The wait is finally over. We saw riders tackle the brutality of the northern cobbles of April, but now May is here… and so is our first Grand Tour of the season!
Ready to watch? See the full May race schedule below!
If there’s one month on the pro cycling calendar that demands your attention, it should be May. While January through April delivered the cobbled classics we all know and love, May is when the sport shifts into a new gear… pun intended. The stage race comes to the fore, and at the center of it all sits one of cycling’s most important events: the Giro d’Italia!
The 109th edition of the Giro d’Italia runs from May 8 through May 31. This year’s route is unique; for the first time in history, the Giro will start in Bulgaria. An exotic grande partenza (the Italian term for the race’s opening) at the Black Sea will kick off a trip to Italy where we’ll see a little of everything: climbing, sprint finishes, and of course, a winner! Who will take home the maglia rosa, as iconic in Italy as the yellow jersey is at the Tour de France? We’ll just have to watch to find out!
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See our April calendar here!
But May isn’t all about the men’s race. The women’s calendar is also packed with WorldTour action of its own… and the 2026 Giro d’Italia Women is scheduled for May 30 through June 7, a new date slotted directly after the men’s race rather than overlapping with the men’s Tour de France as it has in the past. Before that, the Vuelta España Femenina kicks off right on May 3! We’ve also got a decent number of men’s and women’s one-days on the calendar, including a bumper crop of 1.1 and 2.1 level races. Even in the midst of the Giro, there’s always something to watch.
Ready to see what’s happening in May? Let’s check out the full schedule!
How are men’s and women’s pro cycling races categorized?
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) classifies every race by a code that tells you two things: how long it is and how important it is.
The first number in any code tells you the format of the race. 1.X races are one-day (like a classic or a Monument) while 2.X races are multi-day stage races, ranging from a 2-day event to the 21-day men’s Grand Tours.
WorldTour races are the “major leagues” of cycling, where the world’s top teams always show up. 1.UWT & 2.UWT (UCI WorldTour) is the men’s elite level. This includes the Tour de France (2.UWT) and Paris-Roubaix (1.UWT). 1.WWT & 2.WWT (Women’s WorldTour) is the women’s elite level. This includes the Tour de France Femmes (2.WWT) and Strade-Bianche Donne (1.WWT).
Introduced in 2020, the ProSeries category is more like the “AAA” level. These races are still highly prestigious but allow for a mix of top-tier WorldTour teams and second-division ProTeams.
Continental races are also referred to as “Class 1” races. They are slightly less prestigeous than the top-tier races, but make up the backbone of the racing calendar. In these events, up-and-coming talent often gets their first chance to race against WorldTour pros!
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Men’s and Women’s Pro Cycling Calendar — May:
WorldTour (1.WWT, 2.WWT, 1.UWT, and 2.UWT)
| Event | Type | Host Country | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eschborn-Frankfurt | 1.UWT | Germany | May 01 | |
| Vuelta España Femenina | 2.WWT | Spain | May 03 | May 10 |
| Giro d’Italia | 2.UWT | Italy | May 08 | May 31 |
| Itzulia Women | 2.WWT | Spain | May 15 | May 17 |
| Vuelta a Burgos Feminas | 2.WWT | Spain | May 21 | May 24 |
| Giro d’Italia Women | 2.WWT | Italy | May 30 | June 07 |
UCI ProSeries (1.Pro and 2.Pro)
| Event | Type | Host Country | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP du Morbihan | 1.Pro | France | May 09 | |
| Tro-Bro Léon | 1.Pro | France | May 10 | |
| Navaraa Women’s Classic | 1.Pro | Spain | May 12 | |
| Tour de Hongrie | 2.Pro | Hungary | May 13 | May 17 |
| Classique Dunkerque | 1.Pro | France | May 19 | |
| 4 Jours de Dunkerque | 2.Pro | France | May 20 | May 24 |
| Antwerp Port Epic Ladies | 1.Pro | Belgium | May 24 | |
| Boucles de la Mayenne | 2.Pro | France | May 28 | May 31 |
UCI Continental (1.1 and 2.1)
| Event | Type | Host Country | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP Anicolor | 2.1 | Portugal | May 01 | May 03 |
| GP Immo Zone Vloer-en-Chapewerken | 1.1 | Belgium | May 01 | |
| Festival Elsy Jacobs | 1.1 | Luxembourg | May 02 | |
| Giro dell’Appennino | 1.1 | Italy | May 03 | |
| Famenne Ardenne Classic | 1.1 | Belgium | May 03 | |
| Festival Elsy Jacobs | 1.1 | Luxembourg | May 03 | |
| Tour of Hellas | 2.1 | Greece | May 06 | May 10 |
| La Classique Morbihan | 1.1 | France | May 08 | |
| GP du Morbihan Femmes | 1.1 | France | May 09 | |
| Baku-Khankendi Azerbaijan | 2.1 | Azerbaijan | May 10 | May 14 |
| Trofee Maarten Wynants | 1.1 | Belgium | May 10 | |
| Flèche du Sud | 2.1 | Luxembourg | May 13 | May 17 |
| Circuit de Wallonie | 1.1 | Belgium | May 14 | |
| Omloop Der Kempen Ladies | 1.1 | Belgium | May 16 | |
| Tour du Finistère | 1.1 | France | May 16 | |
| Boucles de l’Aulne | 1.1 | France | May 17 | |
| Rund um Köln | 1.1 | Germany | May 17 | |
| Emakumeen Saria | 1.1 | Spain | May 19 | |
| GP Beiras e Serra da Estrela | 2.1 | Portugal | May 20 | May 24 |
| Veenendaal-Veenendaal | 1.1 | Netherlands | May 22 | |
| Veenendaal-Veenendaal | 1.1 | Netherlands | May 23 | |
| GP Criquelion | 1.1 | Belgium | May 24 | |
| GP Mazda | 1.1 | Belgium | May 25 | |
| Antwerp Port Epic – Sels Trophy | 1.1 | Belgium | May 25 | |
| Bretagne Ladies Tour | 2.1 | France | May 28 | May 31 |
| GP Ciudad de Eibar | 1.1 | Spain | May 31 |
Printable May Race Calendar:
Giro d’Italia Stage-by-Stage Breakdown:
Wondering which stages to tune in for during the Giro? While we think they’re all great, there are a few standouts. Look for the ❤︎ symbol marking the days not to miss!
Week 1
❤︎ Stage 1 – Nessebar to Burgas
A flat coastal opener. Here, sprinters will fight for the first maglia rosa… but they won’t keep it!
Stage 2 – Burgas to Veliko Tarnovo
This one heads inland with a late climb close to the finish; the first real opening for an attack and an early GC shake-up.
Stage 3 – Plovdiv to Sofia
Another sprinters’ stage (in principle) but a long mid-stage climb gives breakaway riders a shot today.
Stage 4 – Catanzaro to Cosenza
The race arrives in Italy! A short, mostly flat stage for the sprinters… if they survive the mid-stage climb.
❤︎ Stage 5 – Praia a Mare to Potenza
A long, rolling day through the remote Basilicata region. Two late climbs might open the door for a breakaway or, for the bold, a GC move.
Stage 6 – Paestum to Naples
Straightforward sprint stage past Vesuvius to the Naples seafront. Fast men should control this one comfortably.
❤︎ Stage 7 – Formia to Blockhaus
The race’s longest stage and first real mountain test. Ends on a brutal summit finish in the central Apennines… this might be the first day the overall standings genuinely shift.
Week 2
Stage 8 – Chieti to Fermo
Flat start, then a series of short, steep climbs through the central Italian hills.
❤︎ Stage 9 – Cervia to Corno alle Scale
Flat to start, then a demanding summit finish in the Apennines. Looks can be deceiving! This is a third straight demanding day that will expose anyone running low on reserves.
Stage 10 – Viareggio to Massa (ITT)
The race’s only individual time trial. It’s a flat, fast test against the clock… cruising along the Tuscan coast. Time trialists can gain ground here, but plenty of climbing still remains.
❤︎ Stage 11 – Porcari to Chiavari
A hilly Ligurian coastal stage after the second rest day, with twisting climbs and a fast descent to the finish.
Stage 12 – Imperia to Novi Ligure
The route climbs over the coastal mountains, then a long flat run-in gives sprint teams time to chase down any breakaway.
Stage 13 – Alessandria to Verbania
Mostly flat transfer north toward the Alps. Two late climbs above Lake Maggiore keep it from becoming boring.
❤︎ Stage 14 – Aosta to Pila
Short but relentless back-to-back Alpine climbs will ending at a ski resort finish.
❤︎ Stage 15 – Voghera to Milan
A sprint stage finishing near the historic Vigorelli velodrome; this is the fast men’s last opportunity before the race’s decisive final week.
Week 3
Stage 16 – Bellinzona to Carì
Here, the Giro crosses into Switzerland for its shortest stage. Don’t be fooled! A double climb and summit finish make it anything but easy, especially coming straight off a rest day.
Stage 17 – Cassano d’Adda to Andalo
A longer transition day east toward the Dolomites. It’s a likely breakaway stage before the hardest days of the race arrive.
❤︎ Stage 18 – Fai della Paganella to Pieve di Soligo
Let’s drops into the Veneto’s Prosecco hills rather than the high mountains. This might be a positioning and tactics stage more than a pure climbing one.
❤︎ Stage 19 – Feltre to Alleghe
The queen stage arrived. Five major climbs including the race’s highest point, finishing on a steep uphill ramp. This is where the Giro will almost certainly be won or lost!
❤︎ Stage 20 – Gemona del Friuli to Piancavallo
The final mountain stage climbs Piancavallo twice, with the second ascent coming in the closing kilometers. It’s designed to keep the pink jersey in doubt until the last possible moment.
❤︎ Stage 21 – Rome to Rome
The ceremonial finale with laps around ancient Roman landmarks and a sprint finish in front of the Colosseum to close out three weeks of racing!
Embed from Getty Images
Which races are you looking forward to this month? Let us know in the comments or on social media! ★
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