Giro d'Italia facts for kids
 2024 Giro d'Italia |
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| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Date | May–June |
| Region | Italy and nearby countries |
| English name | Tour of Italy |
| Local name(s) | Giro d'Italia |
| Nickname(s) | La Corsa Rosa |
| Discipline | Road |
| Competition | UCI World Tour |
| Type | Grand Tour |
| Organiser | RCS Sport |
| Race director | Mauro Vegni |
| History | |
| First edition | 13 May 1909 1909 Giro d'Italia |
| Editions | 107 (as of 2024) |
| First winner |  Luigi Ganna (ITA) |
| Most wins |
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| Most recent |  Tadej Pogačar (SLO) |
The Giro d'Italia (which means Tour of Italy in English) is a super exciting yearly bicycle race. It mostly happens in Italy, but sometimes it starts or passes through other countries too. The first race was held in 1909. It was created to help sell more copies of a newspaper called La Gazzetta dello Sport. This newspaper's owner still helps run the race today! The Giro has happened every year since 1909, except during the two big world wars.
As the Giro became more famous, the race got longer. More and more riders from all over the world started joining in. The Giro is now part of the UCI World Tour. This means that the best cycling teams from around the globe compete in it.
The Giro is one of the three biggest bike races in the world. These are called Grand Tours. It's the second most important stage race after the Tour de France. The Giro usually takes place in May, sometimes going into early June. The route changes every year, but the race always has at least two time trials. It also always goes through the tough mountains of the Alps, including the amazing Dolomites. Like other Grand Tours, the modern Giro d'Italia usually has 21 stages. These stages are spread over 23 or 24 days, with two or three rest days in between.
The rider who finishes all stages in the shortest total time is the leader. They get to wear the famous pink jersey. Winning a stage is a big deal on its own. But there are also other exciting competitions within the Giro. These include the points classification, the mountains classification for the best climbers, and the young rider classification for riders under 25. There's also a team competition.
Contents
History of the Giro d'Italia
How the Race Began (1909)
The idea for a bike race around Italy came from the success of the Tour de France. A newspaper called L'Auto had become very popular because of it. So, Tullo Morgagni, an editor at La Gazzetta dello Sport, thought Italy needed its own big race. At the time, La Gazzetta's rival newspaper, Corriere della Sera, was also planning a bike race. Morgagni wanted to start their race first!
La Gazzetta didn't have enough money at first. But after they successfully created other races like the Giro di Lombardia and Milan–San Remo, their owner decided to go for it. The Giro d'Italia was announced on August 7, 1908. It was planned for May 1909.
To get the money needed, an accountant named Primo Bongrani helped. He traveled around Italy asking for donations. He was very successful and raised enough money to run the race. Even Corriere, the rival newspaper, gave money to help!
On May 13, 1909, at 2:53 AM, 127 riders started the first Giro d'Italia. The race began in Milan. It had eight stages and covered about 2,448 kilometers. Only 49 riders finished. The Italian rider Luigi Ganna won the first Giro. He won three stages and the overall race. Ganna received a prize of 5,325 lire.
Early Years and Famous Riders (1910 – 1952)
For the next two years, the race used the same scoring system. Carlo Galetti won both times. In 1912, the race was only for teams, not individual riders. Team Atala won that year. From 1914 onwards, the winner was decided by who had the lowest total time. This is how it's still done today.
The Giro was stopped for four years (1915-1918) because of the First World War. Costante Girardengo won the first Giro after the war in 1919.
The 1920s belonged to Alfredo Binda. He won his first Giro in 1925. Then he won again in 1927, winning an amazing 12 out of 15 stages! He won five Giros in total.
Later, Gino Bartali became the top rider. He was known as the "Iron Man of Tuscany" because he was so tough. Bartali won two Giros in the 1930s. In 1940, the last Giro before the Second World War, Bartali was beaten by his 20-year-old teammate, Fausto Coppi.
Bartali and Coppi became big rivals. Bartali was seen as more traditional, while Coppi was more modern in his training. Their rivalry grew even stronger after the war. Bartali won his last Giro in 1946, just beating Coppi. Coppi then won his second Giro the next year. Coppi went on to win three more Giros. He even won both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in the same year, in 1949 and 1952. He was the first rider to do this!
New Winners Emerge (1953 – 1967)
In 1950, Hugo Koblet from Switzerland became the first non-Italian to win the race. The 1950s didn't have one dominant rider. Coppi, Charly Gaul, and Fiorenzo Magni each won two Giros during this time.
The 1960s also saw different winners. Jacques Anquetil won the Giro in 1960. He became the first rider to win all three Grand Tours (Giro, Tour de France, and Vuelta a España). Anquetil won the Giro again in 1964. Franco Balmamion won two Giros in a row in 1962 and 1963.
Felice Gimondi won the 1967 Giro d'Italia. He later became the second rider, after Anquetil, to win all three Grand Tours.
The Merckx Era and Beyond (1968 – 1996)
Belgian rider Eddy Merckx was the top star in the 1970s. He won his first Giro in 1968. Merckx won the Giro a record five times in his career. In 1969, Merckx was leading the race. However, he was found to have used a substance not allowed in the race and was removed from the Giro. Merckx always said he was innocent. Felice Gimondi then took the lead and won the race.
Merckx returned in 1970 and won again. He took the lead early and never gave it up. He also won the Tour de France that year. This made him the third rider to win two Grand Tours in the same year. In 1971, Gösta Pettersson became the first Swedish cyclist to win a Grand Tour.
Merckx came back to the Giro in 1972 and continued his winning ways. He took the lead early and kept it all the way to the finish. He even led the 1973 Giro d'Italia from start to finish, just like Alfredo Binda did in 1927.
In 1976, a rider sadly died in an accident during the race. This shocked everyone. Later in that race, Felice Gimondi won his third Giro in a very exciting way. He was getting older and wasn't expected to win, but he rode a super strong final time trial.
In 1980, Bernard Hinault became the first French winner since Anquetil. He won two more Giros in 1982 and 1985.
The 1987 race had some drama between teammates Roberto Visentini and Stephen Roche. Roche took the lead and won the Giro, even though his team told him not to attack. Roche then went on to win the Tour de France and the World Championships that year. This is a rare achievement called the Triple Crown of Cycling.
The 1988 Giro d'Italia is remembered for a very tough stage in bad weather. Andrew Hampsten rode incredibly well in the cold and snow on the Passo di Gavia. He took the overall lead and became the first non-European to win the Giro d'Italia.
Spanish rider Miguel Indurain, who won five Tours de France, won the Giro two times in a row in 1991 and 1992.
Modern Era (1997 – Present)
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Ivan Gotti won in 1997 and 1999. In between, Marco Pantani won in 1998. Pantani was a favorite to win. He lost some time early on, but then he attacked fiercely in the Dolomites mountain stages. He took the pink jersey and held onto it to win the Giro d'Italia. He also won the Mountains classification. Pantani then went on to win the 1998 Tour de France that same year. This is a very rare and special achievement.
In 1999, Pantani was again in great shape and leading the race. But he was removed from the Giro after a health check showed his blood levels were too high. Ivan Gotti then took the lead and won the Giro for the second time.
Other riders who have won the Giro multiple times this century include Gilberto Simoni (2001, 2003), Paolo Savoldelli (2002, 2005), Ivan Basso (2006, 2010), Alberto Contador (2008, 2015), and Vincenzo Nibali (2013, 2016).
In 2011, a rider named Wouter Weylandt sadly had a fatal crash. Michele Scarponi was later awarded the victory after Alberto Contador was found to have used a banned substance in a previous race.
Nairo Quintana from Colombia became the first South American winner in 2014.
The 2017 Giro d'Italia was the 100th edition of the race. Tom Dumoulin won it, becoming the first Dutch rider to win a Grand Tour since 1980. He had some stomach problems during one stage and lost time, but he fought back in the final time trial to win!
In 2018, Chris Froome made an amazing solo attack. He rode alone for 80 kilometers over tough mountains and took the pink jersey. He became the first British rider to win the Giro. He also became the first rider since 1983 to hold all three Grand Tour titles at the same time.
Richard Carapaz from Ecuador won in 2019, becoming the first rider from his country to win. In 2020, the race was moved to October because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tao Geoghegan Hart became the second British winner. In 2021, Egan Bernal became the second Colombian winner. Then in 2022, Jai Hindley became the first Australian to win.
The 2023 Giro d'Italia was won by Primož Roglič from Slovenia. He took the lead on the second-to-last stage, a mountain time trial, even after his chain dropped! In 2024, Tadej Pogačar from Slovenia won the race on his first try. He wore the pink jersey for almost the entire race and won 6 stages.
Special Jerseys and Awards
In the Giro, a few riders from each team try to win the whole race. But there are also three other exciting competitions for different kinds of riders. These are for points, mountains, and young riders. The leader of each competition gets to wear a special colored jersey. If a rider is leading more than one competition, they wear the jersey for the most important one. The second-place rider in that competition then wears the jersey instead.
The Pink Jersey: General Classification
The most important award in the Giro d'Italia is the general classification. All stages are timed. A rider's time from each stage is added together. The rider with the lowest total time is the race leader. This leader gets to wear the famous pink jersey. The jersey is given to the leader on a podium after each stage.
The color pink was chosen because La Gazzetta dello Sport, the newspaper that started the Giro, prints its papers on pink paper. The pink jersey was first used in 1931. It has become a symbol of the Giro d'Italia. Learco Guerra was the first rider to wear it. Riders try to keep the jersey for as long as possible to get attention for their team. Eddy Merckx wore the pink jersey for 78 stages, more than anyone else! Three riders have won the general classification five times: Alfredo Binda, Fausto Coppi, and Eddy Merckx.
The general classification winner wasn't always decided by time. In the first Giro in 1909, they used a points system. This was because of a scandal in the 1904 Tour de France. Also, it was cheaper to count points than to time every rider. The rider with the lowest total points won. In 1914, they switched to the time-based system we use today.
Riders can also get time bonuses for finishing in the top few positions:
| Type | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Flat finish | 10″ | 6″ | 4″ |
| Intermediate Sprint | 3″ | 2″ | 1″ | |
The Blue Jersey: Mountains Classification
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The mountains classification is the second oldest jersey award in the Giro. It was added in 1933 Giro d'Italia and first won by Alfredo Binda. On mountain stages, points are given to the first riders to reach the top of important climbs. More points are given for harder and longer climbs.
The rider with the most climbing points wears the blue jersey. If they also lead another classification, the second-place rider in the mountains competition wears it. Some riders, who aren't sprinters or time trial experts, focus only on winning this competition. The Giro has four categories of mountains, from easiest (category 4) to hardest (category 1). There's also the Cima Coppi, which is the highest point in that year's Giro. It gives the most points. Gino Bartali has won the mountains classification a record seven times!
This classification didn't have a jersey until 1974 Giro d'Italia, when a green jersey was introduced. The green jersey was used until 2012. Then, the sponsor wanted the jersey to be blue instead.
Here's how points are given for mountains:
| Type | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Cima Coppi | 45 | 30 | 20 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
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First Category | 35 | 18 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | |
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Second Category | 15 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | |||
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Third Category | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | |||||
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Fourth Category | 3 | 2 | 1 | ||||||
The Cyclamen Jersey: Points Classification
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The points classification is the third oldest jersey award. It started in 1966 Giro d'Italia and Gianni Motta won it first. Points are given to riders who finish first (or in high positions) at the end of a stage. Points are also given at certain spots during a stage called intermediate sprints. The rider with the most points wears the cyclamen (purple) jersey. The rider with the most points at the end of the Giro wins this competition.
Winning a stage, no matter the type, gives 25 points for first place, 20 for second, and so on. This means that even a fast sprinter might not always win the points classification. This competition was added to attract sprinters to the race. Francesco Moser and Giuseppe Saronni have each won this classification four times.
Intermediate sprints also give points: 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1 point(s) for the first six cyclists. These points also count for a separate award called the TV classification (Traguardo Volante, or "flying sprint").
The points classification first used a red jersey in 1967 Giro d'Italia. But in 1969, it changed to a cyclamen (purple) color. It stayed purple until 2010, when it went back to red. However, in 2017, the organizers brought back the maglia ciclamino (cyclamen jersey).
Here's how points are given for sprints:
| Type | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Finish/Time Trial | 25 | 20 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Intermediate sprint | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||
The White Jersey: Young Rider Classification
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The young rider classification is only for riders who are 25 years old or younger in that year. The leader is found the same way as the general classification: by adding up their times from each stage. The eligible rider with the lowest total time is the leader. This classification was added in 1976. Alfio Vandi was the first to win it. This competition was not held between 1995 and 2006. It came back in 2007 and has been in every Giro since. The leader wears a white jersey.
Some riders have won both the young rider classification and the general classification in the same year. These include Evgeni Berzin (1994), Nairo Quintana (2014), and Tao Geoghegan Hart (2020). Four riders have won the young rider classification twice: Vladimir Poulnikov, Pavel Tonkov, Bob Jungels, and Miguel Ángel López.
Team Classifications
There are two team competitions in the Giro d'Italia. The Trofeo Fast Team is the older one, started in the first Giro in 1909. It's won by adding the times of the best three cyclists from each team on every stage. The team with the lowest total time wins.
The Trofeo Super Team was introduced in 1993. This is a team points competition. The top 20 riders in each stage earn points for their team. This competition was stopped in 2017.
Other Awards
There are also other smaller awards in the Giro that don't have special jerseys.
- The Traguardo Volante (TV) or "flying sprint" awards points at intermediate sprints during stages.
- The Combativity classification gives points for being active in breakaways, winning intermediate sprints, and finishing well.
- The Azzurri d'Italia classification gives points only to the top three finishers in each stage.
- The Trofeo Fuga Pinarello rewards riders who are in breakaways (small groups of riders ahead of the main group). They get points for every kilometer they stay ahead.
- The Fair Play classification rewards teams for good sportsmanship and not breaking rules.
Old Classifications
The maglia nera (black jersey) was given to the rider who was last in the general classification. It was used from 1946 to 1951. Riders sometimes tried to be last on purpose to wear this jersey!
The intergiro classification was used from 1989 to 2005. In each stage, there was a point before the finish where riders were timed. These times were added up, and the leader wore a blue jersey.
There was also a combination classification from 1985 to 1988, and again in 2006.
The Race Stages
The Giro d'Italia usually has 21 or 20 stages, plus a short opening time trial (called a prologue). There are also two or three rest days. There are three main types of stages:
- Mass-start stages: Most of the race days are these stages, where all riders start together.
- Individual time trials: Riders race alone against the clock.
- Team time trials: Teams race together against the clock.
In mass-start stages, the first three finishers get bonus seconds added to their overall time.
Mario Cipollini, a famous Italian sprinter, holds the record for the most stage victories with 42 wins.
The Giro d'Italia is famous for its very steep and difficult climbs. Every race has stages with many tough climbs. The race traditionally goes through the Alps, with some of the longest climbs in the Dolomites. The first Alpine pass included was the Sestriere in 1911. The Dolomites were first included in 1937. Some of the most famous mountains in the Giro are the Passo dello Stelvio, Passo Pordoi, and the Passo di Gavia. Since 1965, the highest point in the Giro has been called the Cima Coppi. This is to honor the great Italian climber Fausto Coppi.
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The first individual time trial in the Giro was in 1933. It was won by Alfredo Binda. Sometimes, a time trial is the second-to-last or final stage. Some Giros even have a mountain time trial. The first stage is often a short time trial, called a prologue, to decide who wears the pink jersey on day one. The first prologue was in 1968.
The first team time trial happened in 1937 and was won by the Italian team, Legnano.
The Giro mostly takes place in Italy. But some stages start or finish in, or pass through, nearby countries. These include San Marino, France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, and Vatican City. Other countries visited for the start of the race include Belgium, Luxembourg, Croatia, Denmark, Ireland, Germany, Greece, Israel, Netherlands, Monaco, and the United Kingdom.
Starting and Finishing the Giro
For almost 50 years, the Giro always started and finished in Milan. This is where the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper is based. In 1911, the race started and finished in Rome to celebrate 50 years since Italy became one country. But since the 1960s, the starting city changes every year. The race also finishes in different cities like Verona, Brescia, Trieste, Turin, and Rome more often.
The start of the Giro d'Italia, called La Grande Partenza (The Big Start), is a huge event. Cities spend a lot of money to host it. They hope to attract tourists and get lots of attention. For example, Denmark spent about $3.86 million to host the start of the 2012 race.
Starts Outside Italy
For the first 47 races, the Giro always started in Italy. In 1965, the race had its first start outside Italy, in San Marino. Since then, it has started outside Italy twelve more times. The 2018 start in Jerusalem caused some discussion. But the race went ahead as planned, and all teams participated. The planned start of the 2020 race in Hungary was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Year | Country | City | Ref(s). |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 |  San Marino |
City of San Marino | |
| 1966 |  Monaco |
Monte Carlo | |
| 1973 |  Belgium |
Verviers | |
| 1974 |  Vatican City |
Vatican City | |
| 1996 |  Greece |
Athens | |
| 1998 |  France |
Nice | |
| 2002 |  Netherlands |
Groningen | |
| 2006 | Belgium |
Seraing | |
| 2010 | Netherlands |
Amsterdam | |
| 2012 |  Denmark |
Herning | |
| 2014 |  Northern Ireland |
Belfast | |
| 2016 | Netherlands |
Apeldoorn | |
| 2018 |  Israel |
Jerusalem | |
| 2022 |  Hungary |
Budapest |
Watching the Race
The Giro is broadcast all over Europe and in many other parts of the world. You can watch it on channels like Eurosport, Rai Sport (in Italy), L’Equipe TV (in France), and GCN+ (in the United States).
Other Giro Races
There's also a women's version of the Giro, called Giro d'Italia Women. It has been held since 1988 and is the longest race in women's professional cycling.
An under-23 version of the Giro, now called Giro Next Gen, started in 1970. These races are also organized by RCS Sport, the same group that runs the men's Giro.
See also
In Spanish: Giro de Italia para niños
- Giro d'Italia Women, part of the UCI Women's World Tour
- List of Giro d'Italia general classification winners
