The 2019 Giro d'Italia was a three-week

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tu ...

cycling

stage race A race stage, leg, or heat is a unit of a race that has been divided in several parts for the reason such as length of the distance to be covered, as in a multi-day event. Usually, such a race consists of "ordinary" stages, but sometimes stages ...

organised by

RCS Sport RCS Sport is a sport and media company that operates mainly in Italy in the sports sector, as part of RCS MediaGroup. It organises some of Italy's biggest road cycling events, including the Giro d'Italia, Milan–San Remo and Tirreno–Adriatic ...

that took place mainly in Italy, between 11 May and 2 June 2019. The race was the 102nd edition of the Giro d'Italia and was the first Grand Tour of the 2019 cycling season. The race started with an

individual time trial An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' " stopwatch stage"). There are also trac ...

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

, and finished with another time-trial in

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city municipality in the region and the second largest in nor ...

. The race was won by Richard Carapaz (), who became the first Ecuadorian rider to win the Giro d'Italia. Italian

Vincenzo Nibali ), The Nibbler , birth_date = , birth_place = Messina, Sicily, Italy , height = , weight = , currentteam = , discipline = Road , role = Rider , ridertype = Climber , proyears1 = 2005 , proteam1 = , proyears2 = 2006–2012 , protea ...

() finished 2nd, with Slovenian rider

Primož Roglič Primož Roglič (; born 29 October 1989) is a Slovenian racing cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam . He started as a ski jumper and switched to cycling several years after an accident suffered at Planica. At the 2017 Tour de France, Roglič bec ...

() in 3rd place. Carapaz also became the second South American rider to win the Giro, after

Nairo Quintana Nairo Alexánder Quintana Rojas, ODB, (born 4 February 1990) is a Colombian racing cyclist, who rides for UCI ProSeries, UCI ProTeam . Nicknamed "Nairoman" and "El Cóndor de los Andes", Quintana is a specialist climber, known for his ability ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

. Pascal Ackermann () narrowly won the points classification before

Arnaud Démare Arnaud Démare (born 26 August 1991) is a professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . In 2011 he won the UCI World Under-23 Road Race Championships, and in 2016 he won the Milan–San Remo. He is one of five riders t ...

(), with Damiano Cima () in third place.

Giulio Ciccone Giulio Ciccone (born 20 December 1994) is an Italian cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Bardiani–CSF (2016–18) Ciccone was named in the start list for the 2016 Giro d'Italia, where he won stage 10. At the 2018 Giro d'It ...

() won

mountains classification The King of the Mountains (KoM) is an award given to the best climbing specialist in a men's cycling road race; in women's cycle racing, Queen of the Mountains (QoM) is used. While the title may be given to the rider who achieves the highest p ...

after leading it through 20 of the race's 21 stages, and Miguel Ángel López () won the young rider classification. The team classification was won by .

Teams

All 18

UCI WorldTeam A UCI WorldTeam (2015–present), previously UCI ProTeam (2005–2014), is the term used by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to name a cycling team of the highest category in professional road cycling, the UCI World Tour or UCI ProTour ...

s were automatically invited and were obliged to attend the race. Four wildcard

UCI Professional Continental The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union Cycliste Internationale The ''Union Cycliste Internationale'' (UCI; ; en, International Cycling Union) is the world gove ...

teams were also selected. Because of an agreement between

and the organisers of the Coppa Italia di ciclismo (the Italian Road Cycling Cup) one of the four wildcards is traditionally reserved for the overall cup winner. One of the wildcards was therefore awarded to . On 25 January 2019, the race organisers announced that the other three wildcards were awarded to , and . All of the wildcard teams had previously participated in the Giro, and three out of the four teams participated in the previous year. The one exception was Nippo-Vini Fantini, whose last participation in the Giro was in 2016. Each team started with eight riders. The on-stage presentation of the teams took place in

on 9 May, two days before the opening stage. The teams entering the race were:

Pre-race favourites

Two previous Giro d'Italia champions,

() and Tom Dumoulin (), are considered to be among the favorites for the

Maglia Rosa The general classification in the Giro d'Italia is the most important classification of the Giro d'Italia, which determines who is the overall winner. It is therefore considered more important than secondary classifications as the points classi ...

, together with Miguel Ángel López (), Mikel Landa (),

() and Simon Yates (). Other riders believed to be competitive in the general classification were Richard Carapaz (), Esteban Chaves (), Davide Formolo (), Ion Izagirre (),

Bob Jungels Bob Jungels (born 22 September 1992) is a Luxembourgish road bicycle racer, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Born in Rollingen, Mersch, Luxembourg, Jungels competed in the Tour de France for the first time in 2015 Tour de France, 2015, as pa ...

(),

Rafał Majka Rafał Majka (Polish pronunciation: ; born 12 September 1989) is a Polish professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is known as a strong climber, and rose to prominence at the 2013 Giro d'Italia, where he finis ...

(),

Bauke Mollema , birth_date = , birth_place = Groningen, Netherlands , height = , weight = , currentteam = , discipline = Road , role = Rider , ridertype = All-rounder , amateuryears1 = 2004–2006 , amateurtea ...

(), Ben O'Connor () and Ilnur Zakarin (). Riders believed to be the main contenders for victories on the sprint stages are the current German national champion Pascal Ackermann (), Frenchman

(), Australian rider

Caleb Ewan Caleb Ewan (born 11 July 1994) is an Australian road and track bicycle racer who rides for UCI WorldTeam . A sprinter, Ewan has a style similar to that of Mark Cavendish, taking an extremely low position that offers him an aerodynamic advantag ...

(), Colombia's Fernando Gaviria (), and the defending winner of the points classification, Italian

Elia Viviani Elia Viviani (born 7 February 1989) is an Italian professional cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . On 10 May 2015, Viviani won his first Grand Tour stage victory at the Giro d'Italia, winning stage 2 in a bunch sprint before Moreno ...

().

Route and stages

The race started on 11 May with an 8 km ''cronoscalata'', a mountain time trial, in

, which concluded with a climb to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca. The steep (average gradient 9.7%) climb, which is regularly used as a finish in the Italian autumn

classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a '' ...

Giro dell'Emilia The Giro dell'Emilia is a late season road bicycle race held annually in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour, and since 2020 it's part of the UCI ProSeries calendar. The ...

, made its debut in the Giro in

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...

in a time trial stage won by

Charly Gaul Charly Gaul Sporting Cyclist, UK, undated cutting (8 December 1932 – 6 December 2005) The race then headed south, with the second stage crossing the

Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...

into

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

, honouring Tuscan cyclist

Gino Bartali Gino Bartali (; 18 July 1914 – 5 May 2000), nicknamed Gino the Pious and (in Italy) Ginettaccio, was a champion road cyclist. He was the most renowned Italian cyclist before the Second World War, having won the Giro d'Italia twice, in 19 ...

with a stage finish in

Fucecchio Fucecchio () is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany. The main economical resources of the city are the leather industries, shoes industry and other manufacturing activities, although in the ...

. The following stage started in

Vinci Vinci may refer to: Places *Vinci, Tuscany, a ''comune'' in the Province of Florence, Italy *Vinci (Golubac), a community in Braničevo District, Serbia People * Alessandro Vinci (born 1987), Italian footballer *Alessio Vinci (born 1968), Itali ...

, celebrating the 500th anniversary of the death of

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially re ...

, and finished in

Orbetello Orbetello is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Grosseto (Tuscany), Italy. It is located about south of Grosseto, on the eponymous lagoon, which is home to an important Natural Reserve. History Orbetello was an ancient Etruscan settleme ...

, which also acted as the start location for the following stage, in which the race left Tuscany for the

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

region with a stage finish in

Frascati Frascati () is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is located south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills close to the ancient city of Tusculum. Frascati is closely associated wit ...

. Continuing south, the peloton then left Frascati for a stage finish in

Terracina Terracina is an Italian city and ''comune'' of the province of Latina, located on the coast southeast of Rome on the Via Appia ( by rail). The site has been continuously occupied since antiquity. History Ancient times Terracina appears in anci ...

, and, following a short transfer to

Cassino Cassino () is a ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Southern Italy, at the southern end of the region of Lazio, the last city of the Latin Valley. Cassino is located at the foot of Monte Cairo near the confluence of the Gari and Liri ri ...

, crossed the country on a hilly stage to the Apulian region on eastern coast, finishing in the town of San Giovanni Rotondo. The race then headed north, with stage finishes in

L'Aquila L'Aquila ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of both the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. , it has a population of 70,967 inhabitants. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide vall ...

and

Pesaro Pesaro () is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Marche, capital of the Province of Pesaro e Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the March ...

. Stage nine's individual time trial in

San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...

was the last stage before the rest day, and the only occasion where the Giro left Italy. Following the first rest day, the riders tackled two flat stages with finishes in

Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...

and

Novi Ligure Novi Ligure (; lij, Nêuve ; pms, Neuvi ) is a city and ''comune'' north of Genoa, in the Piedmont region of the province of Alessandria of northwest Italy. The town produces food, iron, steel, and textiles. It is an important junction for both ...

. The twelfth stage, relatively short at , started from

Cuneo Cuneo (; pms, Coni ; oc, Coni/Couni ; french: Coni ) is a city and '' comune'' in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the fourth largest of Italy’s provinces by area. It is located at 550 metres (1,804 ft) ...

and included the climb of , 1248 meters above sea level. It finished with a very short, but steep climb in the town of

Pinerolo Pinerolo (; pms, Pinareul ; french: Pignerol; oc, Pineròl) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont, northwestern Italy, southwest of Turin on the river Chisone. The Lemina torrent has its source at the boundary ...

, with the gradient reaching 20%. The thirteenth stage has been considered to become the first big test for the riders aiming for the

general classification The general classification (or the GC) in road bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for riders in multi- stage races. Each stage will have a stage winner, but the overall winner in the GC is the rider who has the fastest cumula ...

and included the race's first summit finish, at Lago Serrù, close to Ceresole Reale. Two other categorized climbs were included in the stage, namely the Colle del Lys and the Pian del Lupo. Following the second, and last, rest day on 27 May, the riders faced what has been dubbed as the queen stage of the race, which started in

Lovere Lovere ( Bergamasque: ) is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Bergamo, in Lombardy, northern Italy, at the northwest end of Lake Iseo. The houses in the city have overhanging wooden roofs, typical of Switzerland, combined with the heavy ...

, included several categorized climbs, including the Passo del Mortirolo, before finishing in

Ponte di Legno Ponte di Legno ( Camunian: ) is an Italian ''comune'' of 1,729 inhabitants in Val Camonica, province of Brescia, in Lombardy. Geography Situated at the confluence of the two source rivers of the Oglio, Ponte di Legno is the uppermost comune of ...

. Initially, the stage was meant to also feature the Passo di Gavia, previously featured in

, in a stage won by

(), who later won the overall classification, however the climb was ultimately removed from the route two days before the stage was run due to snow and poor weather conditions. The Mortirolo was first included in the race in

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

, and has since then made many appearances in the race, most recently on the 16th stage at the

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

won by

. The race finished with a time trial in

Race overview

Primož Roglič 2019 Giro d'Italia, Stage 18

The first stage, an 8 km mountain time trial in

, was won by

() who therefore became the first wearer of the ''maglia rosa'', the pink jersey identifying the leader of the

. Roglič also took the lead in the points classification.

() took the lead in the

and became the first wearer of the blue jersey, while Miguel Ángel López () finished as the fastest young rider and became the leader of the young rider classification. Stage 2, the first bunch sprint stage, was taken by Pascal Ackermann (), who benefited from a mistake by

() in the setup for the sprint. Roglič held the maglia rosa for another day, while Ackermann took the points classification. Ciccone also went into the breakaway and maintained his lead in the mountains classification. The third stage was once again a group sprint, but this one had much more controversy. In the leadup to the sprint, Viviani pulled out of line and bumped Matteo Moschetti () out of the way. Viviani won the stage on the road, but judges later relegated him for an illegal sprint, which handed the win and points classification to Fernando Gaviria (). No other changes in the jerseys occurred. Richard Carapaz () won the fourth stage after a late attack. Multiple crashes with only a few kilometers left of the stage saw several riders go down. One of those affected was favorite Tom Dumoulin (), who eventually finished the stage four minutes after many other favorites had crossed the line. Roglič extended his

lead out to 35 seconds, and Ackermann took back the points classification. Stage five was a drenched one, with a neutralized bunch sprint at the end. Ackermann took the win after nearly colliding with a rider. Gaviria took a close second. Dumoulin officially withdrew after only a few kilometers of the stage, stating that the pain was too much to continue. The first shakeup of the race occurred on stage six, where the breakaway took the stage. Fausto Masnada () beat Valerio Conti () to the line, beating the peloton by a full seven minutes. Conti was handed over the ''maglia rosa'' with the rest of the breakaway riders between him and Roglič because of this.

Giovanni Carboni Giovanni Carboni (born 31 August 1995) is an Italian cyclist, who rides for UCI Continental team . In May 2019, he was named in the startlist for the 2019 Giro d'Italia. Major results Source: ;2013 : 2nd Time trial, National Junior Road Champ ...

() gained the young rider classification also. Stage seven was another day for the breakaway, this time Pello Bilbao () fending off

Tony Gallopin Tony Gallopin (born 24 May 1988) is a French professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Born in Dourdan, Île-de-France, Gallopin currently resides in Angerville. After two seasons with the squad, Gall ...

() for the victory. Stage eight saw

() take the sprint over Elia Viviani and Pascal Ackermann, the holder of the ''maglia ciclamino'' at the time. Stage nine, the San Marino time trial that would round out the first week, saw Primož Roglič victorious again, this time only 11 seconds over

Victor Campenaerts Victor Campenaerts (born 28 October 1991) is a Belgian racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career He rode at the 2014 UCI Road World Championships. In September 2015 it was announced that he would join the UCI World Tour ran ...

() and a full minute over

() and the rest of the GC favorites. Conti still held the ''maglia rosa.'' A slight controversy opened up the second week, with stage ten ending in a reduced sprint caused by the fall of the ''maglia ciclamino'' holder Ackermann.

() found victory over Viviani and Rüdiger Selig (), who sprinted after Ackermann's crash. Ackermann would finish, although losing the ciclamino to Demare, and Matteo Moschetti would withdraw from injuries sustained in the incident. Ewan found victory once again in stage eleven, where he once again beat Demare and Ackermann. Ewan and Viviani both announced their withdrawals afterwards, in preparation for the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consist ...

. Stage twelve followed the common roads of the

Giro di Lombardia The Giro di Lombardia ( en, Tour of Lombardy), officially ''Il Lombardia'', is a cycling race in Lombardy, Italy. It is traditionally the last of the five 'Monuments' of the season, considered to be one of the most prestigious one-day events in ...

, where Cesare Benedetti () of the breakaway took his first pro win over

Damiano Caruso Damiano Caruso (born 12 October 1987) is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Caruso was also the 2008 under-23 Italian national champion for the road race. He competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, ...

() and Eddie Dunbar (). It also saw

Jan Polanc Jan Polanc (born 6 May 1992) is a Slovenian racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is a two time Giro d'Italia stage winner. Major results ;2009 : National Junior Road Championships ::1st Road race ::3rd Time trial : 10t ...

() taking over the

from his teammate Conti. The thirteenth stage was the first true mountain stage of the Giro, and was potentially the turning point. Ilnur Zakarin () took victory after an attack, in which he caught up and surpassed second placed Mikel Nieve (), with Mikel Landa () coming in third. The surprise of the day was Richard Carapaz, who essentially was let go by

() and Roglič. This placed him right with the other favorites, two down on Roglič and a further two on Polanc. However, on the other end of the spectrum, big names like Miguel Ángel López () and Simon Yates () lose multiple minutes on the day. Stage fourteen was arguably the ''maglia rosa''-deciding stage, as Carapaz was once again on the attack for minutes. The rest of the favorites once again let him go, and let his gap grow to nearly two minutes for a decisive victory. Yates placed in second, gaining about 20 seconds on the rest of the favorites. The fifteenth day of racing was one for the break again, as Dario Cataldo () edged out Mattia Cattaneo () for the win, with Yates once again placing on the podium. This stage saw Roglic lose a bit of time on his rivals after a nightmare day filled with crashes and such, obtaining a needed break from the final rest day. The third week began with the now-shortened "queen stage" of the race. Missing out on the Gavia Pass, the challenging day saw the ''maglia azzurra'' (mountain classification) leader

() not only secure the classification, but win the stage from a tough breakaway with

Jan Hirt Jan Hirt (born 21 January 1991) is a Czech professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Hirt joined in 2012 as a stagiaire, later becoming a member of the team in 2013 before moving to the following year. During ...

() in a close second. Fausto Masnada () grabbed his second podium of the race in third, and saw Lopez lose some 20 seconds on Nibali, as well as Roglič over a minute. The seventeenth day was another one for the break, this time

Nans Peters Nans Peters (born 12 March 1994) is a French cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Amateur career Before turning professional, he set a new record for most selections for the French national Under-23 team, being chosen 20 times ...

() breaking through for the win, with Esteban Chaves () around a minute and a half back, and Davide Formolo () rounded out in third. Nibali, Roglič, and others once again lost seconds on Carapaz. Stage eighteen, however, was more or less a break in the action for many. Damiano Cima () outlasted the sprint trains to take a surprise win over Ackermann and

Simone Consonni Simone Consonni (born 12 September 1994) is an Italian professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He rode at the 2015 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. In August 2018, he was named in the startlist for the Vuelta a ...

(). Demare held the points classification up to this point, but bad positioning meant he brought it home in eighth, putting Ackermann in the ''maglia ciclamino'' to the end of the race. Stage nineteen was yet another for the break, this time Chaves finally nabbing a stage win for himself and Mitchelton-Scott. Andrea Vendrame () and Amaro Antunes () made up the top three, with Lopez gaining around 45 seconds on his rivals. The penultimate stage of the Giro was maybe one of the more exciting ones, with Pello Bilbao () taking another one for himself over Landa, with Ciccone not far behind in third. Roglič and Yates both lost 50 seconds to the favorites, and Lopez once again lost 2 minutes on them. That left everything on the table for the final time trial to round out this year's edition. The American Chad Haga () surprisingly gave Sunweb their one and only win in the Giro, with Campernaerts once again only four seconds down, and with Thomas De Gendt () taking the final place on the podium, rounding out an excellent Giro. Carapaz became the first Ecuadorian rider to win a Grand Tour and the second South American rider to win the Giro, after Colombian

. Vincenzo Nibali placed second, one minute down, and Roglič managed to take third back from Landa on the final day by eight seconds. Pascal Ackermann took the points classification by 13 points over Arnaud Démare, and Giulio Ciccone outright dominated the mountain classification. Miguel Ángel López unsurprisingly took the youth classification over Pavel Sivakov, and Movistar unsurprisingly took the team classification.

Incidents

About from the finish of stage 18, a spectator walked onto the road shortly before the escape group reached the spot and dropped a bicycle in the path of the riders. The man then walked away from the scene. Another spectator stepped in and removed the obstacle. On 4 June 2019, it was reported that the identified perpetrator, a man from Tunisia, faced expulsion back to his home country due to his actions. During the final ascent to Croce d'Aune on stage 20, Miguel Ángel López was knocked off his bike in an incident with a spectator. Before he got back on his bike, López hit the fan several times in anger. He would go on to lose almost two minutes on the group of other favourites at the end of the stage. Even though UCI regulations stipulate that a rider who engages in physical violence is to be disqualified from the event, López was given no punishment for his action. The UCI announced on 2 June 2019 that they had launched an investigation into the jury's decision not to apply a penalty.

Doping

On 15 May 2019, the UCI announced that they had provisionally suspended Kristijan Koren (), part of his squad for the 2019 Giro, for his alleged involvement in the ''

Operation Aderlass Operation Aderlass (English: Operation Bloodletting) is an investigation in Austria and Germany into alleged doping practices carried out by Erfurt-based German physician Mark Schmidt. Athletes from various disciplines have been named as alleged ...

'' doping case. The team subsequently pulled Koren out of the race.

Classification leadership

In the Giro d'Italia, four different jerseys are awarded. The first and most important is the

, calculated by adding each rider's finishing times on each stage. Riders receive time bonuses (10, 6 and 4 seconds respectively) for finishing in the first three places on each stage. Smaller time bonuses are also given to the top three riders at the last intermediate sprint on each stage (3, 2 and 1 seconds respectively). The rider with the lowest cumulative time is awarded the pink jersey ( it, maglia rosa), and is considered the winner of the Giro d'Italia. Additionally, there is a points classification. Riders win points for finishing in the top placings on each stage or by being within the first cyclists to reach intermediate sprint locations along each mass-start stage. Flat stages award more points than mountainous stages, meaning that this classification tends to favour sprinters. The leader of the points classification wore the cyclamen jersey. There is also a

, for which points were awarded for reaching the top of a climb before other riders. Each climb was categorised as either first, second, third or fourth-category, with more points available for the more difficult, higher-categorised climbs. For first-category climbs, the top eight riders earned points; on second-category climbs, six riders won points; on third-category climbs, only the top four riders earned points with three on fourth-category climbs. The leadership of the mountains classification was marked by a blue jersey. The '' Cima Coppi'', the race's highest point of elevation, awards more points than the other first-category climbs, with nine riders scoring points. Initially, the Cima Coppi was scheduled to be the Passo di Gavia on the sixteenth stage, but due to weather the climb was removed from the itinerary. The next highest climb was that to Serrù Lake, however the climb had already been ascended prior to the cancellation. As a result, organisers chose to assign the Cima Coppi to the highest climb out of those which had not been ascended – the Passo Manghen on stage 20. The fourth jersey represents the young rider classification. This is decided the same way as the general classification, but only riders born after 1 January 1994 are eligible. The winner of the classification is awarded a white jersey. There are also two classifications for teams. In the Trofeo Fast Team classification, the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage are added up; the leading team is one with the lowest total time. The Trofeo Super Team is a team points classification, with the top 20 riders of each stage earning points for their team. The first additional award is the intermediate sprint classification. Each road stage has two sprints – the ''Traguardi Volanti''. The first 5 riders across the intermediate sprint lines are awarded points (10, 6, 3, 2 and 1 points respectively); the rider with the most points at the end of the race wins the classification. Another classification – the combativity prize ( it, Premio Combattività) – involves points awarded to the first riders at the stage finishes, at intermediate sprints, and at the summits of categorised climbs. There is also a breakaway award ( it, Premio della Fuga). For this, points are awarded to each rider in any breakaway smaller than 10 riders that escapes for at least . Each rider is awarded a point for each kilometre that the rider was away from the peloton. The rider with the most points at the end of the Giro wins the award. The final classification is a "fair play" ranking for each team. Teams are given penalty points for infringing various rules. These range from half-point penalties, for offences that merit warnings from race officials, to a 2000-point penalty, for a positive doping test. The team that has the lowest points total at the end of the Giro wins the classification. When several teams are tied on points, the team with the highest classified rider in the general classification will be the higher ranked team in the fair play classification.

Final standings

General classification

Points classification

Mountains classification

Young rider classification

General Super Team

Intermediate sprint classification

Combativity classification

Breakaway classification

References

Bibliography

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giro d'Italia, 2019

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