Giro d’Italia is considered one of the most unpredictable and beautiful cycling Grand Tours. I decided to take a closer look at all its editions.
In this article, you will learn how Giro d’Italia developed. I believe it will satisfy your curiosity and provide valuable insights into this Grand Tour.
These Giro d’Italia statistics include the total distance, average stage length, or average speed of individual editions and unique data about the general, mountain, and points classifications winners.
Without further ado, let’s get to it.
- Giro d’Italia 2023 Summary
- Giro d’Italia Total Distance
- Giro d’Italia Average Speed
- Number and Length of the Giro d’Italia Stages
- Giro d’Italia (Historical Extremes)
- Giro d’Italia Rider’s Height, Weight, and BMI (Over Time)
- Overall Victories, Stage Wins, Days in Pink…
- Riders with the Most Mountain & Points Classification Victories
- Summary
- Giro d’Italia Statistics FAQ
- Sources
Abbreviations used: GC – General Classification, GT – Grand Tour, BMI – Body Mass Index
I used publicly available data from wikipedia.org, procyclingstats.com, and the official Giro d’Italia website giroditalia.it as data sources. Some data is not available (especially the rider’s weights/heights).
Please, also keep in mind the following:
- Giro d’Italia did not take place between 1915-1918 and 1941-1945.
- The actual rider’s racing weight could vary.
Giro d’Italia 2023 Summary
The overall winner of the 2023 Giro d’Italia is Primož Roglič (SLO). He finished 14 ahead of Geraint Thomas. Roglič covered the 3,355 km route averaging 39.25 km/h.
The points classification winner of the 2023 Giro d’Italia is Jonathan Milan (IT). He accumulated 217 points and won stage 2.
The mountain classification winner of the 2022 Giro d’Italia is Thibaut Pinot (FR). He accumulated 237 points.
The best young rider (under 25 years) for the 2023 Giro d’Italia is João Almeida (PT). He finished 1:15 behind Primož Roglič.
Giro d’Italia Total Distance
Giro d’Italia’s overall distance fluctuated a lot in the past century. However, it never exceeded 4,500 km.
The average Giro d’Italia length of all editions is 3,594 km. The average length was 3,834 km between 1960 and 1980, 3,820 km between 1980 and 2000, and “only” 3,490 km between 2000 and 2020. The total length of the 2023 Giro d’Italia was supposed to be 3,489.2 km, but due to the shortened stage, it was 3,355 km.
Giro d’Italia Average Speed
The average Giro d’Italia speed of all editions is 34.99 km/h. It went up from around 25 km/h during the first editions to 35 km/h, and in the past decade, it even exceeded the 40 km/h mark. The average speed of the 2023 Giro d’Italia was 39.25 km/h.
This is because we have experienced massive technological progress, riders train according to more effective training methods, and great attention is also paid to diet.
Number and Length of the Giro d’Italia Stages
The number of Giro d’Italia stages increased from 8-15 stages to over 20, depending on the edition. For the last few years, it has remained the same (21).
The average Giro d’Italia stage length of all editions is 201 km (time trials included). It went down from 270 km between 1909-1939 to 184 km between 1949-1979 and 170 km between 1989-2019. The average stage length of the 2023 Giro d’Italia is 160 km.
Giro d’Italia (Historical Extremes)
Can you guess the longest and shortest Giro d’Italia edition?
The longest Giro d’Italia took place in 1954. Riders had to cover 4,337 km (this is about the same distance as from Berlin to Doha).
The shortest Giro d’Italia was the 4th edition (1912); it was 2,443 km long.
The longest Giro d’Italia stage ever was the 3rd stage of the 1914 edition. It was 430 km long.
The shortest Giro d’Italia stage ever (excl. prologues) was the individual time trial of stage 9 in the 1960 edition. It was 2.2 km long.
The fastest Giro d’Italia ever took place in 2011. The average speed of the winner was 41.86 km/h.
The slowest Giro d’Italia was the 6th edition (1914). Alfonso Colzari reached a winning time of 135h 17′ 56″ on an overall distance of 3,162 km. This results in an average speed of 23.37 km/h.
Interested in more statistics? I summarized Giro and Vuelta as well.
Giro d’Italia Rider’s Height, Weight, and BMI (Over Time)
How does the Giro d’Italia rider’s height, weight, and BMI develop over time? How do these data differ between riders for the general classification, climbers, and sprinters (all-rounders)?
NOTE: The heights and weight data are unfortunately not available for all riders.
General Classification
The average height of a Giro d’Italia winner is 1.77 m.
The tallest Giro d’Italia winner ever was Gösta Pettersson (Giro 1971). He was 1.89 m tall.
The shortest Giro d’Italia winner ever was Nairo Quintana (Giro 2014). He is 1.67 m tall.
The average weight of a Giro d’Italia winner is 67.70 kg.
The heaviest Giro d’Italia winner was Francesco Moser. He won the 1984 Giro, weighing 79 kg.
The lightest Giro d’Italia winner was Marco Pantani. He won the 1998 Giro, weighing just 57 kg.
I like the BMI chart the most. Let’s quickly repeat what BMI means.
BMI is a measure that uses your height and weight to work out if your weight is healthy. (Source)
Here is a quick guide on how to interpret the values:
- Below 18.5 – underweight,
- 18.5-24.9 – normal,
- 25.0-29.9 – overweight,
- 30.0 and above – obese.
With this know-how, we get a better understanding of the following values.
A Giro d’Italia winner has an average BMI of 21.58.
A Giro d’Italia winner with the highest BMI was Francesco Moser. He won the 1984 Giro d’Italia with a BMI of 24.38 (1.80 m, 79 kg).
A Giro d’Italia winner with the lowest BMI was Chris Froome. He won the 2018 Giro d’Italia with a BMI of 19.08 (1.86 m, 66 kg).
Do you want to know how do you compare with pro riders? Feel free to calculate your BMI using the calculator below.
BMI CALCULATOR
Mountain Classification
The average height of a Giro d’Italia mountains classification winner is 1.73 m.
The tallest Giro d’Italia mountains classification winner ever was Chris Froome (Giro 2018). He is 1.86 m tall.
The shortest Giro d’Italia mountains classification winner ever was José Rujano (Giro 2005). He was 1.62 m tall.
The average weight of a Giro d’Italia mountains classification winner is 63.43 kg.
The heaviest Giro d’Italia mountains classification winner was Alfredo Binda (1933). He won the 1933 Giro mountain classification, weighing 77 kg.
The lightest Giro d’Italia mountains classification winner was José Rujano. He won the 2005 Giro mountain classification, weighing just 48 kg.
Giro d’Italia mountains classification winners have an average BMI of 21.11.
A Giro d’Italia mountains classification winner with the highest BMI was Alfredo Binda. He won the 1933 Giro d’Italia mountains classification with a BMI of 23.77 (1.80 m, 77 kg).
A Giro d’Italia mountains classification winner with the lowest BMI was José Rujano. He won the 2005 Giro d’Italia mountains classification with a BMI of 18.29 (1.62 m, 48 kg). This means he was underweight.
Points Classification
The average height of a Giro d’Italia points classification winner is 1.79 m.
The tallest Giro d’Italia points classification winner ever was Jonathan Milan (Giro 2023). He is 1.93 m tall.
The shortest Giro d’Italia points classification winners ever were Paolo Bettini (2005, 2006), Joaquim Rodríguez (2012). They are 1.69 m tall.
The average weight of a Giro d’Italia points classification winner is 70.75 kg.
The heaviest Giro d’Italia points classification winner was Jonathan Milan. He won the Giro 2023 points classification, weighing 84 kg.
The lightest Giro d’Italia points classification winner was Joaquim Rodríguez. He won the Giro 2012 points classification, weighing just 57 kg.
A Giro d’Italia points classification winner has an average BMI of 22.23.
A Giro d’Italia points classification winner with the highest BMI was Francesco Moser. He won the 1976-1978 and 1982 Giro points classification with a BMI of 24.39 (1.80 m, 79 kg).
A Giro d’Italia points classification winner with the lowest BMI was Joaquim Rodríguez. He won the 2012 Giro points classification with a BMI of 19.96 (1.69 m, 57 kg).
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Overall Victories, Stage Wins, Days in Pink…
The riders with the most Giro d’Italia GC wins (5) are Eddy Merckx, Fausto Coppi, and Alfredo Binda.
Eddy Merckx also dominated another statistic. He is the rider with the most days spent in the pink jersey (Maglia Rosa).
The following table shows the three riders with the most Giro d’Italia stage wins.
| # | Rider | Wins |
| 1 | Mario Cipollini | 42 |
| 2 | Alfredo Binda | 41 |
| 3 | Learco Guerra | 31 |
| 4 | Costante Girardengo | 30 |
| 5 | Eddy Merckx | 25 |
Riders with the Most Mountain & Points Classification Victories
The best climber, according to the number of Mountain Classification victories, was Gino Bartali. He won this classification seven times.
| # | Rider | Victories | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gino Bartali | 7 | 1935, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1946, 1947 |
| 2 | José Manuel Fuente | 4 | 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 |
| 3 | Fausto Coppi Franco Bitossi Claudio Bortolotto Claudio Chiappucci | 3 | 1948, 1949, 1954 1964, 1965, 1966 1979, 1980, 1981 1990, 1992, 1993 |
| 4 | Raphaël Géminiani Charly Gaul Vito Taccone Andrés Oliva Lucien Van Impe Mariano Piccoli Chepe González Freddy González Stefano Garzelli | 2 | 1952, 1957 1956, 1959 1961, 1963 1975, 1976 1982, 1983 1995, 1996 1997, 1999 2001, 2003 2009, 2011 |
The best sprinters, according to the number of Points Classification victories, were Francesco Moser and Giuseppe Saronni. They won the sprint classification four times.
| # | Rider | Victories | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Francesco Moser Giuseppe Saronni | 4 | 1976, 1977, 1978, 1982 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983 |
| 2 | Roger De Vlaeminck Johan van der Velde Mario Cipollini | 3 | 1972, 1974, 1975 1985, 1987, 1988 1992, 1997, 2002 |
| 3 | Franco Bitossi Eddy Merckx Paolo Bettini Giacomo Nizzolo | 2 | 1969, 1970 1968, 1973 2005, 2006 2015, 2016 |
If you are into cycling and numbers, make sure you also read these Incredible Bicycle Statistics.
Summary
I hope you enjoyed these Giro d’Italia statistics as I did when putting them together. What is your favorite stat? Let me know in the comments below.
Continue reading the All Cycling Grand Tours Statistics Compared or the other two Grand Tours statistics:
Giro d’Italia Statistics FAQ
Sources
wikipedia.org
procyclingstats.com
giroditalia.it
Browse Other Cycling Statistics
