Since its introduction in 1931 it has become iconic, symbolizing the emotions, passion and style of Italian cycling.
This year's pink jersey has been designed by British fashion designer Paul Smith and is made from lightweight lycra by Santini. In the past the jersey was from wool or acrylic fibre with a collar and even front facing pockets.
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Federico Meda and his father Sergio – the former press officer of the Giro d'Italia, have worked with the Ghisallo Cycling museum to carefully build a collection of authentic pink jerseys worn by riders in the race. Their goal is to gather at least one pink jersey from each edition of the race, from 1931 to today. They already have over 50 jerseys, with many on display at the Ghisallo cycling museum, overlooking Lake Como, north of Milan.
Giro d'Italia race organiser RCS Sport has helped the Ghisallo project, promising to donate 500 Euro for every pink jersey that is added to the collection and formally identified.
This photo gallery includes images of the riders and family members with their pink jerseys and stunning images of many of the riders in action while wearing the same pink jersey they have donated to the Ghisallo collection.
It is a fitting tribute to the maglia rosa as the days count down to the start of this year's Giro d'Italia, where yet another maglia rosa will be worn during each stage of the race.
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Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
