Giro d'Italia 2024 - The Tour of Italy at a glance

Summary

The two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar impressively won the Giro d’Italia 2024. Particularly noteworthy: Pogačar's first victory in the Italian tour came on his first attempt and his first participation in this major tour.

The race took place from May 4 to 26 and was an epic journey through the breathtaking landscape of Italy: from the rugged peaks of the Dolomites to the sun-drenched coastal routes of the Adriatic, this Giro offered a variety of challenges for the riders and a wealth of unforgettable moments for spectators worldwide. At the same time, the Giro is considered one of the toughest tours ever.

Pogačar won an incredible six stages and finished the race with a lead of 9 minutes and 56 seconds ahead of the second-placed rider in the overall standings. This is the largest lead since 1965, when Vittorio Adorni won with a lead of 11 minutes and 26 seconds.

Behind Pogačar, Daniel Martinez (BORA-hansgrohe) took second place, and the experienced Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) was third, 10:24 minutes behind the winner.

The final stage covered 125 km around Rome. Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) won the stage in an exciting sprint, his third stage win in this year's Giro. Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) followed closely despite a late mechanical problem. Pogačar confidently defended his overall lead and did not participate in the final sprint as his overall victory was already secured.

This was our preview: All stages of the Giro d'Italia 2024

With spring traditionally begins the season of major cycling events, and one of the highlights is undoubtedly the Giro d'Italia. The three-week tour through Italy is one of the most demanding and prestigious events on the cycling calendar and attracts the best riders in the world every year. From the high Alpine passes to the sun-drenched beaches of the Adriatic, the Giro d'Italia offers a spectacular route through some of Italy's most beautiful landscapes.

This year's Italian tour promises an epic journey through the breathtaking landscape of Italy, filled with some of the most exciting stages of the cycling season. The route leads through historic cities and picturesque villages, while the riders must prove themselves on challenging climbs such as Monte Carpegna and Monte Grappa. With three individual time trials, including a mountain time trial to the iconic Monte Grappa, the cycling elite will have to demonstrate their skills in various disciplines.

But the Giro would not be complete without its characteristic climbs that have shaped the history of cycling. Stages like the queen stage to San Martino di Castrozza and the finale in Verona promise thrilling duels and decisive moments in the fight for the pink jersey.

Favorites

The favorites for the Giro d'Italia 2024 promise an exciting competition, characterized by impressive elevation gains and challenging stages. Led by outstanding names like Primož Roglič, Tadej Pogačar, Geraint Thomas, Julian Alaphilippe, and Wout van Aert, the tour will undoubtedly be a battle of titans. Roglič, preparing for the triple of Vuelta, Giro, and Tour, will be challenged by Pogačar, who is participating in the Giro for the first time and has ambitious goals. Thomas and Alaphilippe will also give their best, while van Aert prepares to take on a leading role, provided he recovers from a recent crash.

The route, featuring six mountain finishes and over 44,500 meters of elevation gain, promises to be a tough test for the riders, with the Queen Stage and the ascent to the legendary Stelvio Pass standing out. From epic climbs to thrilling time trials, the Giro d'Italia 2024 will undoubtedly be a race full of excitement, tactics, and heroic performances that will captivate the cycling world. With a mix of experienced champions and rising talents, this edition of the Giro will undoubtedly provide fans with unforgettable moments as the riders face the challenges of the Italian roads.

Classification Jerseys and More

The main goal of the Giro d'Italia is to wear the coveted Maglia Rosa, or Pink Jersey, which is worn by the overall leader of the tour. It is just as prestigious as the Yellow Jersey in the Tour de France and signals who is currently the best rider in the field. In 2022, Jai Hindley from Australia won the overall classification of the Giro d'Italia while wearing the jersey of the German cycling team Bora-hansgrohe.

In addition, there is a points classification in which sprinters, in particular, have good chances to win the Maglia ciclamino. The best climber of the Giro d'Italia is awarded the Maglia Azzurra, or Blue Jersey. Similar to the Tour de France, the white jersey, Maglia Bianca, is also awarded, to the best young rider under 25 years old.

The Maglia Nera of the Giro d'Italia is also well-known: Originally awarded to the weakest rider so that they could gain attention and also win a cash prize, it was abolished after a few years. However, the wearers have legendary status: Whether it's Aldo Bini, who finished the Tour in 1948 with a broken wrist, or Luigi Malabrocca, who hid behind bars, sheds, or hedges to deliberately be the last to receive the jersey and thus the prize money. This gave the jersey cult status and is still appreciated by fans today for its modern performance.

In addition, the official supplier of the professionals, Castelli, has developed stage jerseys for the individual stages. These combine high functionality with designs inspired by the Giro. This creates beautiful jerseys such as the Roma Short Sleeve Jersey, which was developed for the final. You can find all classification and themed jerseys of the Giro d'Italia 2024 here.

What Can We Expect from This Year's Giro?

The Giro d'Italia 2024 promises to be an exciting race full of challenges and surprises. With breathtaking landscapes, demanding routes, and the world's best cyclists, the Corsa Rosa promises to be a spectacular cycling event.

We look forward to the 2024 edition of the Giro d'Italia, which will undoubtedly provide some surprises. Who will wear the coveted Pink Jersey and who will emerge as the winner of the tour? We are eager to find out and will follow the race closely.

Giro d'Italia Donne 2024

The Giro d'Italia Donne has been officially rebranded as the Giro d'Italia Women and is organized by RCS Sport. This year's edition will take place from July 7th to 14th and has been shortened to eight days. Annemiek van Vleuten secured the overall victory in the last edition, which, due to the takeover by RCS Sport, will now take place in a new format. The race route will be announced later.

The Giro d'Italia Women is one of the most prestigious women's races worldwide and celebrates its 35th anniversary in 2024 but has been shortened to eight days. Alongside the Tour de France Femmes, it is one of the most important stage races on the Women's WorldTour calendar. RCS Sport takes over the organization from PMG Sport/Starlight.

Van Vleuten will no longer participate, leaving room for new champions such as Mavi Garcia, Elisa Longo Borghini, Gaia Realini, Lizzie Deignan, Juliette Labous, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, and Marta Cavalli. The race route will cover 158.6 kilometers from northern to southern Italy, crossing the Apennines and including an individual time trial in Brescia as well as two mountain finishes.

The Giro d'Italia Women is known for its challenging routes and is now organized by RCS Sport, which has designed a challenging route. Throughout the history of the race, there have been many prominent female winners such as Annemiek van Vleuten, Marianne Vos, and Anna van der Breggen.