When the race reaches Marche, the riders’ legs begin to suffer. The stage of the Marche walls has now become a staple of both Tirreno Adriatico and the Giro d’Italia, and in 2026 the Race of the Two Seas features not just one, but two of them, both set to be decisive for the general classification. The first comes in Stage 5, from Marotta–Mondolfo to Mombaroccio, over 184 kilometers.
The stage features not a single meter of flat road, with a total of 3,900 meters of elevation gain and very little time to catch your breath. One after another, the riders tackle the climbs around the Metauro River, including Villa del Monte (1.7 km at 8.9%) and Monterolo (3.4 km at 8.6%), neither classified as KOMs, before taking on Monte delle Cesane (7.2 km at 7%, with ramps up to 15% in the opening section).
The route then passes through Saltara (1.9 km at 4.7%), Cartoceto (2.4 km at 6.5%) and Monte della Mattera (6.5 km at 5%) before reaching Mombaroccio, where a 21.6 km circuit begins, to be repeated twice.
The loop features several ups and downs, including the ramps of Villagrande (570 meters at 11.2%) and Cuccurano (1.6 km at 5%), but the key point is the climb to the Santuario del Beato Sante (4.2 km at 6.2%, with the final 1,200 meters at 9%), which will be crested for the second time 1.5 km from the finish. Even the final 300 meters to the line kick up again, setting the stage for a dramatic finale in a stage that is almost certain to produce major gaps.
Anyone aiming to win Tirreno Adriatico 2026 must be ready here. The battle resumes between the new Maglia Azzurra Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull–Bora–hansgrohe) and Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates–XRG), but while those two mark each other, someone else could well emerge.
Primož Roglič (Red Bull–Bora–hansgrohe), quietly sitting third in the general classification, will be one to watch, along with Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), Ben Healy (EF Education–EasyPost), Giulio Ciccone (Lidl–Trek) and Clément Champoussin (XDS Astana). Among those disappointed yesterday, riders such as Santiago Buitrago and Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), Michael Storer (Tudor), Magnus Sheffield and Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) will be eager to play a role.
The stage looks a bit too tough for Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin–Premier Tech) and Wout Van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike), but you can never completely rule them out.
Tirreno Adriatico 2026, Stage 5: 184 km
Start: 10:40 a.m.
KM 0: 10:55 a.m.
LIVE coverage begins: 9:45 a.m.
Estimated 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 Rai2 and on RaiPlay from 1:05 to 4:05), as well as on HBO Max, Discovery+, and the Eurosport channels.
