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First – Let’s have a look at the official promo of the Giro d’Italia.
Giro d’Italia (Tour of Italy) or The Giro is one of the three “Grand Tours”. The other two are the Tour de France (Tour of France) and the Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain). The Grand Tours are similar to one another in that they are:
- European professional road cycling stage races
A stage is one unit of a long race. Each stage is held on a different day, is independent of the other stages, and has a winner each. The race has an overall winner – one who has the best cumulative time over all stages. The days on a Grand Tour are a combination of flat, fast stages; mountain stages; time trials (individual and team); exhibition stages; and rest days.
Trending
- The only races allowed (by the UCI) to be held over 14 days
Grand Tours are allowed to last between 15 and 23 days. Currently, each Grand Tour is held over 3 weeks, with 2 rest days.
- The three most valuable races in the world
The “UCI World Tour” is UCI’s ranking system. All races held in a calendar year carry some value, in the form of points awarded to the winners. Of the 28 events in the UCI World Tour, The Grand Tours top the list. The winner of the Tour de France is awarded 200 points, while winners of the Giro and the Vuelta a Espana, 170 points each.
History
Francesco Moser
The 1st Giro: In 1908, despite being strapped for cash, the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport had announced that the first Giro d’Italia would be held the next year, because of rumours that their rival, Corriere dello Sport, was about to run a Tour of Italy a la the increasingly popular Tour de France.
The Gazzetta got the Tour of Italy, and the Corriere wanted to increase its circulation by holding an organized car rally.
On 13th May 1909, 127 riders started the first Giro d’Italia in Milan, the city in which the headquarters of the Gazzetta were located (for nearly 50 years, the Giro started and finished in Milan). The Corriere offered a winner’s bonus of 3,000 Lira.
After 17 days, 8 stages and 2,448 km, 49 riders finished, with Luigi Ganna, an Italian mason, winning the inaugural event. Ganna won three individual stages, and the overall race. He received 5,325 Lira as the winner’s prize, with all others who finished receiving 300 Lira. At the time, the Giro’s director received a salary of 150 Lira/month.
The Giro is important to the Italians. Giro’s organizers have always claimed that the race is a unifying factor for the nation.
At the end of World War II, the race was thought of as a symbol of Italy’s resurrection – the first race after the war was named Giro di Rinascita: the Giro of Rebirth. Cyclists went all over the country, including offshore areas, passing through cities that had been devastated by war. The race reinforced the fact that Italy was on its feet again.
The Giro is still sponsored by its founders, the Italian daily Gazzetta.
The highest point in the Giro is called Cima Coppi, established to honour the Italian champion Fausto Coppi.
The passion of the tifosi –Italy’s fans – meant that foreigners have always found it hard to win. Supporters have been known to push their heroes up the toughest mountain passes.
One Giro (1984) was decided because the organizer, Vincenzo Torriani, preferred a home winner, Francesco Moser, over Laurent Fignon (France).
Tough, mountainous routes were chosen in 1998 and 1999 to suit the ace climber Marco Pantani’s ability, although this failed because Pantani was disqualified for failing a blood test in 1999.
What to watch out for when you watch the Giro
The pink jersey was designed to reflect the colour of the Gazzetta’s papers – pink. The Maglia rosa is awarded to the leader of the General Classification (GC) at the Giro. The GC is the category that tracks overall times for riders in stage races. The leader of the GC is the rider who has the best time when all the stage results are added together. The final leader of the GC is the overall winner of the Giro.
Stages may be classified as “sprinters’ stages” or “climbers’ stages”. The former tend to be relatively flat courses, whereas the latter involve a lot of climbing of hills. The mountain stages are attended by hundreds of thousands of spectators (the “tifosi” in the Giro), not just because the leaders and peloton are considerably slower up a hill, but also because they are considered to be the deciding factor in the Grand Tours.
Maglia Verde – The Green Jersey
The Mountains Classification is one of the secondary classifications in the Giro. Points are awarded to leaders over designated climbs. Climbs are sorted (by the organizers) into one of three difficulty ratings, based on steepness, length and position in the stage. Bonus points are given to mountain stage finishes, and to the first riders over the Cima Coppi. 1974-2011, the King of the Mountains wore the maglia verde. In 2012, the jersey will change to blue (change in sponsor of the mountains classification).
Maglia Rosso Passione – The Red Jersey
The points’ classification is one of the secondary classifications in the Giro. The winner of each stage receives 25 points. Subsequent finishers get points in decreasing order until the 15th cyclist, who receives 1 point. Every mass start stage has a sprint somewhere in the middle of the course. The first to cross that sprint receives 8 points. The next riders are awarded points in decreasing order until the 6th cyclist, who receives 1 point. The points’ classification is the goal for many sprinters, and is therefore often known as the Sprint Classification.
Eddy Merckx
Eddy Merckx won all 3 jerseys – pink, green and red – in 1968. That was the first and only time somebody achieved this in any Grand Tour.
Maglia Bianca – The White Jersey
The leader in the young riders’ classification wears the maglia bianca. The leader is determined by the best overall time, but is only chosen from among riders younger than 25. If the best young rider is also the leader of the GC / points’ classification / mountains classification, the rider wears the most prestigious jersey, and the next young rider (not holding a more prestigious jersey) in the classification will wear the white jersey.
Discontinued Jerseys
Maglia Azzurra – Sky Blue Jersey
In the middle of the stages, at designated points, the times of the riders were measured. The overall leader in this competition was awarded a blue jersey. The popularity of this contest diminished over the years. In its place the youth classification was re-installed in 2007.
Maglia Nera – The Black Jersey
The black jersey would be awarded to the last man to finish the Giro (1946-1951). In 1948, the black jersey was given to Aldo Bini, who, according to witnesses, continued the race despite a broken right hand suffered in a crash – and despite the suffering that, especially in the mountain stages, forced him to get off the bike and push it uphill.
The Giro d’Italia 2012
The 95th edition
May 5th to May 27th | 23 days
21 stages - 4 Medium Mountain stages (moderately-rated climbs) | 3 Medium Mountain with Climbing Arrival stages (finish is at the top of a climb) | 1 High Mountain stage (high-rated climbs) | 3 High Mountain with Climbing Arrival stages | 7 Fast stages (flat-rolling courses) | 2 Individual Time Trial stages | 1 Team Time Trial stage | 2 rest days
Length of the race: 3,503.9 km | Average length of a stage: 166.9 km
Starting from Herning, Denmark | Finishing at Milan, Italy
Shortest stage: 8.7 km (1st stage) | Longest stage: 229 km (8th stage)
