourites
Among all the stages, this is the hardest to read. The scenario of a large breakaway going all the way is more than possible, but much will depend on who decides to move and how they do it. Jump into a long-range attack or have the team control the race and keep it together? A real dilemma.
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin Premier Tech) and Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) could certainly be in the mix, and perhaps also Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), who effectively dropped out of GC yesterday (did he do it deliberately?). In any case, all the teams without a rider high on the overall standings could try to place a representative in the break.
If the race instead stays together into the finale, watch out for the change of pace from Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates XRG), or the fast finish of riders like Andrea Vendrame (Jayco AlUla) and Andreas Kron (Uno X Mobility).
Tirreno Adriatico 2026, Stage 4: schedule and TV coverage
Tirreno Adriatico 2026, Stage 4: 213 km
Start: 10:15 a.m.
KM 0: 10:20 a.m.
LIVE coverage begins: 9:45 a.m.
Expected finish: around 3:45 p.m.
TV: In Italy the race is broadcast on RAI channels and streamed on RaiPlay (from 3:00 to 3:50 on Rai 2 and on RaiPlay from 1:05 to 4:05), as well as on the platforms HBO Max and Discovery+ and on the channels of Eurosport.
