Giro d’Italia

Dates: Saturday May 9 – Sunday May 30
Stages: 21
Grande Partenza: Budapest, Hungary
Finish: Milan

Richard Carapaz finishing stage 15 of the Giro d’Italia 2019 (Luk Benies/AFP/Getty Images)

The Giro d’Italia is one of cycling’s three Grand Tours, along with the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. It is the first of the three week races of the cycling season, usually taking place in May into early June.

As you might expect, the race predominantly takes place within its home country of Italy, but has frequently visited other nations in its 102 editions so far.

The 2020 Giro d’Italia will visit Hungary this year for three stages before returning to Italy for the remaining 18 stages.

The Giro is well known for its long, high mountain stages in the Alps and Dolomites, making famous names of climbs like the Passo dello Stelvio, Passo Gavia, Monte Zoncolan, Passo di Mortirolo and Passo Giau among others. But the Giro is often decided by it’s testing time trials, with the 2020 edition featuring three, including one on the final day.

Anyone hoping to win the Giro overall will also need to navigate numerous sprint stages and medium mountain stages, which offer up opprtunities to riders looking for prestigious individual stage wins that can define careers.

Giro d’Italia 2020 route

Stage	Date	Start	Finish	Distance	Terrain
1	Sat May 9	Budapest	Budapest	9.5km	ITT
2	Sun May 10	Budapest	Györ	193km	Flat
3	Mon May 11	Székesfehérvár	Nagykanizsa	197km	Flat
4	Tues May 12	Monreale	Agrigento	136km	Hills
5	Weds May 13	Enna	Etna	150km	Mountains
6	Thurs May 14	Catania	Villafranca Tirrena	138km	Hills
7	Fri May 15	Mileto	Camigliatello Silano	223km	Hills
8	Sat May 16	Castrovillari	Brindisi	216km	Flat
9	Sun May 17	Giovinazzo	Vieste	190km	Hills
–	Mon May 18	Rest day
10	Tues May 19	San Salvo	Tortoreto Lido	212km	Hills
11	Weds May 20	Porto Sant’Elpidio	Rimini	181km	Flat
12	Thurs May 21	Cesenatico	Cesenatico	206km	Hills
13	Fri May 22	Cervia	Monselice	190km	Flat
14	Sat May 23	Conegliano	Valdobbiadene	33.7km	ITT
15	Sun May 24	Rivolto	Piancavallo	183km	Mountains
–	Mon May 25	Rest day
16	Tues May 26	Udine	Valdobbiadene	226km	Mountains
17	Weds May 27	Bassano del Grappa	Madonna di Campiglio	202km	Mountains
18	Thurs May 28	Pinzolo	Lago di Cancano	209km	Mountains
19	Fri May 29	Morbegno	Asti	251km	Flat
21	Sat May 30	Alba	Sestriere	200km	Mountains
21	Sun May 31	Cernusco di Naviglio	Milan	16.5km	ITT

Giro d’Italia 2020 jerseys

Richard Carapaz in the pink jersey after stage 14 of the Giro d’Italia 2019 (Yuzuru Sunada)

The leader’s jersey at the Giro d’Italia is the maglia rosa – it’s the pink jersey that sits aboard the shoulders of the rider who has completed the stages in the shortest amount of time.

The sprinter’s jersey – the maglia ciclamino – is purple in colour and goes to the fastest legs at the head of the sprinter’s competition.

Azure blue goes to the leading climber, in the shape of the maglia azzurra whilst the best young rider wears the white maglia bianca.

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