The Corsa Rosa’s Roll of Honor: the winners from 1909 to 2023. Vincenzo Nibali is the last Italian

Luigi Ganna was the first to win the general classification of the Giro d’Italia way back in 1909. At that time there was not yet the pink jersey, which was established in 1931 by Armando Cougnet in honor of the Gazzetta dello Sport, the newspaper of which he was owner and collaborator. In 1912 there was a very particular edition, because it was the first and only Giro contested by teams, which saw the success of the Atala composed of 4 Musketeers: Luigi Ganna (retired at the fifth stage), Carlo Galetti, Eberardo Pavesi and Giovanni Micheletto.

The Giro d’Italia remained a “business for Italians” even after the war. There are many names that made the history of cycling, from Girardengo to Alfredo Binda.

Binda again, Learco Guerra also arrived. There were also the first victories of Gino Bartali (1936) and Fausto Coppi (1940) and, meanwhile, in 1931 there was also the first pink jersey worn by Learco Guerra, but won by Francesco Camusso.

Another interruption due to the War, then in ’46 it resumed with the battle between Bartali and Coppi. Coppi was also the first in the history of cycling to do a Giro d’Italia + Tour double in the same season (in ’49 and ’52). In 1950, however, there was the first victory by a foreigner, with the success of the Swiss Hugo Koblet.

Great foreign names, from Gaul to Anquetil, up to Eddy Merckx’s first success in 1968. There are important victories by Nencini, Adorni, Motta and Felice Gimondi.

Hat-trick for Eddy Merckx from 1972 to 1974, for a total of 5 Tours won in his career. The Belgian, like Anquetil before him, followed up on the possibility of winning the Giro and Tour in the same season as Fausto Coppi did a few years earlier.

Miguel Indurain’s turn also came, also capable of doing the Giro+Tour in the same year and for two consecutive years. Then came the Russians with the successes of Berzin and Tonkov, but the latter was unable to battle with Pantani who in ’98 was simply the best in the world. Then Gotti and Garzelli until 2000.

Double by Simoni who won in 2001 and 2003, Savoldelli in the middle and the sensational success of Damiano Cunego in 2004. In 2008 Contador arrived, the following year it was Menchov’s turn. There was also Ivan Basso who, between one Tour and another, won two Giri d’Italia.

In the 1910s many foreign successes. In 2011 the Giro was awarded to Michele Scarponi, even though he won it Alberto Contador on the road. Then it was the turn of Hesjedal (sensational comeback over Joaquin Rodriguez), Quintana, Contador again, Dumoulin, Froome and Carapaz in the surprising 2019 edition. However, there are also two successes by Vincenzo Nibali who, with Contador and Froome, are the only ones to having managed to win at least one edition of all three Grand Tours in the new century.

After the 2020 edition held in October due to a change in the post-lockdown calendar, in 2021 we returned to semi-normality. Egan Bernal he won by dominating the 2021 Giro, even though Damiano Caruso had attempted a sensational comeback at the end. Australia triumphs in 2022 with Jai Hindley and then the very first time for Slovenia in 2023 with the success of Primoz Roglic.