Giro d'Italia Women
The Giro d’Italia Women is an annual women's cycle stage race around Italy. First held in 1988, the race is currently part of the UCI Women's World Tour, and is currently organised by RCS Sport, the organisers of the men's Giro d'Italia. The race was previously branded as the Giro d'Italia Femminile prior to 2013, the Giro Rosa from 2013 to 2020, Giro d'Italia Donne in 2021, and Giro Donne from 2022 to 2023.
The race is "one of the longest and most demanding" races in women's road cycling, with editions featuring ascents of mountain passes as well as individual or team time trials. Some teams and media referring to the race as a 'Grand Tour'. However, the race does not meet the UCI definition of such an event. It has generally held over eight to ten days in early July each year. The race is owned by the Italian Cycling Federation, with organisation of the race outsourced.
The rider with the lowest aggregate time is the leader of the general classification and wears the pink jersey. While the general classification gathers the most attention, there are other contests held within the Giro: the points classification for the sprinters, the mountains classification for the climbers and young rider classification for the riders under the age of 23. Achieving a stage win also provides prestige, often accomplished by a team's sprint specialist or a rider taking part in a breakaway.
History
The men's Giro d'Italia cycling race was first held in 1909, and is considered the second most important cycling race in the world. The women's Giro d'Italia was first held in 1988 as the Giro d'Italia Femminile. The first edition in 1988 was won by two-time Tour de France Feminin winner Maria Canins from Italy.Global Cycling Network notes how "how little we actually know" about early editions of the women's Giro, with no information about stage winners. The race was the second biggest women's race in Italy, behind the long running Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio. In the 1990s, the race was dominated by Italian rider Fabiana Luperini, who won 4 editions of the race between 1995 and 1998, winning 13 stages in the process. Luperini later won the 2008 edition of the race, 10 years after her last victory.
In the 2000s, the race grew to 13 stages in length before falling back to 9 stages. Other big races like Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale and Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin were cancelled due to financial difficulties in 2009 and 2010 respectively, leaving the Giro Donne was the only 'Grand Tour' left in women's cycling after 2010.
In December 2012 it was reported that the company Epinike had withdrawn as Giro Donne organiser, making the 2013 edition uncertain. In April 2013, however, organisers announced they had rebranded the race as the Giro Rosa, taking place over eight days. It returned to its traditional ten-day length the following year. In 2016, the race became part of the new UCI Women's World Tour, organised by the Union Cycliste Internationale.
In the 2010s and early 2020s, the race was dominated by Dutch riders, with Marianne Vos winning the race three times, and Annemiek van Vleuten and Anna van der Breggen both winning the race four times. In 2021, the race lost its World Tour status due to the lack of live television coverage during the 2020 edition of the race. The decision to downgrade the race to the UCI ProSeries was met with criticism. The race used the Giro d'Italia Donne name in 2021, before returning to Giro Donne in 2022. The race returned to World Tour level in 2022, following promises of live television coverage on Eurosport and Rai Sport. The prize money was also increased to €250,000, with €50,000 for the winner of the general classification. The organisation of the 2023 edition of the race was criticised, with information about the route and riders not available until the last minute.
From 2024, the race will be organised by the men's Giro d'Italia organiser RCS Sport on a four-year contract. The 2024 edition of the race was rebranded to Giro d'Italia Women. From 2024 onwards, the first rider to pass the highest climb of the race was awarded the "Cima Alfonsina Strada" – a prize named after Italian cyclist Alfonsina Strada, who took part in the men's Giro d’Italia in 1924. In 2024, Elisa Longo Borghini became the first Italian rider to win the race for 16 years, before winning for the second time in succession in 2025.
From 2026, the race will move to June rather than its traditional July date – starting on the same weekend as the finish of the men's race. The race previously had to compete for attention with the more famous men's Tour de France, and organisers stated that they wished to work with the UCI to move the calendar position of the race, so that the race is not overshadowed. The UCI will also award more ranking points to Giro d'Italia Women, Tour de France Femmes and the Vuelta Femenina compared to other races in the UCI Women's World Tour – elevating the three races in status.
Winners
Multiple winners
Wins per country
Secondary classifications
The Giro Donne awards a number of jerseys for winners of certain classifications – the current competitions that award a jersey are:- Points classification, for the rider with the most points as awarded by finishing positions on stages and the first riders to go through intermediate sprints. Recently, the winner wears the maglia rossa.
- Mountains classification, for the rider awarded the most points for crossing designated climbs, generally at the peaks of hills and mountains. The winner wears the maglia azzurra.
- Young rider classification, for the fastest rider under the age of 25 to complete the race. The winner wears the maglia bianca.