Tirreno–Adriatico Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Tirreno–Adriatico
Race details

Date	Mid March
Region	Central Italy
English name	Tyrrhenian–Adriatic
Local name(s)	Tirreno–Adriatico
Nickname(s)	La corsa dei due mari The Race of the two Seas
Discipline	Road
Competition	UCI World Tour
Type	Major one week stage race
Organiser	RCS Sport – Gazzetta dello Sport
History
First edition	1966 (1966)
Editions	60 (as of 2025)
First winner	Dino Zandegù (ITA)
Most wins	Roger De Vlaeminck (BEL) (6 wins)
Most recent	Juan Ayuso (ESP)

The Tirreno–Adriatico is a famous bike race in Italy. It is also known as the "Race of the Two Seas". This is because cyclists race between the Tyrrhenian Sea on the west coast and the Adriatic Sea on the east coast. It is a very important race for professional male cyclists. Many riders use it to get ready for bigger races like the Giro d'Italia.

The first race happened in 1966 and had three stages. A stage is one part of a multi-day race. Since 2002, the race has had seven stages. The final stage always finishes in San Benedetto del Tronto by the Adriatic Sea. A cyclist from Belgium, Roger De Vlaeminck, has won the race the most times. He won six times in a row in the 1970s!

History of the Race
Race Route
Trophy and Leader's Jersey
List of Overall Winners
- Cyclists with Multiple Wins
- Wins by Country
See also

History of the Race

The Tirreno–Adriatico started in 1966. A cycling club in Lazio, Italy, called Forze Sportive Romane, created it. Most big Italian bike races were in Northern Italy. So, this new race was called "Tre Giorni del Sud," which means "Three days of the South."

Early Years and First Winners

The very first race began on March 11, 1966, in Rome. It ended two days later in Pescara. Dino Zandegù from Italy was the first winner. In 1967, the race became longer, with five stages. Franco Bitossi won that second edition.

The 1970s: A Champion's Era

In the 1970s, the Tirreno–Adriatico became a great warm-up race. It was perfect for cyclists getting ready for the big Milan–San Remo race, which happened a week later. Roger De Vlaeminck, a famous Belgian cyclist, dominated the race. He won it six times in a row! After his amazing wins, two Italian cycling stars, Giuseppe Saronni and Francesco Moser, each won the race twice.

Growing Bigger: 1980s and 1990s

From 1984 to 2001, the race grew even more. It had between six and eight stages. The starting points also moved more towards the northern part of Central Italy. In the 1990s, Tony Rominger from Switzerland and Rolf Sørensen from Denmark each won the race twice.

Modern Era: Seven Stages and World Tour

Since 2002, the Tirreno–Adriatico has been a seven-stage race. It starts on Italy's western coast, by the Tyrrhenian Sea. Then, it crosses the country to finish in San Benedetto del Tronto on the Adriatic Sea.

In 2005, it became part of the UCI ProTour, which was a top series of races. Later, it became part of the UCI World Tour in 2011. This means it is one of the highest-level professional men's races in the world.

In recent years, the race often includes tough mountain stages in the Apennines. Many cyclists who compete in Grand Tours (like the Tour de France) use this race to test their skills early in the season. Famous winners since 2010 include Tour de France champions like Vincenzo Nibali, Cadel Evans, and Alberto Contador. Colombian climber Nairo Quintana won the race in 2015 and again in 2017. The 2020 race was held in September because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Race Route

Route of the 2012 Tirreno–Adriatico

In its early days, the Tirreno–Adriatico often started near Rome or even Naples. Since the 1990s, it usually starts in seaside towns on the Tuscan coast. This is on the Tyrrhenian Sea side. Then, the race crosses the middle of the Italian peninsula to the Adriatic Sea on the east coast.

The race lasts for seven days. It has different types of stages:

Some stages are for sprinters, who are very fast on flat roads.
Some stages are for climbers, who are good at going up hills.
There are usually one or two time trial stages. In a time trial, cyclists race against the clock alone.
There is often at least one uphill sprint finish for "puncheurs." These riders are good at short, powerful climbs.

The route for the 2015 race is a good example of how it suits different types of riders. The race often starts on a Wednesday with a short team time trial. Then, there are stages for sprinters and a stage that ends on a short hilltop. The middle stages, usually on the weekend, are the tough mountain stages. The Tirreno–Adriatico always finishes on a Tuesday in San Benedetto del Tronto. This town is in the Marche region of Italy.

Trophy and Leader's Jersey

Since 2010, the winner of the Tirreno–Adriatico gets a special trophy. It is a large, golden trident. A trident is a three-pronged spear, like the one carried by Neptune, the Roman god of the sea. Because the race goes from one sea to another, the trophy is officially called the Sea Master Trophy.

Before the race starts, divers from the Italian Coast Guard ceremonially bring the trophy up from the Tyrrhenian Sea. This keeps with the sea theme of the race. The leader of the race wears a blue jersey. This blue color also matches the sea theme.

List of Overall Winners

Year	Winner	Stages	Distance (km)
1966	Dino Zandegù (ITA)	3	604
1967	Franco Bitossi (ITA)	5	1,068
1968	Claudio Michelotto (ITA)	5	1,037
1969	Carlo Chiappano (ITA)	5	946
1970	Antoon Houbrechts (BEL)	5	913
1971	Italo Zilioli (ITA)	5	985
1972	Roger De Vlaeminck (BEL)	5	884
1973	Roger De Vlaeminck (BEL)	5	582
1974	Roger De Vlaeminck (BEL)	5	781
1975	Roger De Vlaeminck (BEL)	5	816
1976	Roger De Vlaeminck (BEL)	5	882
1977	Roger De Vlaeminck (BEL)	5	809
1978	Giuseppe Saronni (ITA)	5	864
1979	Knut Knudsen (NOR)	5	916
1980	Francesco Moser (ITA)	5	814
1981	Francesco Moser (ITA)	5	835
1982	Giuseppe Saronni (ITA)	5	820
1983	Roberto Visentini (ITA)	5	857
1984	Tommy Prim (SWE)	6	1,043
1985	Joop Zoetemelk (NED)	6	1,011
1986	Luciano Rabottini (ITA)	6	981
1987	Rolf Sørensen (DEN)	6	936
1988	Erich Mächler (SUI)	6	930
1989	Tony Rominger (SUI)	7	1,071
1990	Tony Rominger (SUI)	8	1,041
1991	Herminio Díaz-Zabala (ESP)	8	1,317
1992	Rolf Sørensen (DEN)	8	1,166
1993	Maurizio Fondriest (ITA)	8	1,431
1994	Giorgio Furlan (ITA)	8	1,316
1995	Stefano Colagé (ITA)	8	1,422
1996	Francesco Casagrande (ITA)	8	1,370
1997	Roberto Petito (ITA)	8	1,162
1998	Rolf Järmann (SUI)	8	1,437
1999	Michele Bartoli (ITA)	8	1,412
2000	Abraham Olano (ESP)	8	1,249
2001	Davide Rebellin (ITA)	8	1,155
2002	Erik Dekker (NED)	7	1,049
2003	Filippo Pozzato (ITA)	7	1,235
2004	Paolo Bettini (ITA)	7	1,228
2005	Óscar Freire (ESP)	7	1,214
2006	Thomas Dekker (NED)	7	1,108
2007	Andreas Klöden (GER)	7	1,097
2008	Fabian Cancellara (SUI)	7	1,122
2009	Michele Scarponi (ITA)	7	1,095
2010	Stefano Garzelli (ITA)	7	1,229
2011	Cadel Evans (AUS)	7	1,075
2012	Vincenzo Nibali (ITA)	7	1,063
2013	Vincenzo Nibali (ITA)	7	1,060
2014	Alberto Contador (ESP)	7	1,034
2015	Nairo Quintana (COL)	7	1,006
2016	Greg Van Avermaet (BEL)	6	851
2017	Nairo Quintana (COL)	7	1,030.7
2018	Michał Kwiatkowski (POL)	7	992.5
2019	Primož Roglič (SLO)	7	1,048.5
2020	Simon Yates (GBR)	8	1,138.1
2021	Tadej Pogačar (SLO)	7	1,104.1
2022	Tadej Pogačar (SLO)	7	1,133.9
2023	Primož Roglič (SLO)	7	1,170.5
2024	Jonas Vingegaard (DEN)	7	1,119.0
2025	Juan Ayuso (ESP)	7	1,147.5

Cyclists with Multiple Wins

Wins	Rider	Editions
6	Roger De Vlaeminck (BEL)	1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977
2	Giuseppe Saronni (ITA)	1978, 1982
	Francesco Moser (ITA)	1980, 1981
	Rolf Sørensen (DEN)	1987, 1992
	Tony Rominger (SUI)	1989, 1990
	Vincenzo Nibali (ITA)	2012, 2013
	Nairo Quintana (COL)	2015, 2017
	Primož Roglič (SLO)	2019, 2023
	Tadej Pogačar (SLO)	2021, 2022

Wins by Country

Wins	Country
24	Italy
8	Belgium
5	Switzerland Spain
4	Slovenia
3	Denmark Netherlands
2	Colombia
1	Australia Germany Great Britain Norway Poland Sweden

Tirreno–Adriatico facts for kids

Contents