2018

The Giro d’Italia 2018 ended with the triumph of Britain’s Chris Froome and his crowning in the fittingly historic setting of Rome’s Imperial Fora. The 101st edition of the Corsa Rosa was a fascinating one – right from the Big Start in Israel through to the tight epilogue. Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb) and Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana Pro Team) finished second and third.

Curiosity

Chris Froome is the first Briton to win the Giro. Only one other British rider has made the final podium in the past: Robert Millar in 1987.

Seven riders are now the winners of three Grand Tours: Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali and Chris Froome.

Before Froome, three riders won three Grand Tours in a row when La Vuelta was contested in April-May, before the Giro: Fausto Coppi (Giro and Tour 1952, Giro 1953 as La Vuelta wasn’t contested in 1953), Eddy Merckx who even made it four in a row (Giro and Tour 1972, Vuelta and Giro 1973) and Bernard Hinault (Giro and Tour 1982, Vuelta 1983).

For the third time running, a Colombian makes the final podium: Esteban Chaves (2nd in 2016), Nairo Quintana (2nd in 2017) and Miguel Angel Lopez (3rd in 2018).

For the first time in 20 years (since Marco Pantani in 1998), the Maglia Rosa is also the King of the Mountains.

2019

The 102nd edition of the Giro d’Italia started from Bologna. The first part of the race had an unchallenged ruler, Primoz Roglic, who wore the Maglia Rosa for the first 5 days, winning the opening ITT and the one from Riccione to San Marino, thus placing himself as the more likely to win the race together with Vincenzo Nibali. But Carapaz started to push himself forward already in Frascati where he won and where Tom Dumoulin was forced out of the short list of candidates because of a bad crash. The week end of 25th-26th May marked the history of Giro 102. In the stage arriving in Courmayeur, Carapaz profited from the duel between Roglic and Nibali and won that stage, and got his first Maglia Rosa which he retained until the end in Verona. The next day, in the stage arriving in Como, a mechanic accident slowed down Roglic and Carapaz and Nibali took advantage of it. At the beginning of the last week the general classification had Carapaz in the first position, then Roglic at 47’’ and Nibali at 1’47’’. On the day following the rest day, the Giro featured the Mortirolo. Nibali attacked on the first climbs but had soon troubles, while Carapaz, also thanks to its team, defended himself and at the end of the stage he outdistanced his rivals who were now at 1’54” (Nibali) and 2’09” (Roglic). The last two stages did not change the history of this Giro which was deservedly won by Richard Carapaz. King of the sprinters was Pascal Ackermann, winner of the Maglia Ciclamino and of two stages. The Maglia Azzurra was conquered by Giulio Ciccone, who also won the Mortirolo stage. Best young was the rider from Colombia, Miguel Angel Lopez.

Curiosity

• Richard Carapaz is the first Ecuadorian and the second South American to win the Giro d’Italia after Nairo Quintana in 2014, both riding for Movistar.
• This decade, five new nations have been added to the tally of overall victories at the Giro d’Italia: Canada (in 2012 with Ryder Hesjedal), Colombia (in 2014 with Quintana), The Netherlands (in 2017 with Tom Dumoulin), Great-Britain (in 2018 with Chris Froome) and now Ecuador.
• 11th final podium for Vincenzo Nibali in a Grand Tour, just as many as Chris Froome. Only Jacques Anquetil (13), Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault (12) have more. It’s his sixth podium at the Giro d’Italia, on pair with Alfredo Binda, Giovanni Brunero, Anquetil and Francesco Moser. Only Gimondi (9), Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi and Gilberto Simoni (7) have more.
• Primoz Roglic is the first Slovenian to make the final podium of a Grand Tour. His previous best place was 4th at the 2018 Tour de France.