Italy will celebrate the 107th edition of the Giro from May 4-26, and SBS / SBS On Demand will once again deliver all the action to Australian audiences live and on demand.
What is the Giro d’Italia?
The Giro d’Italia is an annual stage race primarily held in Italy and, in some cases, parts of other neighbouring nations over a three-week period.
Originally founded in 1909 to increase sales of newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Giro has been held every year since – except during the two World Wars – to the acclaim of cycling enthusiasts around the globe.
Jai Hindley of Australia and Team Bora - Hansgrohe celebrates with the Trofeo Senza Fine as overall race winner of the 105th Giro d'Italia 2022. Credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images
Is the Giro d'Italia like the Tour de France?
The Giro d’Italia is known as a 'Grand Tour', a term used to describe the oldest, hardest, and most difficult events on the UCI WorldTour scene.
There are three Grand Tours in total; the other two being the and , and winning one instantly elevates the status of a rider and his or her team.
While the Tour de France is the most prestigious stage race in the sport, the Giro is a close second with the pair used alongside the as the unofficial 'Triple Crown of Cycling'.
How many teams and riders are involved in the Giro d'Italia 2024?
A total of 22 teams of eight riders will participate in the 2024 edition, with 18 WorldTeams and four ProTeams earning automatic invitations based on their UCI rankings at the end of 2023.
Participating ProTeams include: Israel–Premier Tech, Polti–Kometa, Tudor Pro Cycling Team, and VF Group–Bardiani–CSF–Faizanè.
Teams:
- Alpecin–Deceuninck
- Arkéa–B&B Hotels
- Astana Qazaqstan Team
- Bora–Hansgrohe
- Cofidis
- Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale
- EF Education–EasyPost
- Groupama–FDJ
- Ineos Grenadiers
- Intermarché–Wanty
- Lidl–Trek
- Movistar Team
- Soudal–Quick-Step
- Team Bahrain Victorious
- Team dsm–firmenich PostNL
- Team Jayco–AlUla
- UAE Team Emirates
- Visma–Lease a Bike
- Israel–Premier Tech
- Polti–Kometa
- Tudor Pro Cycling Team
- VF Group–Bardiani–CSF–Faizanè
How do you win the Giro d'Italia?
In essence, the rider with the lowest aggregate time across all 21 stages will be crowned the winner of the general classification.
The general classification is the most sought-after, however, there are three other classifications on offer for the peloton: points, mountains, and best young rider.
The winner of each individual stage is the rider first across the finish line, and each stage win is a prestigious honour.
How the general classification works:
Every stage is timed until the finish, with the rider with the lowest cumulative time to that point declared the overall leader and awarded a pink jersey – the maglia rosa – that must be worn by the rider. The jersey is pink in honour of the paper La Gazzetta dello Sport would print its content on.
Wearing the pink jersey gives one’s team and sponsors more publicity and motivates the individual to keep a hold of it for as long as possible.
Eddy Merckx wore the maglia rosa a record 78 times at the Giro d’Italia – his five GC titles matched only by Alfredo Binda and Fausto Coppi. The only Australian to ever win the Giro d'Italia is Jai Hindley, who won the race in 2022.
Jai Hindley of Bora - Hansgrohe kisses the pink jersey after moving into the race lead on Stage 20 of the 2022 Giro d'Italia. Credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images
How the mountains classification works:
During mountain stages, points are awarded to the rider who is first to reach the top of each significant climb on offer, with points also awarded to those who closely follow each other on the ascent.
The number of points awarded depend on the category of the climb, which can range from one, the hardest; to four, the easiest. In the case of the Giro, there is also the Cima Coppi which is worth more points for being the highest point reached during the Grand Tour.
A rider with the most points at the end of a stage will have the honour of wearing the blue climbers’ jersey the next day, one first introduced at the Giro in 2012, preceded by a green jersey from 1974, though the classification has been officially recognised since 1933.
How the points classification works:
This classification is generally won by the sprinters and sees points awarded based on a rider’s position at the end of a stage.
Stages are categorised into types, and are awarded more points depending upon their climbing difficulty; flatter stages are awarded more points to keep the competition for the jersey primarily among the sprinters.
Stages can also have one or more intermediate sprints scattered along its route, whereby points are awarded to the first six cyclists across its marked lines.
A rider with the most points at the end of a stage will don the maglia ciclamino - the cyclamen colour derived from an alpine flower - the next day, all in the hope of preserving their advantage until the final podium.
Arnaud Demare edges his way to victory in the maglia ciclamino on Stage 13 of the Giro d'italia Source: AFP / LUCA BETTINI/AFP via Getty Images
How the young rider classification works:
This classification only applies to riders no older than 25 during the calendar year, with the leader determined in the same way as the general classification.
First introduced in 1976, the white jersey has been available to eligible members of the peloton in every edition of the Giro aside from an 11-year hiatus between 1995 and 2006.
Who won the GC title at the Giro d'Italia last year?
Primoz Roglic, then with Jumbo-Visma (now known as Visma–Lease a Bike), won the Italian Grand Tour after taking the pink jersey from Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) on the penultimate stage.
Roglic won the individual mountain time trial atop Monte Lussari with a stage to spare, the Slovenian enjoying the final trip to Rome to celebrate his fourth Grand Tour title.
When does 2024 Giro d'Italia start?
The 2024 edition of the Giro will commence on May 4 and conclude on May 26.
How long is the Giro d'Italia?
This year’s Giro will cover 3,400.8 kilometres from Venaria Reale, Turin to Rome, and will span 21 stages with two rest days allowing for recovery and transport.
There will also be 42,900 metres of altitude gain on offer for the peloton, with four stages spanning more than 200km.
Who are the favourites for the 2024 Giro d'Italia?
While defending champion Primoz Roglic will not return to the Italian Grand Tour this year, its balanced route is enticing enough to call several stars to the start line.
Tadej Pogacar is expected to tackle the stage race for the first time, with Geraint Thomas, Ben O'Connor, and, Romain Bardet, and Nairo Quintana also in contention.
Is every stage at the Giro d'Italia the same?
The 2024 route features two time trials and six summit finishes in total, with a further six certain to be contested by the sprinters.
Stages:
- Stage 1 on May 4: Venaria Reale to Turin = 143km
- Stage 2 on May 5: San Francesco al Campo - Sanctuary of Oropa (Biella) = 161km
- Stage 3 on May 6: Novara - Fossano = 166km
- Stage 4 on May 7: Acqui Terme - Andora = 190km
- Stage 5 on May 8: Genova - Lucca = 178km
- Stage 6 on May 9: Torre del Lago Puccini (Viareggio) - Rapolano Terme = 180km
- Stage 7 on May 10: Foligno - Perugia TUDOR ITT = 40.6km
- Stage 8 on May 11: Spoleto - Prati di Tivo = 152km
- Stage 9 on May 12: Avezzano - Napoli = 214km
- May 13 = Rest Day
- Stage 10 on May 14: Pompei - Cusano Mutri (Bocca della Selva) = 142km
- Stage 11 on May 15: Foiano di Val Fortore - Francavilla al Mare = 207km
- Stage 12 on May 16: Martinsicuro - Fano = 193km
- Stage 13 on May 17: Riccione - Cento = 179km
- Stage 14 on May 18: Castiglione delle Stiviere - Desenzano del Garda TUDOR ITT = 31.2km
- Stage 15 on May 19: Manerba del Garda - Livigno (Mottolino) = 222km
- May 20 = Rest Day
- Stage 16 on May 21: Livigno - Santa Cristina Valgardena/St. Christina in Gröden (Monte Pana) = 202km
- Stage 17 on May 22: Selva di Val Gardena/Wolkenstein in Gröden - Passo del Brocon = 159km
- Stage 18 on May 23: Fiera di Primiero - Padova = 178km
- Stage 19 on May 24: Mortegliano - Sappada = 157km
- Stage 20 on May 25: Alpago - Bassano del Grappa = 181km
- Stage 21 on May 26: Roma – Roma = 122km
How can Australians watch the 2024 Giro d'Italia?
All 21 stages of the 2024 Giro d'Italia will be live in full on SBS On Demand and SBS VICELAND.
With catch-up replays as well as extended highlights, minis, and analysis available throughout the three weeks, SBS is the perfect place to keep up to date.
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