The Giro d’Italia is a hard sell for most of the world’s top sprinters. Of the three grand tours, the Giro is known for its particularly ruthless mountain stages. The quantity and severity of the climbing stages leave few opportunities for a sprinter to shine. 

The race organizers introduced the points classification in 1966 in an attempt to attract more sprinters to the race, but it has not always held up as a prize for the sprinters, a fact illustrated by Joaquin Rodriguez winning the Points Jersey ahead of Mark Cavendish in 2012. 

While most top sprinters prefer to target the Tour de France later in the year, a stage win at the Giro d’Italia remains a high honor for any sprinter, especially to one who hails from Italy. Let’s take a look at the best sprinters to conquer the Giro d’Italia.

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Mario Cipollini

Cipo is one of the sports most prolific sprinters. Of his 191 career victories, a record 42 of them were at the Giro d’Italia. His final Giro stage victory toppled Alfredo Binda’s record which stood since 1933, a full 70 years prior. Cipollini also won the Giro d’Italia points classification three times. The flamboyant Italian is in no immediate danger of losing his stage win record and is by far and away the most successful sprinter in the Giro d’Italia’s 100-year history.

Alessandro Petacchi

Petacchi is one of Italy’s greatest sprinters, who inherited the unenviable position of having to fill Cipollini’s shoes. Nonetheless, Petacchi admirably accrued 183 career victories, 22 of which were at the Giro d’Italia. Petacchi won the points classification in 2004, and in 2010 became the first sprinter in over a decade to win the points classification in all three grand tours.

Robbie McEwan

The fast man from Australia is perhaps best known for winning the green jersey three times at the Tour de France. McEwan, however, was never one to shy away from tackling both grand tours in a single season. His tenacity was well rewarded with 12 stage wins across six editions of the Giro d’Italia.

Mark Cavendish

The Manx Missile is the most successful modern-day sprinter. Cavendish has the second greatest stage win tally at the Tour de France and 15 stage victories in the Giro d’Italia. Cavendish is one of the quickest riders on flat ground, but he has little love for the mountains. It is perhaps for this reason that he has not ridden the Giro d’Italia since winning the points classification in 2013.


A Nod To The Future

Fernando Gaviria burst onto the grand tour scene in the 2017 Giro d’Italia with a stunning four stage wins in his debut grand tour. His sheer dominance in the sprints even allowed him a stint in the Maglia Rosa. Gaviria will skip the 2018 Giro d’Italia in favor of targeting the Tour de France, but there is little doubt that the young Colombian has what it takes to be a future Giro d’Italia sprinting great.