Giro Stats: The 107th Giro d’Italia starts on Saturday, so here are some facts and figures from the history of the ‘Corsa Rosa’. Who has worn the pink jersey for the most days? Who has taken the most final overall victories? And which riders have won the most stages? The pink statistics you need to know.
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Eddy Merckx in pink for 78 days
The Pink Jersey
As you would expect, Eddy Merckx appears in many of the Giro d’Italia facts and figures. Merckx wore the leader’s pink jersey for 78 days. In 1973 he wore it from start to finish, something that Costante Girardengo (1919), Alfredo Binda (1927) and Gianni Bugno (1990) also did. Binda wore pink for 65 days, Francesco Moser for 50 days.
1. Eddy Merckx (Bel) 78 days
2. Alfredo Binda (Ita) 65 days
3. Francesco Moser (Ita) 50 days
4. Giuseppe Saronni (Ita) 48 days
5. Gino Bartali (Ita) 42 days.
Alfredo Binda led the Giro for 65 days
Of the riders who are still racing, João Almeida is the record holder, with 15 days in pink during the 2020 Giro, he to finish in fourth place just off the final podium. Almeida also holds the record of wearer of the most pink jerseys without a stage victory. Richard Carapaz wore the leader’s jersey in two Giri, over 14 days. Egan Bernal and Simon Yates are next, both on 13 days.
Fifteen days in pink for João Almeida – but no stage wins
Binda was the first rider to win the Giro five times, the last in 1933. Fausto Coppi was next to take five overall wins from his first at the start of the Second World War in 1940 and his last in 1953. Of course Eddy Merckx has also won five times, in 1968 and 1970, then three in a row in 1972, 1973 and 1974. More recently there haven’t been many multiple Giro winners. Double winner: Ivan Basso in 2006 & 2010, Alberto Contador in 2008 & 2015 and Vincenzo Nibali in 2013 & 2016.
Fausto Coppi won five Giri overall
5 Final Overall Victories
Alfredo Binda (Ita) 1925, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1933
Fausto Coppi (Ita) 1940, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953
Eddy Merckx (Bel) 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974.
Three for Giovanni Brunero
3 Final Overall Victories
Giovanni Brunero (Ita) 1921, 1922, 1926
Gino Bartali (Ita) 1936, 1937, 1946
Fiorenzo Magni (Ita) 1948, 1951, 1955
Felice Gimondi (Ita) 1967, 1969, 1976
Bernard Hinault (Fra) 1980, 1982, 1985.
Giuseppe Saronni in 1979 and 1983
2 Final Overall Victories
Carlo Galetti (Ita) 1910, 1911
Costante Girardengo (Ita) 1919, 1923
Giovanni Valetti (Ita) 1938, 1939
Charly Gaul (Lux) 1956, 1959
Jacques Anquetil (Fra) 1960, 1964
Franco Balmamion (Ita) 1962, 1963
Giuseppe Saronni (Ita) 1979, 1983
Miguel Indurain (Spa) 1992, 1993
Ivan Gotti (Ita) 1997, 1999
Gilberto Simoni (Ita) 2001, 2003
Paolo Savoldelli (Ita) 2002, 2005
Ivan Basso (Ita) 2006, 2010
Alberto Contador (Spa) 2008, 2015
Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) 2013, 2016.
It has to be Mario Cipollini with the most Giro stage wins – but only by one over Alfredo Binda
Most Stage Wins in the Giro d’Italia
Mario Cipollini has won the most stages in the Giro d’Italia. The Italian sprinter took 42 stage victories, one more than Alfredo Binda, who won 12 stages in 1927, which is a record. Merckx is in fifth place with 24, making him the best Belgian. Mark Cavendish, who is looking for the Tour de France stage win record, won 17 in the Giro d’Italia and is in fourteenth place. Of the 2024 Giro riders, Filippo Ganna has the most with six.
1. Mario Cipollini (Ita) 42 stages
2. Alfredo Binda (Ita) 41 stages
3. Learco Guerra (Ita) 31 stages
4. Costante Girardengo (Ita) 30 stages
5. Eddy Merckx (Bel) 24 stages.
Francesco Moser, along with Giuseppe Saronni, won the point jersey four times
More Giro d’Italia Stats
Francesco Moser and Giuseppe Saronni were either winning the Giro overall or fighting over the points competition in the ’70s and ’80s, they both hold the record of four times each.
7 KOM’s for Bartali
Gino Bartali won the KOM seven times. Winning the ‘Best Young Rider’ classification many times is very difficult, Volodymyr Pulnikov, Pavel Tonkov, Bob Jungels and Miguel Angel López all won it twice
Two time ‘Best Young Rider’ Bob Jungels
Fiorenzo Magni was the oldest winner of the Giro d’Italia in 1955, he was then 34 years and 180 days old. Primož Roglič is fifth in this list, he was 33 years and 211 days old last year. The youngest winner is Fausto Coppi in 1940, when he was only 20 years and 268 days old.
Fiorenzo Magni was the oldest and with the smallest winning margin
Magni also holds the record for winner with the smallest winning margin, he only a 11-second lead to win in 1948. With 14 second win over Geraint Thomas, Roglič goes into the top 5 of close winners.
Primoz Roglič only beat Thomas by 14 seconds last year
This year the only records that can be set would be if Giulio Pellizzari at 20 years and 188 days old, was the final overall winner. Or Geraint Thomas, whose 38th birthday is on the 25th of May, takes the final pink jersey. He would have to beat Tadej Pogačar. Of course the Slovenian champion could win 13 stages in the 2024 Giro and set a new record…
What will Tadej Pogačar do at the 2024 Giro d’Italia?
*** Keep it PEZ for the daily ‘Race Reports’ and all the news from Italy in EUROTRASH Monday and Thursday. ***
# Thanks to ProCyclingStats and WielerFlits for facts and figures. #
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