Giro d'Italia - Giro by numbers

Eurosport - Wed, 07 May 21:04:00 2008

Eat your heart out, Alessandro Petacchi. 19 stage wins on the Giro is nice. But Mario Cipollini has been kissed by the girls 42 times. Read on for eurosport.com's list of Tour of Italy records and facts.

CYCLING 2003 Giro d'Italia 2003 Cipollini - 0

Most wins:5 --- Three greats share that distinction, Alfredo Binda, Fausto Coppi and Eddy Merckx.

Five riders have three wins to their credit: Giovanni Brunero, Gino Bartali, Fiorenzo Magni, Felice Gimondi and Bernard Hinault

Most podium finishes:9 --- Felcie Gimondi (1965-1976)

Most stage wins:42 --- Mario Cipollini (record set in 2003) 41 --- Alfredo Binda 31 --- Learco Guerra

Most stage wins in a row:8 --- Alfredo Binda (1929)

Most stage wins in one year:12 --- Alfredo Binda (1927). The legendary campionissimo won 12 out of 15, including six in a row.

Oldest winner:34 years, 180 days --- Fiorenzo Magni (1955). Toni Rominger also won at 34 in 1995. If Gilberto Simoni, also 34, wins in 2006, he would become the oldest and third oldest of the three major tours (oldest was Firmin Lambot, 36, on the 1920 Tour de France).

Oldest stage winner:37 --- Giovanni Rossignoli (1920)

Youngest winner:20 --- Fausto Coppi (1940)

Youngest stage winner:19 --- Olimpio Bizzi (1936)

Most participations:18 --- Wladimiro Panizza not only took the start every year between 1967 and 1985, he also holds the mark for most Giros completed with 16.

Last rider to complete all three major tours: Carlos Sastre (2006).

Oldest rider:44 --- Alberto Ghilardi (1954)

Oldest debutant:40 ---- Enrico Brusani (1919). In 2006, Marc Wauters was to become the fourth oldest ever at 37 and Serge Baguet, the sixth oldest at 36.

PRETTY IN PINK

Most days in pink on the Giro:77 --- Eddy Merckx. The Cannibal is followed by Alfredo Binda (59 days), Francesco Moser (57) and Gino Bartali (50).

Pink from start to finish:4 riders --- The last was Gianni Bugno (1990). Most heartbreaking was the plight of Laurent Fignon: yes the man who lost the Tour de France on the last day by 8 seconds in 1989 also lost the Giro to Francesco Moser in 1984 after wearing pink throughout the entire race.

PHOTO FINISHES

1948: F. Magni 0:11 over E. Cecchi

1974: E. Merckx 0:12 over G. Baronchelli

1955: F. Magni 0:13 over F. Coppi

1957: G. Nencini 0:19 over L.Bobet

1976: F. Gimondi 0:19 over J. de Muynk

1960: J. Anquetil 0:28 over G. Nencini

2005: P. Savoldelli 0:28 over G. Simoni

SPEED DEMONS

Fastest stage:48,8 km/h --- 120km stage won in 1966 by Severino Andreoli.

Prologue record:58,9 km/h --- Rik Verbrugghe on 7,6km course in Pescara.

Time trial record:53,7 km/h --- Alex Zülle in 1998 in and around Trieste.

PINK WITHOUT A PODIUM

12 riders have won the Giro without a stage win. The last was Paolo Savoldelli in 2002.

Eurosport