What do all the Giro d'Italia jerseys mean? Pink, purple, blue and white explained

The 2026 Giro d'Italia is upon us, with 23 teams lining up to start the 109th edition of the historic contest in Bulgaria on Friday 8 May 2026, before racing across 21 stages to finish on Rome on 31 May. There is much to look forward to, but many questions might also occur to you along the way. For example, the Grand Tour has been known as La Corsa Rosa for 90 years now, because of the pink jersey worn by the race leader, but what do the other coloured tops signify?

Besides the pink (rosa) leader's jersey, the important colours to look out for are the white (bianco) young rider's jersey, the purple/cyclamen (ciclamino) points jersey and the blue (azzurra) king of the mountains jersey. Don't be looking for polka dots or green jerseys in Italy, they're features of the Tour de France.

Each of the above jerseys is worn by the rider who leads in those respective competitions, but if one rider holds two at once, then there is a hierarchy: pink is the most important and takes overall priority, followed by the ciclamino, then the blue and white.

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Giro d'Italia jerseys

General classification - pink jersey

Of course we must start with the maglia rosa, the pink jersey, the top worn by the leader of the general classification (GC). This is given to the rider who sits atop the GC at the end of every day, with the final one awarded – along with the magnificent Trofeo Senze Fine – to the winner after the final stage.

It was introduced in 1931 and is coloured pink because La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian sports newspaper that created the race, is printed on pink paper.

But it's not quite as simple as getting around faster than everyone else; time bonuses are also up for grabs, with the top three men on each of the 18 road stages earning 10-, six-, and four-second rewards. Intermediate sprints on each road stage also offer bonuses of six, four and two seconds at Red Bull-sponsored bits, which this year will be placed much closer to the finish line.

In the event of two riders tying on time, race organisers will decide the standings based on fractions of a second measured in the time trials.

This year the pink jersey is sponsored by the Friuli Venezia Giulia region in northeastern Italy, and the top will feature the words Io sono Friuli Venezia Giulia (I am Friuli Venezia Giulia).

The riders who have won this much-coveted jersey the most are Eddy Merckx, Fausto Coppi and Alfredo Binda, who all took the coveted prize five times. The closest to that feat in recent years was Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo) who won twice, in 2013 and 2016.

Points - purple jersey

The sprinter's jersey, which is cyclamen, or ciclamino (definitely not 'purple') is sported by the rider who has accumulated the most points over the stages.

Points on offer are weighted towards sprint stages, so flat or punchy stages offer more than summit finishes. Riders can also earn points on intermediate sprints on each day (apart from time trials).

The 19 road stages of the race are separated into five difficulty categories with their own points weightings. On A and B category days, the top 15 score, while on others it is just the top 10.

A and B category: 50, 35, 25, 18, 14, 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 points

C category: 25, 18, 12, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 points

D and E category: 15, 12, 9, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 points

Intermediate sprints: 12, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 points

The jersey is sponsored by the Italian Trade Agency to promote the country under the banner of Made in Italy.

Mountains - blue jersey

The blue jersey, or maglia azzurra, is awarded to the 'King of the Mountains' – the rider who wins the most points on classified climbs over the race; potentially the best climber in the race, or the most canny breakaway expert.

There are 54 classified climbs across the 21 stages and unlike the Tour de France in recent years, it is not normally the GC winner who takes home the mountains jersey (although Tadej Pogačar did win both in 2024).

The mountain classification has appeared in the race since 1933 but a green was introduced in 1974. The jersey has been blue since 2012 to match the colours of the competition sponsor, the Milanese bank, Banca Mediolanum.

Climbs are separated into five different categories, from the Cima Coppi award to fourth-category. Since 2023, summit finishes on first category climbs will gain extra points. The Cima Coppi (the highest part of the route) is 2236-metre Passo Giau on Stage 19 this year.

Cima Coppi: 50, 30, 20, 14, 10, 6, 4, 2, 1 points

First-category summit finishes: 50, 24, 16, 9, 6, 4, 2, 1 points

First-category: 40, 18, 12, 9, 6, 4, 2, 1 points

Second-category: 18, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 points

Third-category: 9, 4, 2, 1 points

Fourth-category: 3, 2, 1 points

Best young rider - white jersey

The best young rider classification awards the white jersey. It is, in effect, the same as the pink jersey yet can only be won by those who were 25 or under at the start of the year. The current iteration of the jersey was introduced in 2007, and it is sponsored by CONAD, an Italian supermarket chain.

Evgeni Berzin, Nairo Quintana, Tao Geoghegan Hart, and Egan Bernal are the only men to win the pink and white jerseys in the same year, though Damiano Cunego would have been eligible had the prize existed in 2004.

Other classifications

Super team

This is the teams classification at any other race. The top three finishers from each team are added up each day, and then added up across the 21 stages, to establish the best team overall.

Lowest accumulated time wins, and there are usually some big gaps in this competition.

Intermediate sprints

There are two intermediate sprints on each road stage, with both offering points towards this competition. It gives an opportunity to riders who spend a lot of time in breakaways, but might not win stages, to win a prize.

Points are awarded to the first five riders across the line – 10, six, three, two, and one.

Breakaways

The Fuga Pinarello prize is given to the rider who spends the most time in front of the peloton across the three weeks. Only breakaways of fewer than 10 riders are counted, and the move must cover more than 5km of racing.

Combativity

This is essentially the Giro d'Italia's version of the Tour de France's 'supercombativity' award, and is incredibly subjective. The race's organisers say: "By scanning a QR code broadcast live on TV and on official social channels, the public will choose the rider who best embodied the value of combativity: the one who never gave up, who attacked, who made the race more thrilling."

The winner gets a red number to ride with for the next day, and there is an overall winner at the end of the Grand Tour. It is sponsored by Sanmarco Informatica.

Fair play

Points are given to the squads which receive penalties across the 21 stages, and this is counted up over the race. The team with the least points wins. Simple.

Cima Coppi

The rider who crosses the highest point of the Giro d'Italia first is given the Cima Coppi, the prize named after Fausto Coppi, who won the race five times.

This year, the Cima Coppi is on stage 20 on the Colle delle Finestre.

MONTAGNA PANTANI

Another deceased Italian cycling great, Marco Pantani, is honoured by a separate mountain prize, the Montagna Pantani. It is given to the rider who tops another of the race's great climbs. This year, it's the Passo di Mortirolo on stage 17.