Giro dell’Emilia Donne takes place on Saturday 3 October 2026, with the women racing from Ferrara to the steep finish at the Santuario di San Luca above Bologna. The race starts at 10:15 local time, 09:15 in the UK, and is expected to finish shortly after 13:00 in Italy, around midday BST.
For UK viewers, the important point is that the women’s race is not being shown live on TNT Sports or HBO Max. The live HBO Max listing is for the men’s Giro dell’Emilia only. The women race earlier in the day and are expected to finish before the live television window begins, with post-race highlights set to be available on YouTube.
The race is officially Giro dell’Emilia Internazionale Donne Elite and carries UCI 1.Pro status. It is not a Women’s WorldTour event, but its position in the Italian autumn calendar and the San Luca finish regularly attract riders capable of winning at the highest level.
How to watch Giro dell’Emilia Donne 2026 in the UK
There is no live UK television or streaming coverage scheduled for Giro dell’Emilia Donne in 2026. TNT Sports and HBO Max are carrying the men’s Giro dell’Emilia later in the day, but the women’s race does not have a live HBO Max stream.
The women’s race will instead be available through post-race highlights on YouTube. That means UK viewers will not be able to watch the San Luca finale live through the usual Warner Bros. Discovery cycling platforms and will need to wait for the highlights package after the finish.
The distinction is also clear in the Italian schedule. The organiser has announced live Giro dell’Emilia coverage from 13:30 CEST, after the women are expected to have finished between roughly 13:05 and 13:23 CEST. That live window therefore covers the men’s race rather than the women’s event.
The early finish is the reason the women’s race falls outside the live broadcast window. If you want to avoid the result before watching the highlights, the key thing is to remember that San Luca should decide the race around midday in the UK, well before the men’s live coverage begins.
Photo Credit: GettyUK start and finish times
The women leave Ferrara at 10:15 CEST on Saturday. Italy is one hour ahead of Britain while the UK remains on British Summer Time, giving a UK race start of 09:15 BST. The men’s race follows from the same Ferrara start area at 10:45 local time.
The expected women’s finish is approximately 13:05 to 13:23 CEST, or 12:05 to 12:23 BST. Race speed, weather and the way the bunch approaches Bologna will determine the exact time, so allow some margin if you are joining specifically for the finale.
There is no live television window for the women’s race, so the expected finish time is mainly useful for anyone following race updates and trying to avoid spoilers before the highlights appear. The post-race video should focus on the decisive section into Bologna and the two San Luca ascents.
What the 2026 route means for the race
The 2026 race moves from Ferrara towards Bologna before the familiar finish on the Colle di San Luca. The opening terrain is much flatter than the finale, so teams with a genuine San Luca contender have little reason to panic if an early move establishes a manageable advantage. The tactical pressure rises sharply once the race reaches the Bologna hills.
San Luca is the defining feature. The road climbs beside the famous portico towards the sanctuary, with the Curva delle Orfanelle among the best-known points on the ascent and gradients reaching around 20 per cent at their steepest. Positioning before the climb matters because losing places at the bottom forces riders to spend energy overtaking just as the gradient begins to bite.
The women’s race uses San Luca twice in 2026. That changes the finale from a single uphill effort into a more tactical contest. The first ascent can reduce the group and expose riders who are already close to their limit, while the second provides the finishing climb. A rider does not necessarily need to attack on the first passage to benefit from it. A hard pace can do enough damage to leave only a small group capable of contesting the final ascent.
Our Giro dell’Emilia Donne 2026 route guide goes into the course in greater detail, including the new Ferrara start and the double San Luca finale.
Why San Luca produces such a specific race
The climb is short enough that pure climbers cannot simply settle into a long mountain rhythm, but steep enough to punish anyone who arrives poorly positioned or slightly below their best. The repeated changes in gradient reward riders who can produce hard accelerations while already under considerable load. That makes Giro dell’Emilia Donne particularly suitable for punchy climbers and Ardennes-style riders.
There is also little opportunity to recover once the final ascent begins. On a longer climb, a rider can sometimes absorb an acceleration and gradually return. San Luca is more abrupt. A gap of a few bike lengths on the steepest section can be enough to settle the race because the finish comes before a dropped rider has time to rebuild momentum.
The race’s previous winners reflect that demand. Elisa Longo Borghini has won the event four times, while Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig has also taken multiple victories. Kimberley Le Court won the 2025 edition. For the longer story of how the women’s race developed, see our history of Giro dell’Emilia Donne.
For viewers who are new to the race, the beginner’s guide to Giro dell’Emilia Donne 2026 explains the race format, San Luca and where the event fits into the late-season calendar.
How to plan your Saturday viewing
The official women’s start is 09:15 BST and the expected finish is around 12:05 to 12:23 BST. There is no live UK broadcast to tune into during that window. The practical option is to follow live timing or race updates, or wait for the YouTube highlights after the finish.
Anyone following both races should treat them as two different viewing experiences. The women’s result will already be settled before the men’s live HBO Max and television coverage reaches its decisive phase, while the women’s race will need to be caught through the later highlights.
If you plan to watch the women’s highlights without knowing the winner, avoiding spoilers will be difficult. The result will circulate quickly once the riders reach San Luca, and the race is expected to be over shortly after 12:00 BST.
The essential UK timings are therefore straightforward: Saturday 3 October, 09:15 BST official start and an expected finish between roughly 12:05 and 12:23 BST. There is no live TNT Sports or HBO Max coverage of the women’s race. HBO Max is carrying the men’s Giro dell’Emilia, while women’s highlights will be available on YouTube after the race.
