Giro di Lombardia Statistics: ‘A Climbers Classic’ in Charts (2022)

The last of the five cycling Monuments, the Italian Giro di Lombardia (also called Il Lombardia), has a rich history. Its first edition took place in 1905, and since then, it did not take place only twice. It is the most consistent cycling Monument.

Thanks to Tour of Lombardy’s demanding profile, it is often called as ‘a climbers classic’.

So, what do we find out when we take a look at historical data such as average speeds, heights, weights, and BMIs of the winners?

Let’s find out!

Abbreviations used: GdL – Giro di Lombardia, BMI – Body Mass Index

I used publicly available data from bikeraceinfo.com, wikipedia.org, procyclingstats.com, and the official Giro di Lombardia website ilombardia.it as data sources.

Giro di Lombardia 2022 Summary

The winner of the 2022 Giro di Lombardia is Tadej Pogačar (SLO). He finished the 253km route in 6:21:22.

His average speed was 39.8 km/h. This speed is pretty mindblowing considering the 4600 meters of climbing!

Pogačar has won this race for two consecutive years.

Giro di Lombardia Distance, Time, and Average Speed

Let’s start with the basics.

Distance

The Giro di Lombardia’s length has been relatively consistent in the past 60 years or so. However, it varied from around 184 km to 266 km.

The average Giro di Lombardia is 243 km long. The average GdL distance was 238.6 km between 1910 and 1929, 244.7 km between 1950 and 1969, and 247.6 km between 2000 and 2019.

The longest Giro di Lombardia was 266 km long. Several editions were so long, including GdL between 1964 and 1975 and in 1978.

The shortest Giro di Lombardia was only 184 km long. It took place in 1942, and it was won by Italian cyclist Aldo Bini.

Winning Time

The following chart shows the winning time vs. the distance. Luckily for riders, the race doesn’t take more than 7 hours in the past years. In the first 30 years of its existence, it even exceeded 9 hours.

The average winning time of all Giro di Lombardia editions is 6h 50′ 55″.

The fastest Giro di Lombardia winning time was 5h 06′ 03″. This GdL took place in 1942 and was won by Aldo Bini. He averaged 36.07 km/h (it was also the shortest GdL).

The slowest Giro di Lombardia winning time was 9h 52′ 32″. This GdL took place in 1926 and was won by Alfredo Binda. He averaged 25.42 km/h.

Between 1926 and 1960, there was a steep downward trend in the winning time. In 1961, the winning time also increased due to the increased length of the race. From this year onwards, the winning times are getting shorter.

Average Speed

The average speed of all Giro di Lombardia editions is 36.11 km/h. The average speed was 28.65 km/h between 1910 and 1929, 38.33 km/h between 1950 and 1969, and 39.88 km/h between 2000 and 2019.

The average speed of Giro di Lombardia did not increase significantly in the past 60 years.

The fastest Giro di Lombardia took place in 1995. The average speed of the winner, Gianni Faresin, was 43.32 km/h. He finished the 252km route in 5h 49′ 02″.

The slowest Giro di Lombardia took place in 1905. The average speed of the winner, Giovanni Gerbi, was 24.92 km/h. He finished the 230km route in 9h 13′ 52″.

You might also be interested in

Giro di Lombardia Height, Weight, and BMI of the Winners

Giro di Lombardia winners are shorter and lighter, their BMI declines on average…

Let’s now shift our focus to winners. How did their height, weight, and BMI develop over time? These insights are the most unique and the most interesting.

NOTE: The heights and weight data are unavailable for all riders (especially winners before 1975).

Height of the Winners

The average height of a Giro di Lombardia winner is 1.76 m.

The tallest Giro di Lombardia winner ever was Andrea Tafi (GdL 1996). He is 1.87 m tall.

The shortest Giro di Lombardia winner ever was Esteban Chaves (GdL 2016). He is 1.64 m tall.

Weight of the Winners

The average weight of a Giro di Lombardia winner is 67.7 kg.

The heaviest Giro di Lombardia winner was François Faber. He won the 1908 GdL, weighing 88 kg.

The lightest Giro di Lombardia winner was Esteban Chaves. He won the 2016 GdL, weighing just 55 kg.

BMI of the Winners

The BMI chart and trend are the most interesting part of this article, in my opinion. As a reminder, here is an explanation of BMI:

NOTE: BMI (Body Mass Index) uses your height and weight to work out if your weight is healthy. (Source)

So, what do we find out when we take a look at riders’ BMI?

Giro di Lombardia winners have an average BMI of 21.78. This means they have a standard, healthy weight.

The Giro di Lombardia winner with the highest BMI was François Faber. He won the 1908 Giro di Lombardia with a BMI of 27.77 (1.78 m, 88 kg). In other words, he won GdL while being overweight.

The Giro di Lombardia winner with the lowest BMI was Bauke Mollema. He won the 2019 Giro di Lombardia with a BMI of 19.11 (1.83 m, 64 kg).

The BMI trend declines. Winners of GdL are shorter and lighter. This trend is most likely caused by the demanding profile that suits climbers better than all-rounders.

Compare yourself with pro riders. Calculate your BMI using the calculator below.

BMI CALCULATOR

You might also be interested in

Giro di Lombardia Victories

The rider with the most Giro di Lombardia wins (5) is Fausto Coppi. Alfredo Binda has 4 wins, and riders like Sean Kelly, Henri Pélissier, Costante Girardengo, Gino Bartali, Gaetano Belloni, and Damiano Cunego 3 wins.

It’s no surprise that the most successful Giro di Lombardia winners are Italians because Giro di Lombardia is an Italian classic.

Italy has almost six times more victories (69) than 2nd Belgium and France.

You might also be interested in

Summary

What are your thoughts on the Giro di Lombardia statistics? What stats do you find the most mind-blowing?

Giro di Lombardia Statistics FAQ

Sources

bikeraceinfo.com
wikipedia.org
procyclingstats.com
ilombardia.it