Giro d’Italia is one of the three most prestigious cycling races in the world, along with the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. The race was first held in 1909, organized by the Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport with the idea of increasing its circulation – proof that good marketing can sometimes pedal faster than the athletes.
The first edition started on May 13, 1909 from Milan and included 8 stages with a total length of over 2,400 kilometers. The iconic pink color – maglia rosa – appeared in 1931. The pink jersey is awarded to the leader in the general classification and was inspired by the pink pages of La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Today, the Giro d’Italia is not just a sporting event, but a true celebration of Italian culture, passion and style, which every spring turns the streets into the stage for one of the most spectacular sporting adventures in Europe.
This weekend, the whole world is focused on Bulgaria, where the Tour will officially visit for its opening three stages. Bulgaria has the honor of hosting the Grande Partenza (The Great Start), which will take place outside of Italy for only the 16th time in the race’s long history!
The spectacular opening was in Burgas, and the event will be held in three exciting stages, in which the best cyclists will fight for the emblematic “pink jersey” (maglia rosa):
- Stage 1 (May 8): Nessebar → Burgas (147 km) – Start at 1:00 PM
- Stage 2 (May 9): Burgas → Veliko Tarnovo (221 km)
- Stage 3 (May 10): Plovdiv → Sofia (175 km) – Start from Plovdiv at 1:00 PM
After these three days, the race returns to its homeland to finish on May 31 in Rome after a total of 21 grueling stages.
On May 10, 2026, Plovdiv will become the stage for the world’s cycling elite. On this occasion, the Municipality of Plovdiv and the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation have prepared a special festive program:
The culmination is the concert “The Great Bulgarian Rock Voices”
At 12.30 pm a grand concert with free admission will begin at the Ancient Theater (while supplies last). The following will take the stage:
- The musicians from the group “Foundation”: Doni, Ivan Lechev, Slavcho Nikolov and Venko Poromanski.
- The legendary voices: Zvezdi (Ahat), Nasko (B.T.R.), Valdi Totev (Shturtsite) and the winner of X Factor Slavin Slavchev.
- The talents from the music school “Art Voice Center” headed by Rumi Ivanova.
The city has already been transformed – the Ancient Theater, the Roman Stadium and the houses in the Old Town shine with conceptual pink lighting. Pink umbrellas welcome guests along the Main Street, and on May 9, a large-scale Warm-up party with a DJ stage will take place on Central Square.
Program for May 10 (Sunday)
- 12 pm. – City procession with musicians and artists from the Roman Stadium along Knyaz Alexander Batenberg Street to Central Square.
- 12.30 pm. – Start of the Foundation concert at the Ancient Theater.
- 1 pm – OFFICIAL START of Stage 3 of the Giro d’Italia on Central Square.
- Minutes after the start of the Giro – Opening of the 2026 Cycling Season in Plovdiv.
Thus, on May 10, Plovdiv will not just be a stage of a race, but will become part of the history of the Giro d’Italia, where sport, culture and city spirit meet in an unforgettable pink experience.
