The Giro d'Italia Women 2025, the 36th edition of the Italian stage race, is the second since its most recent re-branding. The race started in 1988 as Giro d'Italia Femminile before changing its name to Giro Rosa in 2013 and then taking the name Giro Donne from 2021 to 2023.
It has dropped up and down the ranks, having and losing UCI women's WorldTour status, before regaining this accolade in 2022, alongside increases in prize money and promises of improved television coverage. It forms one of the three equivalent Grand Tours on the women's side of the sport, alongside the Tour de France Femmes and the Vuelta Femenina.
Ahead of the 2024 edition RCS Sports, who also organise the men's event, came in to organise the women's race, renaming it the Giro d'Italia Women and making a four-year commitment to put on both races.
Annemiek van Vleuten won both the 2022 and 2023 editions of the race, taking her total wins up to four. After eight years of van Vleuten and Anna van der Breggen sharing custody of the trophy, 2024 saw a new Maglia Rosa champion: home favourite Elisa Longo Borghini, who triumphed in a tightly-fought battle against Lotte Kopecky.
Liv AlUla Jayco celebrate winning the team prize at the Giro d'Italia Women 2024
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Giro d'Italia Women 2025: The route
Giro d'Italia Women 2025 route. Image credit: RCS
(Image credit: RCS)
As has become tradition in recent years, the Giro d'Italia Women 2025 opens with an individual time trial, meaning the big GC contenders will have to show their hand early on. From there it's a fairly mountainous parcours, with a first, gentle summit finish coming on a hilly Stage 2 at Aprica - although fans may be disappointed by the exclusion of the nearby Mortirolo from the route.
The Passo del Tonale mountain pass makes an appearance on Stage 3, before another summit finish - this time at Pianezze (Valdobbiadene) - on Stage 4. The sprinters get a single day of reprieve on the pan-flat Stage 5 before the decisive final three days really shape the GC standings.
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The drama continues until the very last day: this year's pink jersey winner will have to survive a demanding, up-and-down course on Stage 8, including four loops of the 2020 UCI World Championship circuit, before tackling the motor racing circuit in Imola where the race will conclude.
The rider leading the race, with the lowest cumulative time across all stages, will sport the iconic pink jersey, the 'maglia rosa'.
The rider who accumulates the least amount of time after the final stage is completed, including any time bonuses that may have been earned, will be crowned as the overall general classification winner. She will get to take home the maglia jersey as well as the Trofeo Senza Fine and a monetary price.
Not to be mistaken with the pink jersey, the purple jersey (ciclamino) is awarded to the rider who accumulates the most points, typically a sprinter targeting points on offer at intermediate sprints and race finishes.
The blue (azzura) jersey is also called the the climber's jersey or the Queen of the Mountains jersey. Point are awarded to the first riders who reach the summit of designated climbs. The rider who accumulates the most summit points takes home this award.
And the white (bianca) jersey is like the pink jersey but given to the best rider under the age of 26.
Lotte Kopecky (BEL)
Blanka Vas (HUN)
Elena Cecchini (ITA)
Niamh Fisher-Black (AUS)
Femke Gerritse (NED)
Marlen Reusser (CHE)
Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (NED)
Thị Thật Nguyen (VNM)
Sofia Collinelli (ITA)
Antri Christoforou (CYP)
Georgia Vettorello (ITA)
Nathalie Eklund (SWE)
Elena Hartmann (CHE)
Elena Pirrone (ITA)
Fenix-Deceuninck
Pauliena Rooijakkers (NED)
Aniek van Alphen (NED)
Ceyylin del Carmen Alvarado (NED)
Sanne Cant (BEL)
Millie Couzens (GBR)
Evy Kuijpers (NED)
Greta Marturano (ITA)
FDJ-SUEZ
Cecile Utrup Ludwig (DEN)
Loes Adegeest (NED)
Grace Brown (AUS)
Nina Buijsman (NED)
Vittoria Guazzini (ITA)
Alessia Vigilia (ITA)
Jade Wiel (NED)
Canyon-SRAM Racing
Neve Bradbury (AUS)
Maike van der Duin (NED)
Alice Towers (GBR)
Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka (POL)
Soroya Paladin (ITA)
Antonia Niedermaier (GER)
Elise Chabbey (CHE)
AG Insurance - Soudal Kimberly Pienaar (MUS)
Julia Borgström (SWE)
Lore de Schepper (BEL)
Justine Ghekiere (BEL)
Marthe Goossens (BEL)
Gaia Masetti (ITA)
Maud Rijnbeek (NED)
Ceratizit-WNT Pro cycling Cédrine Kerbaol (FRA)
Alice Maria Arzuffi (ITA)
Laura Asencio (FRA)
Mylène de Zoete (NED)
Arianna Fidanza (ITA)
Marta Jaskulska (POL)
Kathrn Schweinberger (GER)
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