The Mountains classification in the Giro d'Italia is a secondary classification that is a part of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tour races. In this classification, points are awarded to the leading riders over designated climbs. The climbs are put into different classifications based on difficulty and their position on that day's stage. Bonus points are given to mountain top finishes and to the first riders over the Cima Coppi, traditionally adjudged as the highest point of the entire Giro.
.jpg) Giulio Ciccone in the blue jersey of classification leader during the 2019 Giro d'Italia | |
| Sport | Road Cycling |
|---|---|
| Competition | Giro d'Italia |
| Awarded for | Best climber in mountain stages |
| Local name | Gran Premio della Montagna (Italian) |
| History | |
| First award | 1933 |
| Editions | 86 (as of 2023) |
| First winner |  Alfredo Binda (ITA) |
| Most wins |  Gino Bartali (ITA)(7 wins) |
| Most recent |  Thibaut Pinot (FRA) |
The classification was first calculated in 1933; from 1974 to 2011, the leader of the mountains classification in the Giro d'Italia wore the maglia verde (from Italian: "green jersey"): in 2012, as part of a sponsorship deal, the jersey color was changed to blue (maglia azzurra).
History edit
The mountains classification was added to the Giro d'Italia in 1933.[1] In the inaugural year of the classification, the organizers chose select climbs and awarded points to the first three riders who crossed the climbs.[1] Alfredo Binda was first over each climb and won the first mountains classification.[1] In 1974, the organizers added a green jersey to designate the leader of the classification.[2] The green jersey was used until 2012, when the classification's sponsor, Banca Mediolanum, renewed its sponsorship for another four years and desired the jersey to be blue rather than green.[3]
Winners edit
| * | Winner won general classification in the same year |
| ‡ | Winner won general and points classification in the same year |
- The "Year" column refers to the year the competition was held, and wikilinks to the article about that edition of the race.
- The "Points" column refers to the number of points that the rider had in the mountains classification.
- The "Margin" column refers to the margin of time or points by which the winner defeated the runner-up.
- The "Stage wins" column refers to the number of stages wins the winner had during the race.
Multiple winners edit
As of 2023, 15 cyclists have won the mountains classification more than once.[7]
| Cyclist | Total | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Gino Bartali (ITA) | 7 | 1935, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1946, 1947 |
 José Manuel Fuente (ESP) | 4 | 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 |
| Fausto Coppi (ITA) | 3 | 1948, 1949, 1954 |
| Franco Bitossi (ITA) | 3 | 1964, 1965, 1966 |
| Claudio Bortolotto (ITA) | 3 | 1979, 1980, 1981 |
| Claudio Chiappucci (ITA) | 3 | 1990, 1992, 1993 |
| Raphaël Géminiani (FRA) | 2 | 1952, 1957 |
 Charly Gaul (LUX) | 2 | 1956, 1959 |
| Vito Taccone (ITA) | 2 | 1961, 1963 |
| Andrés Oliva (ESP) | 2 | 1975, 1976 |
 Lucien Van Impe (BEL) | 2 | 1982, 1983 |
| Mariano Piccoli (ITA) | 2 | 1995, 1996 |
 Chepe González (COL) | 2 | 1997, 1999 |
| Fredy González (COL) | 2 | 2001, 2003 |
| Stefano Garzelli (ITA) | 2 | 2009, 2011 |
By nationality edit
Riders from fifteen different countries have won the Mountains classification in the Giro d'Italia.[7]
| Country | No. of winning cyclists | No. of wins |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | 22 | 39 |
 Spain | 12 | 16 |
| Belgium | 5 | 6 |
| France | 5 | 6 |
| Colombia | 4 | 6 |
 Switzerland | 3 | 3 |
 United Kingdom | 2 | 2 |
| Luxembourg | 1 | 2 |
 United States | 1 | 1 |
 Mexico | 1 | 1 |
 Germany | 1 | 1 |
 Venezuela | 1 | 1 |
 Australia | 1 | 1 |
 Portugal | 1 | 1 |
 Netherlands | 1 | 1 |
Distribution of points edit
The points that are gained by consecutive riders reaching a mountain top are distributed according to 5 categories:
| Tipologia | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Cima Coppi | 50 | 30 | 20 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| | First Category | 40 | 18 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - |
| | Second Category | 18 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - |
 | Third Category | 9 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Fourth Category | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The organization of the race determines which mountains are included for the mountains classification and in which category they are. The points for the Cima Coppi are awarded once every Giro, for the summit at the highest altitude in that Giro.
References edit
- Footnotes
- ^ a b The 1956 Giro d'Italia had two mountain competitions: the Trofeo Dolomiti and the Trofeo Appennini. Charly Gaul won the former and Federico Bahamontes, the latter.
- Citations