Fantasy Game Tips - Giro d'Italia 2026
This is your guide to selecting the best riders for your fantasy games during Giro d'Italia 2026. A longread with all you need to know about riders. Tom and Thomas (CyclingOracle podcast) pick their favourite fantasy-game rider from each participating team.
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Alpecin - Deceuninck
Tom: “Kaden Groves then. Despite his knee issues, he still seems to be a very reliable points machine in Grand Tours. Just look at the numbers; if he starts, he never really disappoints. Plus: the whole team rides for him. I can imagine people leaving him out because of his spring campaign (I was disappointed too), but I would still seriously consider him.”
Thomas: “I agree with Tom: virtually everyone here rides in support of Groves, which makes it hard to name anyone else. Normally Jensen Plowright is Groves’ lead-out and, with his fast finish and climbing ability (see Paris-Nice 2026), he could step in for Groves a few times. If you think that is too risky and you really want the cheapest category, then Edward Planckaert is your man. He rode a lovely Vuelta last year in support of Philipsen and is always present in Grand Tours. He can sprint from a small group, has a good nose for the right breakaway, and excellent race sense. He will almost certainly justify his price, but he does take up a spot.”
Bardiani CSF 7 Saber
Tom: “It is not much to write home about at Bardiani, but if I have to choose, I’d point to their 28-year-old sprinter: Enrico Zanoncello. Don’t expect miracles, but do expect a few top finishes.”
Thomas: “We’re likely to get this a few more times: the grass has been cut away from under our feet. They may be nice guys, but there is nobody here I would consider taking. If, for some reason, you absolutely need one Bardiani rider besides Zanoncello, I would go for breakaway king and KOM collector Manuele Tarozzi.”
Decathlon CMA CGM Team
Tom: “Felix Gall. A little boring maybe, but Gall is very steady and has built everything around this Giro. Last year he did the Tour-Vuelta double and finished impressively twice in the top 10: 5th in the Tour and 8th in the Vuelta. This season he has also been very consistent, with 5th in the UAE Tour and 6th in Catalonia. On top of that, there are possible team points from sprint leader Lund Andresen. Only doubt: apart from the 2023 Tour (8th, stage win), Gall has never scored more than 300 points. Without sprints and without a good TT, his price is a headache.”
Thomas: “The other big name in the squad is Tobias Lund Andresen. He moved from Picnic to Decathlon in the winter and that certainly paid off. He has been strong since January, stacking wins and podiums as if it’s nothing. Add to that a young Dane with a good train and decent climbing legs, and it is pretty clear: this should bring points. Two drawbacks: he is expensive, and the question is whether he can carry his spring form fully into May after his schedule was heavily reshuffled. In terms of profile and ability, he matches a good Groves: perhaps it makes sense to pick between those two sprinters to preserve some budget.”
EF Education - EasyPost
Tom: “Choose nobody.”
Thomas: “I agree with that advice, but I’ll still throw the team leaders a small bone. There are rumours that Madis Mihkels (with Albanese as lead-out) has been called up as a replacement for Carapaz; for a million or less I would definitely take this fast man. Beyond that, there isn’t much to get excited about, although Michael Valgren has shown nice things in Italy and Samuele Battistella remains an oddball who should make a few breakaways.”
Groupama - FDJ - United
Tom: “Paul Penhoët. The French team’s sprinter. Not a true star, but a handy filler. He is often still there when the hills come into play.”
Thomas: “A classic Groupama ensemble: basically just nothing special. Besides the well-priced Penhoët, it is mostly about gambling on riders who can score from breakaways. If that is your plan, Brieuc Rolland is a nice option, provided he can match his Vuelta 2025 performances. If you want more certainty, then the French former TGV, Rémi Cavagna, with his ITT points, is your man.”
Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team
Tom: “Egan Bernal. Very reasonably priced for this Giro, so you can hardly ignore him. He was 7th in last year’s Giro and somewhat disappointing 17th in the Vuelta, though there he attacked until he got his coveted stage win. No, he is no longer the Bernal of the 2019 Tour, but he is fun and aggressive. And the form is there, judging by his 2nd place in the Tour of the Alps and 5th place in Liège–Bastogne–Liège.”
Thomas: “A very interesting team this year, INEOS. Besides Bernal, there is Thymen Arensman, another rider with GC ambitions on the start line. I expect him to land a top-ten in the standings, but I find him too expensive for my selection. The same goes for Ganna, who will probably win the ITT but will always cause headaches when building stage selections. My clearest pick at INEOS is Ben Turner, who is nicely priced and should simply sprint top ten a number of times. Finally, I see Magnus Sheffield as a great differentiator. He is well priced, has a superb time trial, and impressed in Tirreno. He can also score plenty from breakaways. The only question is how well he has recovered from his crash in the Tour of Flanders, but a fit Sheffield is capable of a lot.”
Team Jayco AlUla
Tom: “Ben O’Connor for 2M is basically a bargain. A bit of a Bernal type: if the GC does not work out, he’ll go on the attack. Then you get your money back quite easily. Still, I can imagine that you are looking for higher peaks, and there are definitely more interesting choices.”
Thomas: “Pascal Ackermann is the designated sprinter, but I would happily leave him out because of the price-to-quality ratio. In my view, Andrea Vendrame has the highest points potential at Jayco alongside O’Connor. Normally he can score plenty in the tougher sprint stages and the less selective breakaway stages. The extra advantage is that, in a year where he has already put together some nice results, he is now priced very cheaply. He has caused a lot of pain to managers in the past, but the law of Zwet may also produce something nice here.”
Lotto Intermarché
Tom: “I would really like to say Arnaud De Lie. But Lotto has now shown for several seasons in a row that they are not the right environment for this bull. And once again this is the case. A ruined spring, and then suddenly they bring him to the Giro. We immediately know it will only be for 7 to 10 days. That is not a plan, that is shoddy work. That doesn’t change the fact that De Lie has serious class, which he showed again this weekend in the Famenne Ardenne Classic.”
Thomas: “So, have you said Arnaud De Lie or not? Personally, I would not dare to take this fickle, overpriced rider; it is up to him to prove me wrong. I’ll mention Lennert van Eetvelt too, another Belgian talent who seems to be suffering from mismanagement at Lotto. He has shown very nice things in the past, and his talent is undeniable. Still, 2026 has again been marked by crashes and difficult-to-read ailments, so even after a disappointing Liège he will not be a popular pick. The team is tempering expectations, but I do still see some build-up since early April. He could again be a huge disappointment, but he is not expensive and is the kind of rider who can make a difference in your lineup in a positive way.”
Lild-Trek
Tom: “He said he will never ride for GC again. And honestly, that only makes him more attractive. I’m talking about Giulio Ciccone. This true Italian is at his best when going for stage wins and the mountains jersey. And then he’ll naturally still end up reasonably high on GC. Add Milan’s team points and you have a more than solid pick in Ciccone.”
Thomas: “Jonathan Milan, without a doubt. The powerful Italian has been a bit shaky on uphill roads so far this year, but I expect him to be there in his Giro. He will go full gas for the purple jersey and is the top favourite in the flat sprints, starting with the lucrative opening stage. He has enough support around him, so it should all work out. For me, he is a must-have and went straight into my team and will not leave it.”
Movistar Team
Tom: “Einer Rubio is always good in the Giro. The last 3 years: 11th, 7th and 8th. And always more points than his current price suggests. With Rubio, you can hardly go wrong, though I also understand choosing other options. A Bernal and Buitrago are strong rivals in the same price range.”
Thomas: “I think Enric Mas and Orluis Aular are overpriced this year. For Mas, based on his results this year, there is basically no reason to consider him at all. For Aular, last year’s results still weigh too heavily, even though they came on a course that suited him very well. Movistar’s gem is Javier Romo. The former triathlete fits the cheapest category, is not afraid of attacking, and has shown in the Basque Country that the form is there. A lovely filler, in my view.”
NSN Cycling Team
Tom: “If you are looking for a cheap GC gamble, you should look at Alessandro Pinarello. The 22-year-old Italian impressed at O Gran Camiño with a stage win, five top-ten places, 3rd overall, and wins in the mountains and points classifications. Yes, Alessandro has certainly caught the attention of cycling followers. His 58th place in Liège did disappoint a bit, though.”
Thomas: “Vernon, what about Vernon? A very difficult choice. He had been in my list for a very long time, then got dropped, but now is back again. The young Brit is in good shape, will undoubtedly want to compete for the points jersey, and has a very good sprint. He had been dropped because of speculation about the very in-form Corbin Strong for the tougher stages. Still, after looking again at his sprints in the Loire, he gets the benefit of the doubt for now. That doubt will probably last until Friday...”
Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
Tom: “Then Chris Harper, I guess. An attacker who might win a stage with a bit of luck, just like last year’s Giro. But honestly: I do not think there is much to get excited about here.”
Thomas: “I agree. Matteo Moschetti is a decent sprinter in Italy but, in my opinion, he is priced one category too high. He can show unexpected strength, but in Grand Tours he has never really proven it. It seems those stages are just a little too hard for him, so he never quite gets back to a true top sprint. He can prove me wrong, but he will not make my team, nor will the rest of Pinarello.”
Team Polti VisitMalta
Tom: “Giovanni Lonardi is a decent filler sprinter, but for 1M there are better options, and even cheaper alternatives are available.”
Thomas: “Pretty much the same story as Bardiani: I find Lonardi overpriced, so he is also out of my selection. That also applies to the rest of the Polti-Maltese squad, though I do want to give them credit for selecting Andrea Mifsud, the first Maltese rider ever in the Giro. Still, not a team to spend too long looking at for selection purposes. If you really want someone from this lineup, I would go for Ludovico Crescioli. Besides his great name, he is a young Italian who recently showed that his form is in good shape.”
Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe
Tom: “Giulio Pellizzari seems obvious, but I am going for shadow leader Jai Hindley. The experienced Australian knows what it is to win in Italy (Giro 2022) and showed again in last year’s Vuelta that he can peak well with a 4th place. He has not shown good results this season, but his 16th place in Liège gives hope. I think he will just be there. Extra nice are the possible team points from teammate Giulio’s white jersey.”
Thomas: “Hindley is a question mark for me, although the balance is now shifting somewhat toward ‘take him’: results in 2026 were seemingly disappointing, but in all those stage races he did have a captain ahead of him. That will also be the case with Pellizzari, although they will never abandon Hindley’s GC hopes in advance. Giulio Pellizzari is a real must-have for pools. I do not think he will win this Giro, and a podium would already be a very strong result, but with his sharp finishing kick and bonus points for the youth classification, you simply cannot ignore Giulio.”
Soudal Quick-Step
Tom: “Filippo Zana. With team leader Mikel Landa out, the road is open for Zana. The 27-year-old Italian moved from Jayco this year and that seems to have suited him well. He won the overall classification at the Tour of Sardinia and showed with 12th in the Flèche Wallonne and 10th in Liège that he is on track for the Giro. Andiamo Pipo!”
Thomas: “That was clever; let me say a bit about Paul Magnier. And yes, there is a lot to say. The young Frenchman is extremely fast, scored one after another on PCS last autumn, and is seen as one of the (future) top sprinters. Still, there is doubt, especially because of his poor Giro 2025 and disappointing spring classics results. That doubt is understandable, although in many races (Omloop, Kuurne, Tirreno) there are also good excuses. My crystal-ball take: I think Magnier will be there in this Giro and that the Belgian veterans Stuyven and Van Gestel will bring him into a few nice sprints. Whether he fits in my team is another matter, but he will definitely be a differentiator.”
Bahrain - Victorious
Tom: “You can safely compare Santiago Buitrago with Einer Rubio: very steady, but also not very sexy. Buitrago has the advantage of a better kick, while Rubio often finishes a bit higher in the final standings. The 26-year-old Buitrago has already won 2 stages in the Giro and is undoubtedly a very solid choice for your team.”
Thomas: “With Govekar absent, Edoardo Zambanini seems to be Bahrain’s fastest man. I would not read too much into that, as it is still very uncertain whether he will also contest the flat sprints successfully, and he is also a rider who can create plenty of headaches in stage selections. As mentioned, I have a lot of faith in Buitrago; surely it has to come out one day. I think Caruso is priced just a category too high. He deserves it in his last (?) year, but I am not going to touch that. My gem in the team: Afonso Eulálio.”
Team Picnic-PostNL
Tom: “Max Poole is stumbling from one injury to the next illness, and it is very questionable whether he will even start. A shame, because the kid has real talent. The rest of the team is unfortunately not worth mentioning.”
Thomas: “I really do not believe he will start. Beyond that, we should not really be talking about Picnic, because there seems to be far too much going wrong there at management and sponsorship level. Now that they are even extending the (expensive) Degenkolb contract by a year, I have basically lost all faith. If there is still any hope of a nice Giro result, it is in a stage win for Van Uden (cf. 2025). But if you only get one real sprint chance in a field like Turkey, that does not promise much. In other words: they do not provide me with any team picks for this Giro.”
Tudor Pro Cycling Team
Tom: “Nice team, who should I choose? I’ll go for Mathys Rondel. Open up his 2026 season and you’ll know enough. France has Seixas, but this 22-year-old talent is one too. I’m very curious about his first Grand Tour as a GC rider, because he is allowed to do his own thing alongside the more experienced Michael Storer.”
Thomas: “Michael Storer, and not just because of his birthday. Last year Storer was phenomenal in the Tour of the Alps, after which the Giro turned out a bit disappointing. In the autumn he was then back in top form on Italian roads, with a nice podium in Lombardia as a superb finale. This year he started calmly in the desert and at Tirreno, and in the Tour of the Alps we saw, especially in the final stage, that the form level has already risen quite a lot. I have good hope that he has timed his peak well this year and that he will show his absolute top form in May. He is very reasonably priced and, for me, a pretty safe GC rider in my team.”
Team Visma - Lease a Bike
Tom: “We do not need to discuss Vingegaard, so I’ll go for the Italian Davide Piganzoli. He made the big move from Team Polti to Visma this year and can now put his services to work for leader Vingegaard. For Polti, Piganzoli already finished 13th and 14th in the Giro overall classification, and he is only 23 years old. Plenty of potential. Good for team points too, and if Vingegaard is already solidly in pink, he may sometimes get his own chance.”
Thomas: “Because of the pricing, I can be fairly brief about Visma’s choices this year. I agree with Tom on Piganzoli, worth considering, but not a must-have, and I think Kuss is too expensive and too inconsistent in terms of his own results. The other riders will likely achieve few or no individual results and are therefore too expensive to take as teammates. If you want to speculate on team points, I would look at the much more affordable options at Lidl-Trek.”
UAE Team Emirates - XRG
Tom: “Jay Vine collects DNF’s, but also points. If he stays on his bike, he is a real bargain for 2M. He can climb with the best and is also very good against the clock. Even a good GC result is entirely possible. Conclusion: you really cannot leave Vine out.”
Thomas: “What a wonderful ensemble they have put together again at OE-AA-EE. Mischief and intrigue are absolutely in the air again, but these are all top-class riders. I agree with Tom’s conclusion about my friend Jay Vine, and I also think that Bre’s pregnancy may give a guy like Vine wings. I am also very taken with Yates, the way he casually put Nordhagen a minute behind him in O Gran Camiño and his recent training-race performances give me a very good feeling. He is the leader, and I think he wants and can show his own ability one more time. On request I am also taking a look at the others, and for pool purposes I feel good about the younger Arrieta and the adventurer Soler, and less good about Christen, Morgado and Bjerg (mainly: when do you even use them?). Narváez faces a route with stages that absolutely suit him, but because there is no evidence of form or recovery after his injury, I am leaving him out.”
Unibet Rose Rockets
Tom: “Where everyone is looking at Groenewegen, Lukas Kubis is flying a bit under the radar. His spring was somewhat disappointing, but Kubis has a very tasty sprint that comes out perfectly when it has been hard. And for Groenewegen, it quickly becomes hard…”
Thomas: “Still a Dutch site, so let’s take a look at Groenewegen. All the Rockets’ eggs are on stage success for the sturdy Amsterdammer, and actually I can see that happening. If Groenewegen is positioned well and launched properly, there are very few faster than him. I honestly believe this will happen at some point, but that does not mean I would put him straight into my team. As captain, I do not select him in Grand Tours because of his unpredictability, and he will most likely not ride for the points jersey. Add his weaker climbing legs, and he is not a must-have for this Giro. I am leaning toward the view that he is just one category overpriced, which is a pity because the Rockets still very much deserve success.”
Uno-X Mobility
Tom: “Jonannes Kulset is the man for GC for the Vikings. He is 22 years old and has put everything into this Giro. If you look at his results this year, you will not be immediately impressed, but do not be surprised if he sticks around for a long time.”
Thomas: “Erlend Blikra is the sprinter, but personally I think of him more as a desert sprinter. Nice that he can still debut in a Grand Tour at his age, but I think his price is too high to consider seriously. If I had to choose someone from the Norwegians, I would go for Andreas Leknessund. Nice attacker, good time trial, well priced, and a rider who is great to cheer for: you can’t really go wrong there.”
XDS Astana Team
Tom: “Christian Scaroni is sometimes a bit erratic, but this Italian is exactly the kind of rider you want in your team. He always attacks and keeps an eye on the mountains jersey. He is also in very good shape this year, recently confirming that with 11th in the Flèche Wallonne and especially 8th in Liège. Scaroni, just do it.”
Thomas: “Scaroni is indeed very appealing; you can confidently use him in a lot of transition stages. Beyond that, I am not touching the Malucelli-Ballerini duo at Astana. I find Malucelli, like Blikra, more of a desert sprinter, and for the few chances he gets his price is a bit steep. Ballerini is as inconsistent as the weather, and I personally do not like that in Scorito. I do not know whether there is still room in team Zwetmas, but my gem at Astana is, fittingly, Guillermo Thomas Silva. A very nice punchy rider with a good finishing kick. If Malucelli and Ballerini do not deliver, this is the man for Astana. He showed good form in China and proved in the 2025 Vuelta that he can also get results in a Grand Tour. Lovely rider, great name: do you dare?”
Have you made it all the way to the end? Congratulations, and good luck making the right choices for the cycling game you’re playing. Most importantly: make your own choices. Want more tips? Or to look forward to the next race together with other cycling fans? Join the WielerOrakel community through Petje Af.