Milano-Torino 2026: preview and favourites of Italy's oldest classic

Milano-Torino 2026: Italy's oldest classic On Wednesday 7 October 2026, the Milano-Torino takes place, a procontinental race linking Milan to Turin. Italy's oldest race returns with a startlist of 145 riders, mixing WorldTour teams and determined Italian squads. The protagonists at the start Among the verified entrants, several big names stand out. UAE Team Emirates - XRG fields Jan Christen (no. 1), Benoît Cosnefroy, Matvei Boldyrev, Adrià Pericas, Enea Sambinello and Kevin Vermaerke. Lidl - Trek responds with Tao Geoghegan Hart, Derek Gee-west, Patrick Konrad, Bauke Mollema, Jacopo Mosca, Sam Oomen and Carlos Verona. EF Education - EasyPost brings Harry Sweeny, Samuele Battistella, Alex Baudin, Markel Beloki, Jefferson Alexander Cepeda and Jardi Christiaan Van Der Lee. Among Italian teams, Bardiani CSF 7 Saber lines up Luca Covili, Martin Santiago Herreño, Luca Paletti, Manuele Tarozzi, Alex Tolio, Filippo Turconi and Matteo Turconi; Biesse - Carrera - Premac with Mirko Carminati, Renato Favero, Stefano Leali, Alessandro Milesi, Cristian Sanfilippo, Nicholas Travella and Nicola Zumsteg. Caja Rural - Seguros RGA fields Julen Arriolabengoa, Abel Balderstone, Sebastian Berwick, Joan Bou, Jan Castellon, José Félix Parra and Eduard Prades; Cofidis relies on Simon Carr, Valentin Ferron, Yaël Joalland, Jamie Meehan, Sylvain Moniquet, Paul Ourselin and Edoardo Zamperini; Lotto Intermarché on Kamiel Eeman and Simone Gualdi. The protagonists' season The most significant result comes from Giulio Pellizzari: he finished 4th at Milano-Torino, a notable placing in this very race, to which he adds 1st at the Giro della Toscana - Memorial Alfredo Martini, 2nd at the Memorial Marco Pantani and 6th at the Gran Premio città di Peccioli - Coppa Sabatini. Tom Pidcock took 1st at the GP Industria e Artigianato, 4th at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, 6th at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal and 7th at the Road World Championships. Benoît Cosnefroy won the Coppa Sabatini, was 3rd at the Trofeo Matteotti and 4th at the Lotto Grand Prix de Wallonie. Alessandro Fancellu finished 9th at Milano-Torino, 6th at the Giro di Campania and 5th at the Giro della Toscana. Jan Christen was 11th at Milano-Torino and 7th at the Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa, with a notable placing at the Tour de Pologne (stage 5). Markel Beloki took 15th at Milano-Torino, plus placings at the Tour de l'Ain (stage 2) and the Vuelta a Burgos. Alex Baudin shone at the Tour de France 2026 (stage 9) and took 6th at La Flèche Wallonne, while Alberto Bettiol won a stage at the Giro d'Italia 2026 (stage 13). Davide Ballerini won a stage at the Giro d'Italia 2026 (stage 6). Sebastian Berwick finished 7th at Milano-Torino and showed good climbing form at the Arctic Race of Norway and the Tour of Slovenia. Natnael Tesfatsion won the Circuito de Getxo - Memorial Hermanos Otxoa and was 4th at the Trofeo Matteotti. The most curious fact is that three entrants have already achieved a notable placing at Milano-Torino: Giulio Pellizzari (4th), Alessandro Fancellu (9th) and Jan Christen (11th) — source: entrants' results history. The favourites In light of the results, Giulio Pellizzari starts with the best credentials: he is the only entrant to have achieved a top placing in Milano-Torino itself (4th) and boasts a win at the Giro della Toscana. Tom Pidcock is the other reference name, with a hard-finish profile confirmed by his Canadian placings and his GP Industria e Artigianato victory. Benoît Cosnefroy comes off a won Coppa Sabatini and a series of excellent placings on short climbs, ideal for the race finale. Among possible surprises, Alex Baudin (EF) has shown interesting form at the Tour and at La Flèche Wallonne; Jan Christen (UAE) comes off a notable placing at Milano-Torino and a consistent season; Natnael Tesfatsion has already won at the Circuito de Getxo. Also watch Sebastian Berwick (Caja Rural), 7th in the last Milano-Torino. The startlist sees a clear confrontation between the big WorldTour teams (UAE, Lidl-Trek, EF) and the Italian (Bardiani, Biesse) and Spanish (Caja Rural) squads, ready to seize any opportunity. The race promises to be selective and open to multiple scenarios.