The Giro d’Italia is one of the most gruelling endurance events in the world. Take this year’s event. It covers 3,448km, of which six stages are longer than 200km and climbing measures over 52km. Every rider would have racked up nearly 30,000km of pedalling each year in search of three-week peak performance. But what e Italian Republic Repubblica Italiana (Italian) Flag Emblem Anthem: "Il Canto degli Italiani" "The Song of the Italians" Show globe Show map of Europe Location of Italy (dark green) – in Europe (light green & dark grey) – in the European Union (light green) – [Legend] Capital and largest city Rome 41°54′N 12°29′E  /  41.900°N 12.483°E  / 41.900; 12.483 Official languages This pro level jersey should arrive in stores soon, in the lead up to the start of the Giro. The second, limited edition, jersey celebrates stage 12, when the Giro heads through the Northern Last year, Jai Hindley became the first Australian to win the Giro d’Italia, and now he’s starting his first Tour de France as a solid podium contender. More of a climber than a time trialist And sure enough, there will be some massive engines revving through the city’s streets for the opening time trial of the Giro d’Italia on Saturday. The Giro’s pan-flat, 8.6km “Grande Partenza” will see some of the peloton’s top time trialists vying not just for stage honors, but also for the prestige of becoming the race’s first Giro d’Italia: week one The 2023 Giro d’Italia kicks off with an 18.4km individual time trial in the Abruzzo region. The majority of the stage is flat before a final kick to the finishing town of Ortona. With the first maglia rosa on the line expect fireworks from the GC contenders and the time trial specialists. the Giro d’Italia newsletter . Get the latest news, results, reports and extra content about the Giro d’Italia and the Italian classics delivered to your inbox. Subscribe to our newsletter, and never miss an update from the world of the Giro d’Italia and of the other races by RCS Sport. The King of the Mountains (KoM) is an award given to the best climbing specialist in a men's cycling road race; in women's cycle racing, Queen of the Mountains (QoM) is used. While the title may be given to the rider who achieves the highest position over several designated climbs in a single-day road race, it is more usually applied to stage All you need to know – from the maglia rosa to the Cima Coppi, defunct prizes, and time limit calculations The Giro d'Italia, Tour of Italy, have a pink jersey (maglia rosa). The race's original sponsor was the sports newspaper (La Gazzetta dello Sport) which printed on pink paper, like many European sports newspapers. The leader in the Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain) wears a red jersey (called "La Roja"). From 1998 to 2010 the Vuelta leader's vk3u.