Mountains classification in the Giro d'Italia
| Award details | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Road Cycling |
| Competition | Giro d'Italia |
| Given for | Best climber in mountain stages |
| Local name | Gran Premio della Montagna (Italian) |
| History | |
| First award | 1933 |
| Editions | 79 (as of 2016) |
| First winner |
 Alfredo Binda (ITA)
|
| Most wins |  Gino Bartali (ITA) (7 times) |
| Most recent |
 Mikel Nieve (ESP)
|
The Mountains classification in the Giro d'Italia is a secondary classification that is a part of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tour races. In this classification, points are awarded to the leading riders over designated climbs. The climbs are put into different classifications based on difficulty and its position on that day's stage. Bonus points are given to mountain top finishes and to the first riders over the Cima Coppi, traditionally adjudged as the highest point of the entire Giro.
The classification was first calculated in 1933; from 1974 to 2011, the leader of the mountains classification in the Giro d'Italia wore the maglia verde (from Italian: "green jersey"): in 2012, as part of a sponsorship deal, the jersey color was changed to blue (maglia azzurra).
The mountains classification was added to the Giro d'Italia in 1933. In the inaugural year of the classification, the organizers chose select climbs and awarded points to the first three riders who crossed the climbs.Alfredo Binda was first over each climb and won the first mountains classification. In 1974, the organizers added a green jersey to designate the leader of the classification. The green jersey was used until 2012, when the classification's sponsor, Banca Mediolanum, renewed its sponsorship for another four years and desired the jersey to be blue rather than green.
As of 2015, 15 cyclists have won the mountains classification more than once.
Riders from thirteen different countries have won the Mountains classification in the Giro d'Italia.
The points that are gained by consecutive riders reaching a mountain top are distributed according to the following classification:
The organisation of the race determines which mountains are included for the mountains classification and in which category they are.
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