Giro 2026: Team Pulls Out – Shock Decision

Decision of Cofidis

Cofidis has a Pro license this season after relegation in the UCI points cycle 2023-2025. Despite this status, the team had collected enough points to gain automatic access to all WorldTour races, including the Giro.

However, the Italian stage race was deliberately removed from the programme. The absence of the race in the team’s official calendar was already an indication, after which internal sources confirmed to Cycling Pro that Cofidis will not appear at the start.

The 2026 Giro runs from May 8 to 31, with a start in Bulgaria and a finish in Rome. Cofidis’ decision automatically creates an extra place for another Pro team.

Consequences for the starting list

According to UCI rules, 23 teams will appear at the start. The 18 WorldTour teams are assured of participation, as are Tudor Pro Cycling and Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team. The withdrawal of Cofidis allows organizer RCS Sport to select three other Pro teams.

Two Italian teams almost automatically come into the picture: Bardiani CSF 7 Saber and Polti VisitMalta, the only Italian teams with a UCI license that are eligible for a wild card. Solution Tech NIPPO Rali is eliminated because it did not finish in the top 30 of the UCI rankings in 2025.

The vacated place can go to other interested Pro teams. TotalEnergies is a logical candidate, given previous participations and the strong ranking among teams without automatic invitation in 2025. There is also the option of Unibet Rose Rockets, a relatively new project that recently strengthened itself with riders such as Dylan Groenewegen, Victor Lafay and Wout Poels. Their growing core makes them a serious candidate.

Other possible choices include Spanish formations such as Caja Rural‑Seguros RGA, Burgos Burpellet BH and Equipo Kern Pharma. However, it is expected that these teams will mainly focus on the Vuelta a España, which makes participation in the Giro seem less likely.