Julia Jedelhauser was the fastest among the women.

Favorites win to open the 49th Giro delle Dolomiti

The 49th Giro delle Dolomiti kicked off on Monday with the first stage over the Niger and Karer passes. There were no surprises on the timed section between St. Zyprian and the Niger Pass: Georg Widmann from Tramin and the German Julia Jedelhauser lived up to their favorite status and secured the first stage win.

July 13, 2026

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Around 300 cyclists gathered on Monday morning at the Bolzano Exhibition Center, the logistical hub of the Giro delle Dolomiti. The first stage, a 78,3-kilometer route with a total elevation gain of 1646 meters, started at 9:00 AM, leading first to the Niger Pass and then to the Karer Pass. Two South Tyrolean winter sports professionals also took part in the beautiful weather: telemark skier Raphael Mahlknecht and luge athlete Leon Haselrieder, both from Fiè allo Sciliar, didn't want to miss out on this stage, which was practically on their home turf.

The timed section of the opening stage led from St. Zyprian to the Niger Pass. The 6,9-kilometer route with 542 meters of elevation gain produced two victories for the favorites. Georg Widmann and Julia Jedelhauser, who had to settle for second place in the overall standings last year, are now aiming for victory in this prestigious cycling tour in the heart of the Dolomites. Widmann, from Tramin in southern South Tyrol, engaged in a duel with Ralph Ziegaus on Monday, ultimately pulling away and crossing the finish line at 1690 meters above sea level in 21 minutes and 24 seconds, 15 seconds ahead of Ziegaus from Ingolstadt (21 minutes and 38 seconds). Eduard Rizzi from Sarnen secured third place, reaching the Niger Pass in 22 minutes and 13 seconds. Five seconds later, Frenchman Jérémy Clément crossed the finish line (22.18 minutes), while fifth place was secured by Stefan Vasilev from Bulgaria (22.33 minutes).

Jedelhauser is eyeing his second overall victory

While Widmann has his sights set on his first overall victory at the Giro delle Dolomiti this year, Jedelhauser has already crossed that achievement off her to-do list. She accomplished this feat in 2024, and 2026 is a good year for the German from Marktoberdorf to secure her second overall win. She impressively demonstrated this on Monday, as she was the sixth woman to cross the finish line on the Niger Pass – ahead of all the men. Jedelhauser (22:43 minutes) had a four-and-a-half-minute lead over the second-placed woman, Julia Tanner from Neumarkt. Tanner, a former mountain biker from the lower Adige Valley, crossed the finish line after 27:17 minutes. Third place went to the German Christina Hildenstab (27:37 minutes), while fourth and fifth place were taken by the Italian Bianca Morvillo (27:45 minutes) and Anna Spitaler from Eppan (28:54 minutes).

Following the successful opening of the 49th Giro delle Dolomiti, the queen stage is on the program for Tuesday. The race starts at 9 a.m. in Waidbruck, from where the riders will tackle the circuit around the Sella massif ("Sellaronda"), this year in a counter-clockwise direction. The total distance is 107 kilometers with 3102 meters of elevation gain. The timed section begins in Colfosco and finishes at the Gardena Pass (6,3 kilometers with 439 meters of elevation gain).

49th Giro delle Dolomiti – results stage 1

Top 5 men
1. Georg Widmann ITA/Tramin 21.24 minutes
2. Ralph Ziegaus GER 21.38
3. Eduard Rizzi ITA/Sarntal 22.13
4. Jérémy Clément FRA 22.18
5. Stefan Vasilev BUL 22.33


Top 5 women
1. Julia Jedelhauser GER 22.43 minutes
2. Julia Tanner ITA/Neumarkt 27.17
3. Christina Hildenstab GER 27.37
4. Bianca Morvillo ITA 27.45
5. Anna Spitaler ITA/Eppan 28.54