The Trofeo Oro in Euro has built its recent identity as an early-season measuring stick in Italy, a race that looks like a straightforward opener until the climbs and the positioning demands start to thin out the group. For 2026, the organisers are leaning into that status more explicitly, confirming that preparations are already underway for the 14th edition on 8th March, a date that also falls on International Women’s Day.
The event, staged in and around Montignoso on the roads of Versilia, is again being promoted as a fixed point on the early women’s calendar, with the organisers already reporting strong interest from teams across the Women’s WorldTour and the continental level.
A March 8th date, and a symbolic place on the calendar
The organisers’ framing is clear: this is not just an Italian one-day race, but a season-opening classic intended to bring a competitive field to Tuscany’s coast at the point when riders are still defining their shape for spring.
The partnership between A.S.D Montignoso and Oro in Euro jewellery stores by Fabio Argentin remains at the core of the event, and the International Women’s Day date gives the organisers an obvious narrative hook, even if the racing itself will be dictated by form, weather and legs rather than symbolism.
Five Women’s WorldTour teams already confirmed
More than 20 teams have already confirmed their participation, with five Women’s WorldTour squads among them. The early list suggests a race that should be raced hard rather than treated as a gentle opener.
UAE Team ADQ arrive as the headline presence
UAE Team ADQ are expected to line up with last year’s winner Karlijn Swinkels, but the sharper focus is on Elisa Longo Borghini, the reigning Italian champion and the race’s only multiple winner.
Longo Borghini won here in 2012 and again in 2024, making Montignoso one of the rare one-day races where she has returned across eras and still imposed herself. Her presence also changes how rivals race the finale, because she rarely waits for a sprint if she thinks the course can be used earlier.
EF Education-Oatly led by “world champion” Vallieres
EF Education-Oatly is also confirmed, with the organisers indicating the team will be led by world champion Magdeleine Vallieres. Whether that translates into aggressive racing or tighter control will depend on the wider start list, but EF’s inclusion strengthens the top-end depth of the field.
More WorldTour depth: Fenix-Deceuninck, AG Insurance, Uno-X
The other Women’s WorldTour teams confirmed are:
- Fenix-Deceuninck
- AG Insurance
- Uno-X Mobility
That mix should give the race multiple tactical identities: teams that can animate, teams that can control, and teams that can gamble.
Continental teams, Italian development focus, and a Swiss national selection
Beyond the WorldTour contingent, the organisers have highlighted a broad spread of Pro and continental teams, including:
- VolkerWessels Cycling Team (Netherlands)
- St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93 (France)
There is also a strong Italian domestic presence, with four Italian continental teams registered and expected to bring young riders into a high-value UCI one-day race:
- Isolmant Premac Vittoria
- Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
- BePink-Imatra-Bongioanni
- Aromitalia 3T Vaiano
A notable addition is the Swiss national team, expected to bring a mixed selection from road and mountain bike, which can make the race unpredictable. Riders arriving from MTB often read the technical and punchy demands of these Italian one-day courses differently, and are typically less afraid of attacking into uncertainty.
Race identity: a modern Italian one-day, upgraded and sharpened
Trofeo Oro in Euro has been steadily upgraded in recent years. It gained UCI classification as a 1.2 event in 2022, then moved to 1.1 status in 2023, reflecting a wider trend in women’s racing: deeper fields, stronger team structures, and more one-day races trying to claim a defined place on the calendar.
The course in recent editions has featured two ascents of Fortezza, a climb of around 3.5km at an average gradient of 5.5%. It is not a mountain by any measure, but it is long enough and steady enough to create separation if raced hard, particularly in an early-season setting when not everyone has the same depth of conditioning.
That profile suits the kind of rider Trofeo Oro in Euro has often rewarded: punchy climbers and classics riders who can handle repeated efforts and still commit to an aggressive finale.
The recent winners show the race’s range
The honours list has tilted Italian in recent years, but with enough variety to suggest this is not a course with only one way to win.
Recent winners include:
- 2023: Gaia Realini
- 2024: Elisa Longo Borghini
- 2025: Karlijn Swinkels
That spread matters heading into 2026, because it suggests the race is open to both pure climber types and riders who can survive the climbs and then finish strongly from a reduced group.
Why Longo Borghini’s return is the early headline
If the race is framed as a season opener, Longo Borghini’s presence makes it feel like more than that. She has won here twice across twelve years, and her style tends to force a race to reveal itself early. If she arrives with good legs, the race will likely become selective rather than cautious.
If she is using the day as a stepping stone, then the door opens wider for teams to take risks, and for a rider like Swinkels to use race craft rather than pure dominance to defend her status as the most recent winner.
Either way, with March 8th on the calendar and five Women’s WorldTour teams already committed, Trofeo Oro in Euro is shaping up less like a warm-up and more like a first proper exam of the European spring.
