This year, the Giro d’Italia celebrates 90 years of the Maglia Rosa, worn to date by 254 riders. The 2021 Maglia Rosa will have the names of all of those who’ve won the Giro written on the jersey.
In addition, a phrase from Dante Alighieri’s Divina Commedia – ‘Disposto a salire a le stelle’ (‘Willing to rise to the stars’) – chosen from many submitted on the Giro’s social networks will be imprinted inside the collar.
For the launch of the event’s leaders jersey, a communication project has been in development and will begin on 8 March with a virtual exhibition. This is in collaboration with the Ghisallo Museum in Italy and focuses on the history of the Maglia Rosa. Alongside this, a weekly social-media initiative will revisit a decade in the history of the Maglia Rosa, starting from 1931.
The Maglia Rosa was introduced in 1931 by Armando Cougnet, sports journalist for La Gazzetta dello Sport, the newspaper that created the Giro d’Italia over 20 years earlier. The idea was to identify a symbol that would make the rider at the top of the General Classification visible, to allow spectators to distinguish him from all the others. Back in 1931, the first to wear the Maglia Rosa was Learco Guerra from Mantua.
The inspiration for the 2021 Maglia Rosa came from seeing 2020 winner Tao Geoghegan Hart in pink for the first time on the final podium in Milan. By wearing this iconic jersey, Geoghegan Hart, like all who’d gone before him, entered into cycling history.
It’s not only heritage that’s celebrated with this jersey. The new Maglia Rosa has been developed in the wind tunnel for aerodynamics without compromising lightweight and breathability. Together with fabric producer Sitip, 100% recycled yarns have been used to lessen the environmental impact of a jersey that both celebrates the past and looks ahead to the future.
