Giro Donne 2022: Everything you need to know about the 33rd edition

The Giro Donne is a ten-day stage race taking place from June 30 to July 10, and will return in 2022 as a WorldTour event for its 33rd edition. 

New organisers in 2021 meant the race formerly known as the Giro Rosa, or Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile, rebranded as the Giro Donne for the 32nd edition last year. However, due to the lack of live television coverage required for WorldTour races, the UCI downgraded the race to the 2.Pro Series in 2021. 

Fortunately, the organisers have rectified that in 2022, and will offer two hours of live daily footage on Discovery+, Eurosport and Rai Sport. Highlights of each stage will also be available. The Giro Donne, therefore, will also be classified as a WorldTour event again for 2022. 

Organisers have also boosted the prize money on offer to €250,000, with €50,000 going to the winner. 

Covering 1002.6km, the Giro Donne will cross five regions of Italy, with Sardinia, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto all featuring in the race. Starting on the island of Sardinia with a 4.7km individual time trial, the peloton will travel north, finishing in Padova on July 10. 

Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx) won her fourth overall title at the Giro Donne last year, as well as winning the points classification. Obviously, the Dutchwoman won't return to defend her crown, following her retirement at the end of last season, but nonetheless that could make the GC battle even more interesting. 

Giro Donne 2022: Route

The route for 2022 has now been announced, with ten stages around Italy starting with an individual time trial in Cagliari, Sardinia. 

After a mountain stage on stage two of last year's race largely determined the GC, this year the second day presents somewhat of an easier challenge. A hilly day from Villasimius to Tortolì will keep the main overall contenders together, with opportunities for a breakaway to develop throughout. 

Stage three will then offer the perfect chance for sprinters to get off the mark at the race, before a rest day sees each team travel from Sardinia back to mainland Italy. A hilly day awaits on the fourth day, featuring four difficult climbs that could stretch the peloton in Cesena. 

The sprinters will get another opportunity on stage five with a largely simple day, before a punchy day to Bergamo on the sixth stage.

Stage seven is where the race will likely start to come into action, with a 113.2km route that climbs up the Alps to the Passo del Maniva. The final 40km of the race is all climbing, though the last 10km is where the real gradient starts to kick in - expect attacks to cause chaos within the bunch here. 

Stage eight also features some difficult gradients alongside the flat terrain and descents throughout. Riders will then have to contend with the Dolomites on the penultimate day, which includes plenty of gruelling climbs and punchy ascents.

Finally, the tenth day is one which shouldn't cause too many changes in the general classification. With just one short climb early on, the riders will have a largely flat race before reaching Padova, where the pink jersey winner will be crowned.  

Giro Donne 2022: Stage profiles

Stage one, Cagliari to Cagliari (4.7km ITT)

Stage two, Villasimius to Tortolì (117.3km)

Stage three, Cala Gornone to Olbia (112.7km)

Stage four, Cesena to Cesena (120.9km)

Stage five, Carpi to Reggio Emilia (123.4km)

Stage six, Sarnico to Bergamo (114.7km)

Stage seven, Prevalie to Passo del Maniva (113.4km)

Stage eight, Rovereto to Aldeno (92.2km)

Stage nine, San Michele All’Adige to San Lorenzo (112.8km)

Stage ten, Abano Terme to Padova (90.5km)

Giro Donne 2022: Start list

SD Worx

1. CECCHINI Elena
2. UNEKEN Lonneke
3. FISHER-BLACK Niamh
4. MAJERUS Christine
5. VAS Blanka
6. KOPECKY Lotte

Aromitalia-Basso Bikes-Vaiano

11. LELEIVYTĖ Rasa
12. BARONI Francesca
13. ČEŠULIENĖ Inga
14. MARCHESINI Giulia
15. COLLINELLI Sofia
16. SERNISSI Gemma

Bepink

21. ZANARDI Silvia
22. VETTORELLO Giorgia
23. QUAGLIOTTO Nadia
24. BRUFANI Letizia
25. HÁJKOVÁ Marketa
26. VITILLO Matilde

Bizkaia Durango

31. TERUEL Alba
32. GONZÁLEZ Lucía
33. LARRARTE Eukene
34. SOTO Catalina Anais
35. SCHWEIKART Aileen
36. RODRÍGUEZ Sofia

Canyon//SRAM

41. ROY Sarah
42. BRADBURY Neve
43. PALADIN Soraya
44. CHABBEY Elise
45. HARVEY Mikayla
46. AMIALIUSIK Alena

Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling

51. FIDANZA Martina
52. VIECELI Lara
53. BRAUßE Franziska
54. LACH Marta
55. NILSSON Hanna
56. TEUTENBERG Lea Lin

Cofidis Women Team

61. KOPPENBURG Clara
62. BERTEAU Victoire
63. ALZINI Martina
64. ONESTI Olivia
65. NEYLAN Rachel
66. LEVENEZ Sandra

Colombia Tierra de Atletas-GW-Shimano

71. CASTAÑO Elizabeth
72. COLMENARES Yeny Lorena
73. DUCUARA Jennifer
74. HERNÁNDEZ Lina Marcela
75. HERRERA Estefanía
76. MENESES Jessenia

EF Education-TIBCO-SVB

81. DOEBEL-HICKOK Krista
82. BORGHESI Letizia
83. VALLIERES Magdeleine
84. HAMMES Kathrin
85. SMITH Abi
86. POIDEVIN Sara

FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope

91. CAVALLI Marta
92. CHAPMAN Brodie
93. COPPONI Clara
94. FAHLIN Emilia
95. LUDWIG Cecilie Uttrup
96. MUZIC Évita

Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria

101. REALINI Gaia
102. GASPARINI Alice
103. EREMITA Noemi Lucrezia
104. ZONTONE Asia
105. ZANETTI Emanuela
106. ROSSATO Beatrice

Liv Racing Xstra

111. BARBIERI Rachele
112. JASKULSKA Marta
113. DE JONG Thalita
114. RAGUSA Katia
115. TON Quinty
116. NEUMANOVA Tereza

Movistar

121. NORSGAARD Emma
122. BIANNIC Aude
123. ERIĆ Jelena
124. PATIÑO Paula Andrea
125. SIERRA Arlenis
126. VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek

Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad

131. BAUR Caroline
132. GAFINOVITZ Rotem
133. SEITZ Aline
134. STIASNY Petra
135. TRAXLER Anna Gabrielle
136. ZABELINSKAYA Olga

Servetto-Makhymo-Beltrami TSA

141. MENA Milagro
142. POTOKINA Anna
143. BARBIERI Isotta
144. BARBIERI Sofia
145. IVANIUK Maryna
146. MELNYCHUK Viktoriia

BikeExchange-Jayco

151. SPRATT Amanda
152. WILLIAMS Georgia
153. FAULKNER Kristen
154. BAKER Georgia
155. KESSLER Nina
156. CAMPBELL Teniel

Team DSM

161. JASTRAB Megan
162. KIRCHMANN Leah
163. KOCH Franziska
164. KOOL Charlotte
165. LABOUS Juliette
166. MACKAIJ Floortje

Jumbo-Visma

171. KRAAK Amber
172. VOS Marianne
173. KOSTER Anouska
174. MARKUS Riejanne
175. SWINKELS Karlijn
176. KASPER Romy

Team Mendelspeck

181. GATSCHER Eva Maria
182. CANVELLI Vania
183. PISCIALI Francesca
184. ORO Angela
185. MISSIAGGIA Alessia
186. POZZOBON Beatrice

Top Girls Fassa Bortolo

191. BARIANI Giorgia
192. MARTURANO Greta
193. MONTICOLO Iris
194. PALAZZI Alice
195. TONETTI Cristina
196. VIGILIA Alessia

Trek-Segafredo

201. BALSAMO Elisa
202. BRAND Lucinda
203. DIDERIKSEN Amalie
204. HANSON Lauretta
205. LONGO BORGHINI Elisa
206. THOMAS Leah

UAE Team ADQ

211. GARCÍA Mavi
212. MAGNALDI Erica
213. TOMASI Laura
214. BASTIANELLI Marta
215. BERTIZZOLO Sofia
216. TREVISI Anna

Uno-X Pro Cycling

221. OLAUSSON Wilma
222. BARNES Hannah
223. BERG EDSETH Marte
224. LUDWIG Hannah
225. LUTRO Amalie
226. LETH Julie

Valcar-Travel & Service

231. BARIL Olivia
232. ARZUFFI Alice Maria
233. PERSICO Silvia
234. CONSONNI Chiara
235. KUMIEGA Karolina
236. CARBONARI Anastasia

Giro Donne 2022: Jerseys

General classification - pink jersey

The pink jersey, or maglia rosa, is worn by the rider who has made it around the route faster than anyone else. Whoever wins stage one will wear the jersey on stage two and lead the overall or general classification with a certain gap to the next rider.

If the leader loses time to someone else, he would then hand over the lead of the race to the rider who is now the best placed after that stage. This will continue through the ten stages.

Points classification - purple jersey

The purple jersey, or maglia ciclamino, is given to the rider who collects the most points over the race. 

Riders obtain points through their finishing positions on stages, with intermediate sprints also offering points throughout the duration of the event. Points vary depending on the type of stage, with a flatter stage more suited to sprinters offering more points than a mountain stage, for example. 

Mountains classification - green jersey

The green jersey, or maglia verde, is awarded to the rider with the most points in the mountains classification. 

Riders will battle to take the jersey by getting into breakaways and attempting to take as many mountains points as they possibly can along the way. The early stages don't have too many categorised climbs, so we will have to wait until the race gets to mainland Italy for decisive action.

Riders pick up mountains points by crossing designated climbs near the front of the race, with these climbs generally coming at the peaks of hills and mountains. Points are awarded depending on the difficulty of the climb, with tougher ascents offering more points, with these usually coming on mountain stages.

Therefore, riders in the hunt for the mountains classification jersey won't contest flat days, instead saving themselves for the days spent climbing hills and mountains.

Young rider classification - white jersey

The white jersey, or maglia bianca, is worn by the rider under 25-years-old who has made it around the route faster than anyone else. 

This is calculated the same as the pink jersey but only riders who were born after January 1, 1997 can compete for it.

Best Italian rider classification - blue jersey

The blue jersey, or maglia azzurra, is awarded to the Italian rider who completes the route faster than any of their compatriots.  

Team Classification

The Team Classification is based on the collective time of the three highest-placed riders from each squad. Leaders of the team classification get to wear race numbers that are yellow with black digits, and the right to wear yellow helmets. The latter is not compulsory.

Giro Donne: Previous winners

2010: Mara Abbott (USA) Peanut Butter & Co. Twenty12
2011: Marianne Vos (NED) Nederland Bloeit
2012: Marianne Vos (NED) Rabobank Women Team
2013: Mara Abbott (USA) Exergy Twenty16
2014: Marianne Vos (NED) Rabobank-Liv Women Cycling Team
2015: Anna van der Breggen (NED) Rabobank-Liv Women Cycling Team
2016: Megan Guarnier (USA) Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team
2017: Anna van der Breggen (NED) Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team
2018: Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) Mitchelton-Scott
2019: Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) Mitchelton-Scott
2020: Anna van der Breggen (NED) Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team
2021: Anna van der Breggen (NED) SD Worx