Gran Piemonte 2026: preview and favourites

Gran Piemonte 2026: ready in Turin On Thursday 8 October 2026, the Gran Piemonte takes place, a procontinental race based in Turin. The event closes the Italian road calendar and, as tradition dictates, offers a test for riders in form at the end of the season. The Gran Piemonte is held in Turin, a city that has hosted numerous starts and finishes of Giro d'Italia stages — source: OFFICIAL RACE DATA. The protagonists expected at the start The verified entry list includes four names: Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana Team), Mikkel Frølich Honoré (EF Education - EasyPost), Ramses Debruyne (Alpecin - Premier Tech) and Dario Igor Belletta (Team Polti VisitMalta). Bettiol, winner of a Giro d'Italia 2026 stage, brings experience and punch on rolling courses. Honoré has had a consistent season, with placings in one-day and stage races. Debruyne, coming off a high-level Vuelta 2026, is the most in-form name in the field. Belletta, with no history on the platform, is the unknown quantity. The protagonists' season Starting with the most recent results, Ramses Debruyne finished the 2026 Vuelta Ciclista a España with a series of notable placings: 3rd on stage 21, 3rd on stage 20, 4th on stage 15 and 3rd on stage 6. Previously he was 5th in a stage of the 2026 Tour de France. Debruyne achieved placings in four different stages of the 2026 Vuelta — source: RIDER RESULTS HISTORY. Mikkel Frølich Honoré took 2nd in a stage of the 2026 Skoda Tour de Luxembourg, 3rd at the Memorial Marco Pantani and 6th at the Giro della Toscana - Memorial Alfredo Martini. A classics profile, suited to rolling finales. Alberto Bettiol claimed 1st in a stage of the 2026 Giro d'Italia, plus a 6th and an 8th in stages of the Tour de Pologne. His 36th place at Dwars door Vlaanderen - A travers la Flandre completes the picture. His most recent results date back to August. Dario Igor Belletta has no results recorded in the provided history: it is impossible to assess his form. The favourites for victory In light of the data, Ramses Debruyne is the main favourite: his Vuelta finale with four top placings makes him the man to beat. Mikkel Frølich Honoré is the most credible alternative, thanks to his aptitude for one-day races. Alberto Bettiol completes the trio of favourites, with the experience needed to join breakaways or contest the finale. Dario Igor Belletta remains a complete unknown. With such a small entry list, the race could be decided by tight marking and team tactics rather than a large group.