One of the leading cycling races in the UCI World Tour calendar, the Giro d’Italia is an annual multi-stage bicycle race (a grand tour) primarily held in Italy, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France, the race was first organized in 1909, won by Italian Luigi Ganna (1 December 1883 – 2 October 1957).


List of Giro d’Italia general classification winners

1909: Luigi Ganna

  • Winner: Luigi Ganna (Italy)
  • Stage wins: 3
  • Sponsor/Team: Atala-Dunlop
  • Total stages: 8
  • Total distance: 2,445 km (1,519 mi)
  • Average stage length: 305.6 km (190.5 mi)
  • Longest stage: 375.8 km (233.5 mi)
  • Winning points: 25
  • Winning margin: 2 points
Luigi Ganna
The first winner of the Giro d’Italia (1909) was Luigi Ganna, who replied to the reporters that asked him how he felt: “My behind is burning”.

Giro d’Italia Multiple winners

22 cyclists won the Giro d’Italia multiple times.

  1. Alfredo Binda (ITA): 5 (1925, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1933)
  2. Fausto Coppi (ITA): 5 (1940, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953)
  3. Eddy Merckx (BEL): 5 (1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974)
  4. Giovanni Brunero (ITA): 3 (1921, 1922, 1926)
  5. Gino Bartali (ITA): 3 (1936, 1937, 1946)
  6. Fiorenzo Magni (ITA): 3 (1948, 1951, 1955)
  7. Felice Gimondi (ITA): 3 (1967, 1969, 1976)
  8. Bernard Hinault (FRA): 3 (1980, 1982, 1985)
  9. Carlo Galetti (ITA): 2 (1910, 1911)
  10. Costante Girardengo (ITA): 2 (1919, 1923)
  11. Giovanni Valetti (ITA): 2 (1938, 1939)
  12. Charly Gaul (LUX): 2 (1956, 1959)
  13. Franco Balmamion (ITA): 2 (1962, 1963)
  14. Jacques Anquetil (FRA): 2 (1960, 1964)
  15. Giuseppe Saronni (ITA): 2 (1979, 1983)
  16. Miguel Indurain (ESP): 2 (1992, 1993)
  17. Ivan Gotti (ITA): 2 (1997, 1999)
  18. Gilberto Simoni (ITA): 2 (2001, 2003)
  19. Paolo Savoldelli (ITA): 2 (2002, 2005)
  20. Ivan Basso (ITA): 2 (2006, 2010)
  21. Alberto Contador (ESP): 2 (2008, 2015)
  22. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA): 2 (2013, 2016)

Giro d’Italia number of victories by countries

The Giro d’Italia winners came from 15 countries.

  1. Italy: 69 (with 41 cyclists)
  2. Belgium: 7 (with 3 cyclists)
  3. France: 6 (with 3 cyclists)
  4. Spain: 4 (with 2 cyclists)
  5. Switzerland: 3
  6. Russia: 3
  7. Great Britain: 2
  8. Luxembourg: 2 (with 1 cyclist)
  9. Sweden: 1
  10. Ireland: 1
  11. United States: 1
  12. Canada: 1
  13. Colombia: 1
  14. Netherlands: 1
  15. Ecuador: 1

Sources