Slovenia one step closer to hosting one of the world's largest cycling races

3. 11. 2026

Ministry of the Economy, Labour and Sport

Slovenia is now one step closer to hosting a stage of one of the most prestigious cycling events in the world. The Ministry of the Economy, Labour and Sports has submitted a letter of intent to the organiser of the Giro d’Italia, expressing its interest in collaborating on the second stage of the race, which is scheduled to take place on 9 May 2027.

A phone screen displaying text Giro d'Italia on a pink background — Author Depositphotos

The route of the 110th Giro d’Italia, which brings together the world's best cyclists and millions of cycling enthusiasts every year, was officially unveiled in Rome today. Hosting this stage would provide an exceptional opportunity for Slovenia to welcome the world's cycling elite to its roads once again, strengthening its international visibility and reputation, while creating new opportunities for the Slovenian economic sector, particularly tourism. The extensive media coverage would also provide a platform to showcase Slovenia's diversity, its destinations, its people and its unique experiences to a global audience.

The project envisages collaboration with Italy's Friuli Venezia Giulia region to organise the opening stages of the race. This would be the first cross-border Grande Partenza (Grand Start) in the history of the Giro d'Italia, connecting the two countries through their rich cycling traditions.

Highlighting this opportunity, Minister Anže Logar said: "Slovenia is a country of world-class sport. For years, our cyclists have inspired the world with their outstanding achievements, and now we have the chance to host one of the world's biggest cycling races on Slovenian roads. This would be a landmark event for Slovenian sport, providing further momentum for the development of cycling and inspiring younger generations. Events like this also generate economic opportunities for everyone involved, from tourism providers to the many businesses that help to stage them. Our aim is to extend the benefits beyond the race itself, and to work with Italy to create an event that connects people, places and businesses on both sides of the border."

Talks with the race organiser, RCS Sports & Events, have already resulted in an agreement on the project's key starting points. Further negotiations are ongoing, with the aim of reaching a final agreement by 3 December 2026.

The Giro d'Italia is a sporting spectacle with an impressive international appeal, attracting huge crowds of fans to the route and millions of viewers to their TV screens every year. According to the organisers, the race reaches approximately 601 million television viewers worldwide, providing a platform to promote the countries and destinations through which it passes.

Slovenian cycling has enjoyed considerable success in recent years. Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič have played a significant role in raising the country's international profile through their achievements, while also helping to establish Slovenia as an increasingly popular destination for cycling tourists.

Slovenia continues to demonstrate its ability to successfully host major international sporting events. The Ministry views this project as an opportunity to further strengthen cross-border cooperation with Italy while providing an additional boost to local businesses and tourism.

A final decision on hosting the Slovenian stage will be made once negotiations have concluded and an appropriate agreement has been signed with the organiser. The public will be kept informed about the next steps and further details of the planned route in due course.

Further information is available on the organiser's official Giro d'Italia website.

Danes je v Rimu potekala uradna predstavitev trase 110. izvedbe dirke Giro d'Italia, ki vsako leto združuje najboljše kolesarje sveta in navdušuje milijone ljubiteljev kolesarstva. Morebitno gostiteljstvo bi pomenilo izjemno priložnost, da na slovenskih cestah znova pozdravimo svetovno kolesarsko elito, okrepimo mednarodno prepoznavnost in ugled Slovenije ter ustvarimo nove priložnosti za slovensko gospodarstvo, vključno s turizmom. Močna medijska izpostavljenost bi obenem omogočila, da svetu predstavimo raznolikost Slovenije, njene kraje, ljudi in edinstvena doživetja.

Načrtovani projekt predvideva sodelovanje z italijansko deželo Furlanijo - Julijsko krajino pri izvedbi začetnega dela dirke. S tem bi Giro d'Italia prvič v svoji zgodovini dobil čezmejni veliki start (Grande Partenza), ki bi povezal dve državi in njuno bogato kolesarsko tradicijo.

Minister dr. Anže Logar je ob tem poudaril: »Slovenija je dežela vrhunskega športa. Naši kolesarji že vrsto let navdušujejo svet z izjemnimi dosežki, zdaj pa imamo priložnost, da eno največjih kolesarskih dirk na svetu pripeljemo tudi na slovenske ceste. To bi bil pomemben dogodek za slovenski šport, dodatna spodbuda razvoju kolesarstva in navdih mladim generacijam. Hkrati pa takšni dogodki prinašajo priložnosti za gospodarstvo, od turističnih ponudnikov do številnih drugih dejavnosti, ki sodelujejo pri njihovi izvedbi. Želimo si, da bi učinki segali tudi onkraj same dirke in da bi skupaj z Italijo ustvarili dogodek, ki bi povezoval ljudi, kraje in gospodarstvo na obeh straneh meje.«

V dosedanjih pogovorih z organizatorjem dirke, družbo RCS Sports & Events, so bila že usklajena ključna izhodišča za izvedbo projekta, pogovori pa se nadaljujejo s ciljem sklenitve končnega dogovora do 3. decembra 2026.

Giro d'Italia je športni spektakel z izjemnim mednarodnim dosegom, ki vsako leto privablja množice navijačev in milijone gledalcev pred televizijske zaslone. Po podatkih organizatorjev globalni doseg dirke znaša približno 601 milijon televizijskih gledalcev, zato predstavlja tudi pomembno priložnost za promocijo držav in destinacij, skozi katere poteka.

Slovensko kolesarstvo je v zadnjih letih doseglo izjemne uspehe. Tadej Pogačar in Primož Roglič sta s svojimi dosežki pomembno prispevala k mednarodni prepoznavnosti naše države, ki se vse bolj uveljavlja tudi kot privlačna destinacija za kolesarski turizem.

Slovenija vedno znova dokazuje, da je lahko pomembna gostiteljica velikih športnih prireditev. Na ministrstvu v projektu prepoznavamo priložnost za krepitev čezmejnega sodelovanja z Italijo ter dodatno spodbudo lokalnemu gospodarstvu in turizmu. dokazuje, da je lahko pomembna gostiteljica velikih športnih prireditev.

Končna odločitev o izvedbi slovenske etape bo sprejeta po zaključku pogajanj in sklenitvi ustreznega dogovora z organizatorjem. O nadaljnjih korakih in podrobnostih načrtovane trase bo javnost pravočasno obveščena.

Več informacij je na voljo na spletni strani organizatorja Giro d'Italia.