Maglia Rosa

The Giro d’Italia’s pink leader’s jersey is one of the most cherished prizes in professional cycling

Axe to grind

Forget the Tour de France’s yellow jersey: it’s surely the Maglia Rosa – the pink leader’s jersey of Italy’s national race, the Giro d’Italia, since 1931 – that’s the coolest of its kind. Try telling that, however, to Italy’s fascist dictator of the time, Benito Mussolini. According to Herbie Sykes, author of MagliaRosa, a book on the history of the race, Benito Mussolini – in the characteristically insecure fashion of the strongman – thought pink was for girls. Pink, however, was the natural choice, given it was colour of the pages of newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, creators of the race. If it had to be pink, then his Fascist Party’s symbol – rods bound to an axe – would be stitched into its centre. It duly was, though it was given the axe itself once the race re-emerged in 1946, following the end of both WW2 and Mussolini.

Material world

Fascist symbols aside, the Maglia Rosa began life as a heavy woollen garment with pockets on the front as well as back. Until 1951 it was plain pink without writing or logos, before team names and

La Gazzetta’s logo began to appear. In the ’70s the front pockets disappeared, as equipment got lighter and riders’ habits for carrying food and gear changed. By 1981 Castelli was producing the jersey – pictured is the 1987 jersey of winner Stephen Roche, who fought his Italian team-mate Roberto Visentini – and a highly partisan home crowd - in a titanic battle for supremacy from which the Irishman ultimately prevailed. Santini took over jersey privileges in 1993, before it reverted to Castelli in 2018.

Jersey boys

It’s probably no surprise to learn that Eddy Merckx, winner of five Giros d’Italia, has put on the Maglia Rosa the most (78 stages). 278 other riders have worn the jersey for at least one stage, with Simon Yates the leading Brit with 13 stages. Also on this list is Londoner Tao Geoghegan Hart, winner of the 2020 race, although he never got the chance to wear it during the race – the only time that’s ever happened. The Maglia Rosa celebrated its 90th birthday in 2021, which is still being celebrated with a virtual exhibition here: giroditalia.it/en/magliarosa