Giro d’Italia is one of the most intensely contested cycle races in the world. The top riders from around the world battle out through days in the challenging terrains of Italy.
The cyclists are rewarded with jerseys for their efforts at the end of the competition. There are four types of jerseys symbolised by different colours that honour the successful riders.
They are the pink (maglia rosa), white (bianco), purple/cyclamen (ciclamino) and blue (azzurra). That is the leader’s jersey, the young rider’s jersey, the points jersey, and the king of the mountains jersey, respectively.
The jerseys are all worn by the leaders in those competitions, unless one rider holds two at once – in that case, the pink Giro d’Italia jersey takes priority, followed by the purple, then the blue and white.
Giro d’Italia Jersey Colours and their significance
Pink Jersey
The pink jersey is worn by the leader of the general classification- the rider who has got around the route faster than everyone else. It is awarded to the cyclist who sits atop the GC at the end of every day, with the final one awarded with the Trofeo Senze Fine to the winner after the final stage.
This Giro d’Italia Jersey colour was introduced in 1931 and is pink because La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian sports newspaper which created the race, is printed on pink paper.
The riders who have won the jersey the most are Eddy Merckx, Fausto Coppi and Alfredo Binda, who all took the coveted prize five times. The closest to that feat in recent years was Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo) who won twice, in 2013 and 2016.
| Year | Winner |
| 2024 | Tadej Pogačar |
| 2023 | Primož Roglič |
| 2022 | Jai Hindley |
| 2021 | Egan Bernal |
| 2020 | Tao Geoghegan Hart |
| 2019 | Richard Carapaz |
| 2018 | Chris Froome |
| 2017 | Tom Dumoulin |
| 2016 | Vincenzo Nibali |
| 2015 | Alberto Contador |
| 2014 | Nairo Quintana |
Purple jersey
The purple jersey is worn by the rider who has accumulated the most points over the stages. The sprint stages offer more points, so flat or punchy stages offer more than summit finishes. An intermediate sprint on each day – apart from time trials – also offers points.
The 19 road stages of the race are separated into five difficulty categories with their own points weightings. On A and B category days, the top 15 score, while on others it is just the top 10.
A and B category: 50, 35, 25, 18, 14, 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 points
C category: 25, 18, 12, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 points
D and E category: 15, 12, 9, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 points
Intermediate sprints: 12, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 points
| Year | Winner |
| 2024 | Jonathan Milan |
| 2023 | Jonathan Milan |
| 2022 | Arnaud Démare |
| 2021 | Peter Sagan |
| 2020 | Arnaud Démare |
| 2019 | Pascal Ackermann |
| 2018 | Elia Viviani |
| 2017 | Fernando Gaviria |
| 2016 | Giacomo Nizzolo |
| 2015 | Giacomo Nizzolo |
| 2014 | Nacer Bouhanni |
Blue jersey
The blue jersey is given to the rider who takes home the most points on classified climbs over the race; potentially the best climber in the race.
There are 54 classified climbs across the 21 stages which are separated into five different categories, from the Cima Coppi award to fourth-category. Since 2023, summit finishes on first category climbs will gain extra points. The Cima Coppi is the Finestre on stage 20 this year.
Cima Coppi: 50, 30, 20, 14, 10, 6, 4, 2, 1 points
First-category summit finishes: 50, 24, 16, 9, 6, 4, 2, 1 points
First-category: 40, 18, 12, 9, 6, 4, 2, 1 points
Second-category: 18, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 points
Third-category: 9, 4, 2, 1 points
Fourth-category: 3, 2, 1 points
| Year | Winner |
| 2024 | Tadej Pogačar |
| 2023 | Thibaut Pinot |
| 2022 | Koen Bouwman |
| 2021 | Geoffrey Bouchard |
| 2020 | Ruben Gurreiro |
| 2019 | Giulio Ciccone |
| 2018 | Chris Froome |
| 2017 | Mikel Landa |
| 2016 | Mikel Nieve |
| 2015 | Giovanni Visconti |
| 2014 | Julián David Arredondo |
White jersey
White jersey honours the best young rider. It is, in effect, the same as the pink jersey yet can only be won by those who were 25 or under at the start of the year. This iteration of the jersey was introduced in 2007.
Evgeni Berzin, Nairo Quintana, Tao Geoghegan Hart, and Egan Bernal are the only men to win the pink and white jerseys in the same year. Damiano Cunego would have been eligible had the prize existed in 2004.
| Year | Winner |
| 2024 | Antonio Tiberi |
| 2023 | João Almeida |
| 2022 | Juan Pedro López |
| 2021 | Egan Bernal |
| 2020 | Tao Geoghegan Hart |
| 2019 | Miguel Ángel López |
| 2018 | Miguel Ángel López |
| 2017 | Bob Jungels |
| 2016 | Bob Jungels |
| 2015 | Fabio Aru |
| 2014 | Nairo Quintana |
Also Read: Top 4 Sports In Italy: From Calcio To Cycling
Giro d’Italia Jersey Classification
| Jersey colour | Classification |
| Pink/Rosa | General classification, overall leader |
| Purple/Ciclamino | Points |
| Blue/Azzura | Mountains |
| White/Bianca | Best young rider |
