Grand Tours are big business – not least in terms of the prize money they offer to successful teams and riders. The total prize fund for the Giro d’Italia this year is a cool €1,499,710 – a huge sum of money by anyone’s standards – but it’s not as simple as gifting it all to the eventual winner and sending them off with a pat on the back (and a swollen wallet).
The complexities of how the money is divided up are tricky to grasp, and we don’t envy the organisers the task of figuring out the daily totals – it’s fair to say a few calculators will be required. Let’s take a look at how the money is distributed.
GC and Stage Winner Prizes
Of course, the lion’s share of the winnings goes to the eventual wearer of the maglia rosa. Whoever can endure the rigours of the Giro in the quickest time will top the general classification standings, and take home the tidy sum of €115,668 for their troubles. In 2022, this honour fell to the Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe).
Second spot on the podium earns €58,412 and the third placed rider overall, €28,801. 4th pockets €14,416, 5th €11,654, 6th and 7th €8,558 and 8th and 9th €5,725. Positions ten through twenty all take home €2,863.
In addition to the GC prize money, there’s a ‘Special Prize’ fund of €303,500. This isn’t added to the prize fund as it isn’t guaranteed year-on-year, presumably due to which sponsors are providing it, but when it is awarded, €150,000 goes to the winner, €75,000 to 2nd and €40,000 to 3rd, with €7,000 for 4th, €6,500 for 5th and €5,000 for the rest of riders rounding out the top 10.
Stage wins are also lucrative, netting a rider €11,010, with €5,508 for second place finishes and €2,763 for third. Prize money is awarded all the way down to 20th place on each stage, with positions 10-20 each receiving €276. Better than nothing, right?
There’s also €2,000 cash for the wearer of the maglia rosa at the end of each stage, so it’s clear to see how the money adds up when you’re one of the top contenders.
Of course, pink is not the only colour signifying a leader at the Giro. There is prize money to be had for the winners of the other key classifications too.
Points, Mountains and Young Rider Prizes
Points mean prizes! Quite literally, at the Giro d’Italia, as the ciclamino jersey is awarded to the rider who amasses the most points across the competition. Riders accrue points through winning specified intermediate sprints, and for…
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