Zana Seals Giro di Sardegna Overall as Davide Donati Doubles Up on the Olbia Waterfront
Filippo Zana has claimed the first stage race victory of his career, sealing overall honours at the 2026 Giro di Sardegna on Saturday as Davide Donati sprinted to his second win of the week on the Olbia waterfront. The Italian climber rolled safely through a largely ceremonial final stage in the colours of Soudal Quick-Step, confirming a 34-second general classification lead he had built on Friday's queen-stage summit finish in Nuoro. Zana takes the overall from defending champion Peter Sagan, who did not start this year's race, and hands his new team their first stage race win of 2026.
The Giro di Sardegna is the curtain-raiser for the Italian professional season and historically a proving ground for the country's next generation of Grand Tour contenders. Zana, 26, joined Soudal Quick-Step on a two-year deal over the winter after a spell at Team Jayco-AlUla, and the Belgian squad identified the Sardinian stage race as an early-season target to show their new signing could lead a team in his own right. "This win is for the staff who believed in me," Zana said at the finish. "Soudal have given me the freedom to race my own race and today we have something to show for it."
The decisive moment came on Friday's stage four, a 163-kilometre ride from Arbatax to the San Giacomo summit above Nuoro. Zana followed a selective move by Gianmarco Garofoli of Astana and then accelerated clear inside the final kilometre to take the stage and the leader's jersey. Garofoli and Alessandro Verre of Arkéa-B&B Hotels completed the GC podium at 34 and 58 seconds respectively, both confirming their status as riders to watch for the upcoming Tirreno-Adriatico and Volta a Catalunya.
Saturday's final stage, a flat 152-kilometre loop from Nuoro to Olbia, was always going to come down to a sprint, and Bardiani CSF Faizanè duly delivered Donati to his second win of the week. The 22-year-old Italian, already a stage winner earlier in the race, held off Nicolò Garibbo (stage one winner in Bosa) and Jonathan Milan's lead-out train to cross the line with his arms aloft. "Two stages on Sardinian soil — that is the stuff of dreams for an Italian rider," Donati said. "Next stop is Tirreno and I hope this form carries over."
The Giro di Sardegna was restored to the Italian calendar in 2024 after a lengthy hiatus and continues to provide a showcase for ProTeam and Continental squads who are increasingly squeezed out of the WorldTour calendar. Bardiani, a team that will make its Giro d'Italia return this May after being awarded one of the wildcards announced last week, leaves Sardinia with two stage wins and a spot in the mountains classification. For Soudal Quick-Step, Zana's overall victory represents an early statement of intent after a quiet start to 2026.
The wider significance of Zana's win is what it says about the Italian scene heading into the first half of the season. With Giulio Ciccone, Antonio Tiberi, Giulio Pellizzari and now Zana all building towards the 2026 Giro d'Italia, home hopes for a first maglia rosa since Vincenzo Nibali in 2016 are quietly growing. Zana's next race will be Tirreno-Adriatico, where he is expected to support the team's GC leader before turning attention to his own Ardennes campaign. "Today I feel like a stage race winner," he said. "Let's see where that belief takes me in May."