Giro d'Italia Women - News
The Giro d’Italia Women is one of the most historic and prestigious stage races in women’s cycling. First held in 1988, it has long stood as the sport’s premier Grand Tour. Following recent rebranding and renewed investment, the race returns in 2025 as a key fixture on the UCI Women’s WorldTour. With the iconic maglia rosa at stake, the Giro d’Italia Women remains one of the most respected races in the sport.
News
2027 Giro d’Italia Women route revealed: Tough grand finale in the shadow of Mont Blanc
'I had to dare to lose it all' - How Vollering staged a dramatic Giro comeback
Van der Breggen admits painful Giro truth after losing pink to Vollering
Vollering seals stunning Giro comeback to complete Grand Tour trilogy as Longo Borghini wins final stage
'That's cycling, you have to deal with nature' - Vollering wins shortened Finestre battle amid avalanche risk chaos
Vollering claims Finestre but Van der Breggen keeps pink on ice-shortened Giro queen stage
Giro d'Italia Women queen stage cut short due to Finestre safety concerns
Celia Gery takes first Grand Tour stage with thrilling finish
Balsamo makes it four at the Giro after superb Lidl-Trek lead-out
Two more riders disqualified from Giro d’Italia Women after holding onto team car
‘The phone simply is not being answered’ - SD Worx ready to fight UCI over Wiebes disqualification
Vollering powers to Giro stage 5 victory from a reduced group
Anna van der Breggen crushes Giro Women mountain time trial to seize control on Nevegal
Video: Chiara Consonni lashes out in anger after Giro d’Italia Women crash and gets penalized
'They're bringing cycling into disrepute': Lorena Wiebes' agent slams Giro disqualification
Balsamo completes hat-trick of stages to stay in pink at Giro Women
Balsamo claims pink sprint victory in Giro Women stage 2
Lorena Wiebes disqualified from Giro d’Italia Women as SD Worx questions bike weight check
Wiebes disqualified after apparent Giro Women stage 1 victory
Vollering signs 'unique' new contract before chasing history at Giro d'Italia Women
Giro d'Italia Women 2026 route features Colle delle Finestre and mountain time trial
Official date set for the 2026 Giro d’Italia route presentation
What does the Giro d’Italia Women tell us about who can win the Tour de France Femmes?
Giro d'Italia Women 2025: Final results and standings
Lippert takes a second Giro d'Italia stage win, while Longo Borghini secures the GC
Brodie Chapman & Mireia Benito at the Giro Women - Domestique Diary
‘Sometimes you have to dare’ Longo Borghini’s audacious ride into Giro d’Italia lead
Stunning Gigante wins second Giro d’Italia stage while Longo Borghini moves into pink
Liane Lippert claims lucky stage 6 of the Giro d'Italia Women for second time
World champion Lotte Kopecky abandons Giro d'Italia Women
Wiebes flies to a second Giro d’Italia Women win on stage 5 after crosswind chaos
Sarah Gigante takes career defining Giro d’Italia mountain stage 4 victory
Lorena Wiebes wins stage 3 of the Giro d’Italia Women
Anna Henderson wins Giro d’Italia stage 2 and takes the maglia rosa
Giro d’Italia Women: Marlen Reusser wins stage one and first maglia rosa
Giro d’Italia Women Preview: Can Anna van der Breggen roll back the years?
How to watch the 2025 Giro d'Italia Women: TV Schedule, live worldwide streaming
2025 Giro d'Italia Women: Full startlist
2025 Giro d'Italia Women route - Stage-by-stage-guide
Lizzie Deignan confirmed for Giro d’Italia, but Tour de France Femmes still uncertain
Lotte Kopecky, Anna Van der Breggen, and Lorena Wiebes headline SD-Worx Giro team
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the 2026 WorldTour calendars
2026 UCI calendar sees moves for Tour de France Femmes and Giro d'Italia Women
The Giro d’Italia Women (formerly known as Giro Rosa) is the longest-running women’s stage race in professional cycling, with its inaugural edition held in 1988. For decades it has been regarded as the pinnacle of women’s road stage racing - often dubbed a “Grand Tour” equivalent -and has played a pivotal role in promoting women’s cycling on the world stage. Below, we explore the race’s origins, evolution, key developments, and its modern resurgence under the iconic Maglia Rosa (pink jersey) of the leader.
History and significance of the Giro d’Italia Women
The women’s Giro d’Italia was born in 1988 under the name Giro d’Italia Femminile, marking a milestone by providing Italy with its own multi-stage tour for women. Italian veteran Maria Canins – already a two-time Tour de France Féminin champion – won that first edition, signaling the event’s high competitive level from the start. Early editions, however, received limited media coverage; as Global Cycling Network noted, “how little we actually know” about those first years. This lack of exposure reflected the broader struggle for attention that women’s cycling faced in the 1980s and 90s.
Despite these challenges, the Giro quickly established itself as a marquee event. It became the second most important women’s race in Italy (after the one-day Trofeo Alfredo Binda) during its early years. By the mid-1990s, the race was flourishing, highlighted by the dominance of local hero Fabiana Luperini. Luperini won four consecutive editions from 1995 to 1998 –-a remarkable feat that cemented the Giro’s reputation - and even returned to win again in 2008, a decade after her previous victory. Such performances by top riders helped validate the Giro d’Italia Women as a premier contest and inspired a new generation of female cyclists.
Rise and challenges
Entering the 2000s, the Giro d’Italia Femminile (as it was then known) grew in ambition – at one point expanding to 13 stages – even as rival events in women’s stage racing struggled to survive. When the Grande Boucle Féminine (a women’s Tour de France) and the Tour de l’Aude were canceled around 2009-2010 due to financial difficulties, the Giro became the only major multi-stage “Grand Tour” left for women. This elevated its importance, effectively making the Giro Rosa (its post-2013 name) the lone standard-bearer of women’s stage racing tradition in that era.
Maintaining the race, however, was not without difficulty. In late 2012 the event’s future was thrown into doubt when the longtime organizer withdrew, putting the 2013 edition at risk. A rescue effort succeeded: new organizers rebranded the race as the “Giro Rosa” in 2013 (with a shortened eight-day format that year) to keep it alive. The following year it returned to its traditional 10-day length, and by 2016 the Giro Rosa was included in the inaugural UCI Women’s World Tour - a boost that affirmed its elite status in global cycling.
Throughout the late 2010s, the Giro Rosa continued to showcase fierce competition, often dominated by a wave of Dutch superstars. Annemiek van Vleuten, for example, claimed four overall victories in this period. Yet the event still struggled for visibility, often being overshadowed by the men’s Tour de France which ran in parallel on the calendar. This tension peaked in 2020 when the lack of live television coverage for the women’s Giro prompted the UCI to revoke its WorldTour status for 2021.
The demotion to second-tier (UCI ProSeries) was met with widespread criticism as fans and teams decried the lack of support for the sport’s marquee women’s race. In response, organizers vowed improvements: for 2022 they secured live broadcasts (on Eurosport and RAI) and significantly increased the prize money, steps that saw the Giro immediately regain its WorldTour status. These measures were crucial in restoring credibility and underscored the ongoing push for equality in race coverage and rewards.
A new era for the Maglia Rosa
In the mid-2020s, the Giro d’Italia Women entered a new chapter defined by greater professionalism and integration with men’s cycling. From 2024, the renowned organizers of the men’s Giro (RCS Sport) took over operation of the women’s race, signing a four-year agreement and officially rebranding it as the Giro d’Italia Women. This development promised increased resources, better marketing, and more stable management, heralding a new era for the event. The iconic Maglia Rosa - the pink jersey worn by the race leader, mirroring the tradition of the men’s Giro - remains at the heart of the competition and a symbol of its prestige.
With improved television coverage and higher investment, today’s Giro d’Italia Women stands proudly alongside the new Tour de France Femmes and the revamped La Vuelta España Femenina as one of the three Grand Tour equivalents in women’s cycling. This renaissance not only celebrates the race’s rich history but also highlights its evolving role in a more equitable and dynamic future for the sport. The Giro’s journey from a humble 1988 beginning to its current stature underscores its significance: it has been, and continues to be, a cornerstone of women’s professional cycling and a beacon for the growth of the sport.
