The Giro is one of professional cycling's three-week-longGrand Tours,[3][9] and after theTour de France is the second most important stage race in the world (theTriple Crown of Cycling denotes the achievement of winning the Giro, the Tour and theUCI Road World Championships in the same season). The Giro is usually held during May, sometimes continuing into early June.[3] While the route changes each year, the format of the race stays the same, with at least two time trials, and a passage through the mountains of theAlps, including theDolomites. Like the other Grand Tours, the modern editions of the Giro d'Italia normally consist of 21 stages over a 23- or 24-day period that includes two or three rest days.[3]
The rider with the lowest aggregate time is the leader of the general classification and wears thepink jersey. While the general classification gathers the most attention, stage wins are prestigious of themselves, and there are other contests held within the Giro: thepoints classification, themountains classification for the climbers,young rider classification for the riders under the age of 25, and theteam classification.[10]
Luigi Ganna, the winner of the inaugural Giro d'Italia
The idea of holding a bicycle race that navigated around Italy was inspired by theTour de France and the success thatL'Auto had gained from it.[4][11] It was first suggested whenLa Gazzetta dello Sport editor Tullo Morgagni sent a telegram to the paper's owner, Emilio Costamagna, and cycling editor,Armando Cougnet, stating the need for an Italian tour.[12][5] At the timeLa Gazzetta's rival,Corriere della Sera was planning on holding a bicycle race of its own, after the success they had gained from holding an automobile race.[12][5][13] Morgagni then decided to try and hold their race beforeCorriere della Sera could hold theirs, butLa Gazzetta lacked the money.[5] However, after the successLa Gazzetta had with creating theGiro di Lombardia andMilan–San Remo, the owner Costamagna decided to go through with the idea.[5][11] Their bike race was announced on 7 August 1908 in the first page of that day's edition ofLa Gazzetta dello Sport.[13] The race was to be held in May 1909.[13]
Since the organizers lacked the 25,000 lire[12] needed to hold the race, they consulted Primo Bongrani, an accountant at the bank Cassa di Risparmio and friend of the three organizers. Bongrani proceeded to go around Italy asking for donations to help hold the race.[5] Bongrani's efforts were largely successful, he had procured enough money to cover the operating costs.[5] Prize money was supplied by a casino inSan Remo who Francesco Sghirla, a formerGazzetta employee, encouraged to contribute to the race.[12][5] EvenCorriere,La Gazzetta's rival, gave 3,000 lire to the race's fund.[12]
Alfredo Binda, winner of five editions of the Giro in the 1920s and 1930s
On 13 May 1909 at 02:53, 127 riders started the first Giro d'Italia at Loreto Place inMilan.[4][13] The race was split into eight stages covering 2,448 km (1,521 mi).[13] A total of 49 riders finished, with ItalianLuigi Ganna winning.[13][14] Ganna won three individual stages and the General Classification.[14] Ganna received 5,325 lire as a winner's prize, with the last rider in the general classification receiving 300 lire.[13] The Giro's director received only 150 lire a month, 150 lire fewer than the last-placed rider.[13] The first Giro was won byLuigi Ganna, who had the fewest total points at the end of the race.
The same format was used for the next two years and resulted inCarlo Galetti winning.
In1912, there was no individual classification, instead there was only a team classification, which was won byTeam Atala. The 1912 Giro is the only time the competition has not had an individual classification.[15] For the1914 Giro d'Italia, in which stages were up to 430 km (267 mi) long, the scoring format was changed from a points-based system to a simple time-based system, in which the cyclist who had the lowest aggregate time at the end of the race would win.
The dominant figure in the 1920s wasAlfredo Binda, who won his first Giro in1925 and followed this up with another victory in1927, in which he won 12 of the 15 stages. Victory in1929 came courtesy of eight successive stage wins. At the height of his dominance Binda was called to the head office ofLa Gazzetta dello Sport in 1930; the newspaper accused him of ruining the race and offered him 22,000 lire to be less dominant, which he refused.[17] Binda won five Giros before he was usurped as the dominant cyclist byGino Bartali.
Nicknamed the "Iron Man ofTuscany" for his endurance, Bartali won two Giros during the 1930s, in1936 and1937.[18] Bartali's dominance was challenged in1940, the last Giro before theSecond World War, when he was defeated by his 20-year-old teammateFausto Coppi.[19]
Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali
Bartali and Coppi's rivalry divided Italy. Bartali, aconservative, was venerated in the rural, agrarian south, while Coppi, more worldly, secular, innovative in diet and training, was a hero of the industrial north. They became teammates in 1940 whenEberrardo Pavesi, head of theLegnano team, took on Coppi to ride for Bartali. Bartali thought Coppi was "as thin as a mutton bone", but accepted. Their rivalry started when Coppi, the helper, won the Giro aged 20 and Bartali, the star, marshalled the two men's team to chase him.
The rivalry between Bartali and Coppi intensified after the war. Bartali won his last Giro in1946, narrowly beating Coppi, now riding for theBianchi team. Coppi then won his second Giro thefollowing year. Coppi abandoned the1948 Giro d'Italia in protest against the small penalty given toFiorenzo Magni. Coppi won a further three Giros and twice, in1949 and1952, Coppi won the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in the same year, the first rider to do so.
SwissHugo Koblet became the first non-Italian to win the race in1950.[20] No one dominated the tour during the 1950s, Coppi,Charly Gaul andFiorenzo Magni each won two Giros during the decade.
The 1960s were similar. At the1960 Giro d'Italia,Jacques Anquetil took advantage of a breakaway he was part of on stage 3 to take the overall lead.[21] Anquetil then led the lead move toJos Hoevenaers, who had been part of a breakaway on stage 6. In the long time trial of the race on stage 14, Anquetil retook the lead, finishing 1:27 minutes ahead of Baldini and more than 6 minutes on Gaul. His speed had been so fast that had the organizers applied the usual rules, 70 riders would have missed the time cut. In the event, the rules were loosened and only two riders eliminated. Ahead of the final mountain stages, Anquetil now led Nencini by 3:40 minutes, with Gaul in fifth, 7:32 minutes behind. Stage 20 included theGavia Pass for the first time in the race's history. On the ascent, Nencini was able to establish a gap to Anquetil, after the latter had a flat tire. More punctures and three bike changes followed on the dangerous descent, putting Anquetil's race lead in danger. He teamed up withAgostino Coletto, whom he offered money to help him in the chase effort, to limit his losses. At the finish inBormio, Gaul won ahead of Nencini, with Anquetil losing only 2:34 minutes and retaining the pink jersey by 28 seconds. Following a ceremonial final stage, Anquetil arrived inMilan the winner of the Giro for the first time.[22] Anquetil went on to become the first rider to win all threeGrand Tours and won the Giro again in1964,[23] whileFranco Balmamion won two successive Giros in1962 and1963.[24]
BelgianEddy Merckx was the dominant figure during the 1970s. His first victory came in1968, a race which saw two important firsts: the first tests for drug use and the first prologue.[25] A total of eight riders tested positive during the Giro.[25] Merckx won the race for the first time after winning the twelfth stage's finish atop theTre Cime di Lavaredo to gain the race lead.[25][26] En route to the overall victory, he won four stages.[25] He returned in1969 and was leading the race after the sixteenth stage that ended inSavona.[27] He tested positive for a banned substance after the stage and was disqualified from the race; he always denied any wrongdoing.[27] The UCI lifted his suspension almost immediately but he was not allowed to start stage 17.Felice Gimondi took the lead after Merckx's dismissal and held it until the race's conclusion.[27][28]
Merckx came back thefollowing year at the request of his sponsor.[29] He took the lead after stage five and never relinquished it; he dominated the lengthy stage nine time trial.[29][30] He went on to win theTour de France, and in doing so became the third rider to win twoGrand Tours in a single calendar year.[29] He did not compete in the1971 event, riding theCritérium du Dauphiné Libéré instead.[31] Felice Gimondi lost substantial time early on in the race to put him out of contention, while fellow Italian and teammateGianni Motta tested positive for banned substances and was disqualified.[31] Swedish cyclistGösta Pettersson gained the lead after the race's eighteenth stage and held it to the finish.[31][32] Pettersson became the first Swedish cyclist to win a Grand Tour.[31][32]
Merckx returned to the Giro in1972 and resumed his domination. He took the lead after a long solo attack during the race's seventh stage and held it until the finish.[33][34] He led the1973 Giro d'Italia from start to finish, a feat that had not been achieved sinceAlfredo Binda did so in1927.[35][36]
In1976,Juan Manuel Santisteban died after an accident early in the race. By the third week it seemed as though Belgian riderJohan De Muynck was going to claim victory, but Gimondi rode a strong final individual time trial to win his third Giro by a very small margin. He had not been considered a contender before the race. BelgiansMichel Pollentier and Johan De Muynck won the two subsequent Giros in1977 and1978.
In1980, FrenchmanBernard Hinault became France's first winner since Anquetil in 1964. He would win another two Giros in1982 and1985.[37]
The1987 edition saw controversy betweenCarrera Jeans–Vagabond's two general classification riders Roberto Visentini andStephen Roche.[38] Roche led the race early on but lost the lead to Visentini after crashing during the thirteenth stage.[39] Roche attacked on the race's mountainous fifteenth stage despite orders from Carrera team management not to.[40] Roche took the lead and wound up winning the race.[38] He also won theTour de France and themen's road race at the World Championships to complete the Triple Crown of Cycling.[38]
The fourteenth stage of the1988 Giro d'Italia saw very poor weather, particularly on the slopes of thePasso di Gavia.[41]Franco Chioccioli led the race at the start of the fabled fourteenth stage.[42] On the slopes of the Gavia,Andrew Hampsten andErik Breukink rode away from their fellow riders; Breukink won the stage, but Hampsten took the overall lead.[43] Hampsten went on to win the race and became the first non-European to win the race.[44]
Ivan Gotti's wins in1997 and1999 were either side of the first win byMarco Pantani's win in1998. Pantani was considered a favorite to win theGiro d'Italia Other contenders included Gotti,Alex Zülle and1996 winnerPavel Tonkov.[45] Pantani lost time in the initialprologue in Nice and further time to his main rivals during the fifteenth stage, an individual time trial inTrieste. By that point, Pantani faced a disadvantage of almost four minutes to Zülle before theDolomites mountain stages and an individual time trial on the penultimate stage, a discipline that favored Zülle and Tonkov. In the seventeenth stage toSelva di Val Gardena, Pantani took themaglia rosa, the leader's jersey, for the first time in his career after attacking Zülle on theMarmolada climb.[46] Although Pantani crossed the finish line behindGiuseppe Guerini, he finished over four minutes ahead of Zülle, maintaining an advantage of thirty seconds on the general classification over Tonkov, thirty-one seconds on Guerini and over a minute on Zülle.[47] In the following stage toAlpe di Pampeago, he finished second behind Tonkov but maintained the general classification lead over him and gained further time on Zülle and Guerini.[48] In the eighteenth stage toPlan di Montecampione, Pantani repeatedly attacked Tonkov, dropping him in the last three kilometers and winning the stage to face the individual time trial on the penultimate stage with a lead of almost a minute and a half.[46] Zülle lost contact with the favorites in the first climb and ended up losing over thirty minutes.[49] Having won over two minutes on Pantani in the previous time trial, Tonkov was considered superior to Pantani on the time trial discipline, but the Italian finished third in the penultimate stage, gaining an additional five seconds on Tonkov.[50] Pantani was thus able to maintain his lead to win the Giro d'Italia with a minute and a half over Tonkov and more than six minutes over Guerini. He also won theMountains classification and finished second in thePoints classification.[51]
Pantani subsequently went on to win the1998 Tour de France, thus completing the rare feat of winning the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in the same calendar year.[52]
Pantani returned to the Giro in1999 while in peak physical form.[53] Pantani gained the lead after the race's fourteenth stage and as the race hit the high mountains, he extended his lead with three stage wins.[53] On the morning of the twentieth stage, Pantani was dismissed from the Giro after havinghematocrit levels above 50%.[53] 1997 victor Ivan Gotti, who was second place at the time, subsequently took the lead and wound up winning the Giro for the second time in his career.[53]
The2017 Giro d'Italia was the 100th edition of the race.Tom Dumoulin won stage 10, a 39.8-kilometre (24.7-mile)individual time trial (ITT) fromFoligno toMontefalco, to take the overall race lead by 2 minutes and 23 seconds over Quintana.[56] Dumoulin won Stage 14, which featured a mountain top finish atSantuario di Oropa to extend his lead over Quintana by a further 14 seconds.[57] On Stage 16, Dumoulin experienced stomach problems and had to take acomfort break at the foot of theUmbrail Pass; none of the other contenders waited for Dumoulin and he finished more than two minutes down on stage winnerVincenzo Nibali, keeping his race lead by just 31 seconds over Quintana. Dumoulin defended his lead until the stage 19 mountain finish in Piancavallo, where he crossed the line over a minute behind Quintana, the new race leader.[58] However, Dumoulin's performance on stage 21, a 29-kilometre (18-mile) individual time trial fromMonza Circuit toMilan in which he finished second, took him from fourth to first place in the general classification. He was also the first Dutchman to win the overall in a Grand Tour sinceJoop Zoetemelk won the 1980 Tour de France.
In2018Simon Yates seemed to be in very good position to become the first British rider to win, winning 3 individual stages and holding the Maglia Rosa from Stage 6 onwards, with Dumoulin lying second overall for much of the race. However, on Stage 19, Yates cracked andChris Froome then launched an audacious 80 km solo breakaway, attacking the small group of leaders including Dumoulin on theCima Coppi of the 2018 Giro, the graveled climb of theColle delle Finestre, he continued to extend his lead over theSestriere and to the summit finish ofBardonecchia and overturned a more than three minute deficit to take both the pink jersey, the Cima Coppi prize and the mountains classification. The solo win, and the simultaneous implosion of Yates, who lost more than 30 minutes on the day having lost contact on the first climb of the day, was described as "one of the most extraordinary days in Giro d'Italia history".[59] Froome became the first British rider to ever win the Giro, as well as the first rider since 1983 to hold all three Grand Tour titles simultaneously, as well as becoming the seventh man to have completed the career Grand Tour grand slam.[60]
In2019Richard Carapaz, from Ecuador, became the first rider from his country to win the race.
In2020, theCOVID-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the Giro to October, marking the only time in history that the Giro was not raced in May or June. This race was won byTao Geoghegan Hart, making him the second British rider to win the race; then in the2021 editionEgan Bernal became the second Colombian to ever win and in2022Jai Hindley became the first ever Australian to win.[61]
The2023 Giro d'Italia was won by SlovenianPrimož Roglič, who took the lead fromGeraint Thomas on the penultimate stage, a mountain time trial to Monte Lussari, near the Italian border withSlovenia. Even though he suffered a dropped chain on the climb, Roglič was able to gain 40 seconds on Thomas to move into the overall lead.[62] He held onto it on the final, largely ceremonial stage into Rome to win the Giro d'Italia for the first time in his career.[63]
In2024,Tadej Pogačar, from Slovenia, won the race on his debut. He narrowly lost out on the lead after the first stage toJhonatan Narváez,[64] but took the pink jersey on the second stage and held it until the end. Pogačar executed a dominant victory, with a winning margin of almost 10 minutes, themountains classification and 6 stage wins.[65] The winning margin of 9:56 over his closest competitor,Daniel Martínez was the biggest since the1965 edition and the fourth largest in the post-World War II era. Pogačar went on to win the2024 Tour de France, becoming the first rider to win both the Giro and Tour in the same year sinceMarco Pantani in 1998.[66]
A few riders from each team aim to win overall but there are three further competitions to draw riders of all specialties: points,[10] mountains,[10] and a classification for young riders with general classification aspirations.[10] The oldest of the four classifications is the general classification.[3][10] The leader of each aforementioned classifications wears a distinctive jersey.[10] If a rider leads more than one classification that awards, he wears the jersey of the most prestigious classification.[10] The abandoned jersey is worn by the rider who is second in the competition.[10]
ThePink Jersey (Italian:Maglia rosa) worn by the leader of the general classification
The most sought after classification in the Giro d'Italia is the general classification.[3] All of the stages are timed to the finish, and after finishing the riders' times are compounded with their previous stage times, so the rider with the lowest aggregate time is the leader of the race.[3][10] The leader is determined after each stage's conclusion. The leader of the race also has the privilege to wear the race leader's pink jersey.[3][10] The jersey is presented to the leader rider on a podium in the stage's finishing town. If a rider is leading more than one classification that awards a jersey, he will wear the maglia rosa since the general classification is the most important one in the race. The lead can change after each stage.
The color pink was chosen as the magazine that created the Giro,La Gazzetta dello Sport, printed its newspapers on pink paper.[10][13] The pink jersey was added to the race in the1931 edition and it has since become a symbol of the Giro d'Italia.[3][13] The first rider to wear the pink jersey wasLearco Guerra.[3][13] Riders usually try to make the extra effort to keep the jersey for as long as possible in order to get more publicity for the team and the sponsor(s) of the team.Eddy Merckx wore the jersey for 78 stages, more than any other rider in the history of the Giro d'Italia.[68][69][70] Three riders have won the general classification five times in their career:Alfredo Binda,Fausto Coppi, and Eddy Merckx.[71]
The general classification winner was not always determined by a time system. In theinaugural Giro d'Italia the organizers chose to have a points system over a system based around elapsed time after the scandal that engulfed the1904 Tour de France.[5] In addition to that, the organizers chose the point system since it would be cheaper to count the placings of the riders rather than clocking the riders during each stage.[5] The race leader was calculated by adding up each rider's placings in each stage and the rider with the lowest total was the leader; if a rider placed second in the first stage and third in the second stage, he would have five points total. The system was modifieda year later to give the riders who placed 51st or higher in a stage 51 points and keep the point distribution system the same for the riders who placed 1st through 50th in a stage.[72] The calculation remained unmodified until1912 where the organizers chose to have the race be centered around teams, while still keeping the point system.[73] Thenext year race organizers chose to revert to the system used in 1911.[73] In1914, the organizers shifted to the system used nowadays, where riders would have their finishing times for each stage totaled together to determine the overall leader.[74]
These are the time bonuses that the riders receive for crossing the lines in the first few positions:[75]
The mountains classification is the second oldest jersey awarding classification in the Giro d'Italia. The mountains classification was added to the Giro d'Italia in1933 Giro d'Italia and was first won byAlfredo Binda.[13][76] During mountain stages of the race, points are awarded to the rider who is first to reach the top of each significant climb.[13] Points are also awarded for riders who closely follow the leader up each climb.[13] The number of points awarded varies according to the hill classification, which is determined by the steepness and length of the course.[10][13]
The climbers' jersey is worn by the rider who, at the start of each stage, has the largest number of climbing points.[13] If a rider leads two or more of the categories, the climbers' jersey is worn by the rider in second, or third, place in that contest.[10] At the end of the Giro, the rider holding the most climbing points wins the classification.[10] In fact, some riders, particularly those who are neither sprinters nor particularly good at time-trialing, may attempt only to win this particular competition within the race. The Giro has four categories of mountains. They range from category 4, the easiest, to category 1, the hardest. There is also theCima Coppi, the highest point reached in a particular Giro, which is worth more points than the race's other first-category climbs.[10] Gino Bartali has won the mountains classification a record seven times.[71]
The classification awarded no jersey to the leader until the1974 Giro d'Italia, when the organizers decided to award a green jersey to the leader.[13] The green jersey was used until2012, when the classification's sponsor,Banca Mediolanum, renewed its sponsorship for another four years and desired the jersey to be blue rather than green.[77]
The point distribution for the mountains is as follows:
The points that are gained by consecutive riders reaching a mountain top are distributed according to 5 categories:[78]
Tipologia
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Cima Coppi
50
30
20
14
10
6
4
2
1
First Category
40 (50)
18 (24)
12 (16)
9
6
4
2
1
-
Second Category
18
8
6
4
2
1
-
-
-
Third Category
9
4
2
1
-
-
-
-
-
Fourth Category
3
2
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
The figures in brackets are awarded if the first category climb is also the stage finish.
The points classification is the third oldest of the four jersey current awarding classifications in the Giro d'Italia. It was introduced in the1966 Giro d'Italia and was first won byGianni Motta.[13][79] Points are given to the rider who is first to reach the end of, or determined places during, any stage of the Giro. The red jersey is worn by the rider who at the start of each stage, has the largest number of points.[13] The rider who, at the end of the Giro, holds the most points, wins the points competition. Each stage win, regardless of the stage's categorization, awards 25 points, second place is worth 20 points, third 16, fourth 14, fifth 12, sixth 10, and one point less per place down the line, to a single point for fifteenth.[75] This means that a true sprinter might not always win the points classification. The classification was added to draw the participation of the sprinters. The classification has been won four times by two riders:Francesco Moser andGiuseppe Saronni.[71]
In addition, stages can have one or more intermediate sprints: 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1 point(s) are/is awarded to the first six cyclists passing these lines.[75] These points also count toward the TV classification (Traguardo Volante, or "flying sprint"), a separate award.[75]
The first year the points classification was used, it had no jersey that was given to the leader of the classification. In the1967 Giro d'Italia, the red jersey was added for the leader of the classification.[13] However, in1969 the red jersey was changed to a cyclamen (purple) colored jersey.[10][13] It remained that color until2010 when the organizers chose to change the jersey back to the color red in a return to the original color scheme for the three minor classifications, which reflected the colors of the Italian flag.[80] However, in April 2017RCS Sport, the organisers of the Giro, announced that themaglia ciclamino would be revived for the2017 Giro d'Italia.[81]
The point distribution for the sprints are as follows:[75]
The young rider classification is restricted to riders who are no older than 25 during that calendar year.[10][82] The leader of the classification is determined the same way as the general classification, with the riders' times being added up after each stage and the eligible rider with lowest aggregate time is dubbed the leader.[10][82] This classification was added to the Giro d'Italia in the1976 edition, withAlfio Vandi being the first to win the classification after placing seventh overall.[82] The classification was not contested between the years of 1995 and 2006.[10] The classification was reintroduced in the2007, and has been in each Giro since.[10][82] The Giro d'Italia awards a white jersey to the leader of the classification.[82]Evgeni Berzin,Nairo Quintana andTao Geoghegan Hart won the young rider classification and the general classification in the same year : in1994,2014 and2020.[82] Four riders have won the young rider classification twice in their respective careers:Vladimir Poulnikov,Pavel Tonkov,Bob Jungels andMiguel Ángel López.
There are two team classifications that are contested at the Giro d'Italia: theTrofeo Fast Team and theTrofeo Super Team. TheTrofeo Fast Team is the older of the two as it was introduced in thefirst Giro d'Italia. It was first won byAtala. TheTrofeo Fast Team is determined by adding the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage; the leading team is the team with the lowest total time.[10] The classification was simply called the team classification in each edition until the organizers changed it to theTrofeo Fast Team for the1994 Giro d'Italia.Team Sky won theTrofeo Fast Team classification in2018.
TheTrofeo Super Team was introduced at the1993 Giro d'Italia. The nameTrofeo Super Team was adopted for the 1994 edition of the Giro and been used ever since. The classification was first won byAriostea in 1993. The classification is a team points classification, with the top 20 placed riders on each stage earning points (20 for first place, 19 for second place and so on, down to a single point for 20th) for their team. The Trofeo Super Team classification was discontinued in 2017, when it was won byQuick-Step Floors.
Other less well-known classifications, whose leaders did not receive a special jersey, are awarded during the Giro. These awards were based on points earned throughout the three weeks of the tour.[10] Eachmass-start stage had one intermediate sprint, theTraguardo Volante, or TV. The TV gave bonus seconds towards the general classification, points towards the regular points classification, and also points towards the TV classification. This award was known by various names in previous years, and was previously time-based.[10] In2013 this classification was renamed to the sprints classification and was won byRafael Andriato.
Other awards include the Combativity classification, which was a compilation of points gained for position on crossing intermediate sprints, mountain passes and stage finishes.[10] It was won byMark Cavendish in 2013. The Azzurri d'Italia classification is based on finishing order; however, points were awarded only to the top three finishers in each stage.[10] It was also most recently won by Mark Cavendish. Additionally, theTrofeo Fuga Pinarello rewarded riders who took part in a breakaway at the head of the field, each rider in an escape of ten or fewer riders getting one point for each kilometre that the group stayed clear.[10]Vini Fantini–Selle Italia's Rafael Andriato was first in this competition in 2013. Teams were given penalty points for minor technical infringements.[10] Several teams tied for the Fair Play classification in 2018 (and also in2021), not receiving any points (the team's best placed rider in the General Classification then serves as a tie-breaker[83]).
In1946 themaglia nera (black jersey) was introduced and awarded the cyclist who was last in the general classification.[84] Riders sometimes deliberately wasted time in order to become last overall and so wear the black jersey.[84] The classification was short lived, as it was last contested in the1951 Giro d'Italia.[84] The classification was won twice by Luigi Malabrocca, who won the classification in 1946 and1947. The last winner of the maglia nera was Giovanni Pinarello.
Theintergiro classification was introduced in1989 and first won by Yugoslavian Jure Pavlič.[13][85] In each stage there would be a point, before the finish, where the riders would be timed until they crossed the line.[13] The times from each stage would then be added together for each rider to determine the leader of the classification. The leader of the classification was awarded a blue jersey.[86] The classification was run each year since its addition until2005.[85] The last winner of the classification wasStefano Zanini.Fabrizio Guidi won the classification three times, the most by any rider. Guidi won the classification in1996,1999, and2000.[85]
The Giro d'Italia contains either 21 or 20 stages and a prologue (an individual time trial under 8 km (5 mi) in length) and two or three rest days.[75][90] There are three types of stages that are used in the Giro d'Italia: the mass-start stages,individual time trials, andteam time trials.[75][91] The mass-start stages make up most of the 21 racing days of each year's Giro d'Italia,[91] there are usually two time trials in each edition of the Giro d'Italia, and sometimes three if there is a prologue or team time trial. In mass start stages there are time bonuses of ten, six and four seconds for the first three finishers, and, in some years, bonuses of three, two and one seconds at intermediate sprints.[75][91]
Some of the 48 hairpin turns near the top of the eastern ramp of theStelvio Pass
The Giro d'Italia is known for its steep and difficult climbs. Each race features a few stages that contain many climbs of high severity. The race traditionally passes through theAlps with some of the longest climbs in theDolomites. The first Alpine pass included was theSestriere in1911.[94] The Dolomites were first included in the Giro in1937, when the race crossed over theRolle Pass and thePasso di Costalunga.[95][96] Some of the most famous mountains used in the Giro are thePasso dello Stelvio,[97]Passo Pordoi, and thePasso di Gavia. Since1965 the highest point in the Giro d'Italia has been dubbed theCima Coppi in honor of the great Italian climberFausto Coppi.[98]
Riders at the2013 Giro d'Italia faced snowy conditions whilst passing through the Alps
The first Giro time trial was over 62 km (39 mi) between Bologna and Ferrara in1933 and was won byAlfredo Binda.[76] A time trial is sometimes used as the penultimate or final stage, and some editions have featured a mountain time trial stage. The first stage in modern Giros is often a short trial, aprologue, to decide who wears pink on the opening day. The first prologue occurred in the1968 Giro d'Italia.[25] The route stretched 5.7 km (4 mi) around the streets ofCampione d'Italia and was won by the FrenchmanCharly Grosskost.[25] The riders raced the course in an unusual format, with the riders racing in ten groups of thirteen and the time not being counted towards their overall time.[25]
The Giro takes place mainly in Italy, but some stages have departure or conclusion locations in, or pass through, the neighboring countries of San Marino, France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and Vatican City State. The other countries visited, usually in connection with the opening stages of the race, are Belgium, Luxembourg, Croatia, Denmark, Ireland, Germany, Greece, Israel, Netherlands, Monaco and the United Kingdom.[101]
For nearly half a century, the Giro started and finished byMilan, the city where the headquarters of theGazzetta dello Sport is located.[102][103] In1911 these events took place inRome to celebrate the 50thanniversary of Italy's unification.[94] With the occasional exception, the start and finish in Milan were the standard for the Giro d'Italia. However, since the 1960s the place of departure has changed each year[104] and finishes in cities such asVerona,Brescia,Trieste,Turin and Rome have become more frequent.
The start of the Giro d'Italia (La Grande Partenza) is a significant occasion and cities invest heavily, hoping to recoup the cost in tourism, exposure and other benefits: Denmark spent an estimated $3.86 million to host the opening stages of the 2012 edition.[105]
For the first 47 editions of the race, the race started on Italian soil. In1965 the race made its first foreign start inSan Marino, and has since had twelve more foreign starts.[101][105][106] The 2018 start inJerusalem was met withcontroversy as activists called for the race to be moved, claiming that the race whitewashesIsrael's human rights record.[107][108] Ultimately, the race went ahead as scheduled and every team selected for the Giro took part, including two teams of Arabic ownership: the Bahrain-Mérida team and the United Arab Emirates team.[109] The intended start of the2020 race inHungary was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[110]
A women's edition of the Giro – theGiro d'Italia Women – has been staged since 1988.[126] Part of theUCI Women's World Tour, it is one of the longest races in women's professional cycling, usually taking place over eight to ten days.[127] Since 2024, the race has been organised by RCS Sport, who also organise the men's race.[128]
An under 23 edition of the Giro was first staged in 1970. Currently branded asGiro Next Gen, this race is also organised by RCS Sport.[128]
^The prologue for the 1973 Giro d'Italia was not a typical prologue as it was a two-man team time trial, not the normal individual time trial. The results from the stage did not count towards the general classification,[114] but were used to determine the first wearers of themaglia rosa (English:pink jersey) andmaglia ciclamino (English:mauve, or purple, jersey).[115][116] The rider with the quickest time of the two would wear the pink jersey, while the second placed rider wore the purple jersey.[115][116] Merckx finished the fastest, which allowed him to wear the pink jersey the following day, while Swerts earned the purple jersey.[116]
^abcMcGann, Bill; McGann, Carol."1970 Giro d'Italia".Bike Race Info. Dog Ear Publishing. Retrieved6 August 2012.
^"Merckx Rubrico Su Previsto Triunfo" [Merckx Rubric Your Intended Triumph].El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Bolzano, Italy. 8 June 1970. p. 30. Retrieved27 May 2012.
^abcdMcGann, Bill; McGann, Carol."1971 Giro d'Italia".Bike Race Info. Dog Ear Publishing. Retrieved6 August 2012.
^ab"Gösta Pettersson Gano El "Giro"" [Gösta Pettersson wins the "Tour"].El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Milan, Italy. 11 June 1971. p. 17. Retrieved27 May 2012.
^McGann, Bill; McGann, Carol."1972 Giro d'Italia".Bike Race Info. Dog Ear Publishing. Retrieved6 August 2012.
^McGann, Bill; McGann, Carol."1973 Giro d'Italia".Bike Race Info. Dog Ear Publishing. Retrieved6 August 2012.
^"Merckx, <<Maglia Rosa>> De Principio A Fin" [Merckx, <<Pink Jersey>> From Beginning to End].El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Trieste, Italy. 10 June 1973. p. 19. Retrieved27 May 2012.
^abcMcGann, Bill; McGann, Carol."1987 Giro d'Italia".Bike Race Info. Dog Ear Publishing. Retrieved6 August 2012.
^"Visentini: La Contrarreloj Consagra" [Visentini: The Time Trial consecrates](PDF).El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 5 June 1987. p. 43. Retrieved27 May 2012.
^"Regulations"(PDF). Giro d'Italia. 2014. pp. 19–20. Archived fromthe original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved31 March 2021.C – «MULTIPOWER» FAIR PLAY PRIZE ... In the event of a tie, the separation for the placing is the ranking in the general classification of the team's best rider.
^abc"Giro, la Maglia nera diventa Numero nero" [The Giro, the black jersey becomes the black number].La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Milan, Italy: RCS MediaGroup. 11 January 2008. Retrieved4 August 2012.
^abMcGann, Bill; McGann, Carol."1911 Giro d'Italia".Bike Race Info. Dog Ear Publishing. Retrieved6 August 2012.
^"Le Giro a 100 ans" [The Giro d'Italia is 100 Years Old].larousse.fr (in French). Archived fromthe original on 13 February 2013. Retrieved16 September 2010.
^abcdMcGann, Bill; McGann, Carol."1937 Giro d'Italia".Bike Race Info. Dog Ear Publishing. Retrieved6 August 2012.
^Cite error: The named referenceBRI 73 was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).
^abCite error: The named referenceLU PV-p09-1 was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).
^abcGino Sala (19 May 1973)."Eddy Parte In Rosa" [Eddy Starts in Pink](PDF).l'Unità (in Italian). PCI. p. 12. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 4 June 2020. Retrieved22 June 2018.
McGann, Bill; McGann, Carol (2011).The Story of the Giro d'Italia: A Year-by-Year History of the Tour of Italy. Volume 1: 1909–1970. Vol. 1. Indianapolis: Dog Ear Publishing.ISBN978-0-98431-176-7.
Sykes, Herbie (2008).The Eagle of the Canavese: Franco Balmamion and the Giro d'Italia. Mousehold Press.ISBN978-1-874739-49-4.
van Walleghem, Rik (1993).Eddy Merckx: The Greatest Cyclist of the 20th century. Penguin Productions.ISBN978-1-884737-72-5.
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