From wool to lycra, the pink leader's jersey has come to symbolise Italian cycling
Image 1 of 52
The late Fiorenzo Magni's pink jersey from 1951(Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Laurent Fignon with a superb Super-U branded pink jersey in 1989(Image credit: Sirotti)
The legendary Gino Bartali in the pink jersey during the 1937 Giro d'Italia(Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Fausto Coppi admires Giuseppe Minardi's pink jersey in 1954 (Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Massimo Podenzana's pink jersey from 1988(Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Alberto Contador kisses his maglia rosa as the winner of the 2009 Giro(Image credit: Sirotti)
Giovanni Pettinati's pink jersey from 1958(Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Jacques Anquetil in pink in 1960 (Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
The maglia rosa returned to Castelli in 2018, and Chris Froome made it a memorable one(Image credit: Sirotti)
Giuseppe Saronni's pink jersey from 1985(Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Giovanni Valetti's pink jersey from 1939(Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Adolfo Loeni's widow shows his prized pink jersey(Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Bernard Hinault in a plain maglia rosa from 1985(Image credit: Sirotti)
Giuseppe Minardi's pink jersey from 1954(Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Vincenzo Nibali with the first of his titles in 2013(Image credit: Sirotti)
Eddy Merckx in pink at the 1968 Giro(Image credit: Sirotti)
Bruno Mealli's pink jersey from 1965(Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Indurain's pink jersey from 1992(Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Giovanni Pettinati's pink jersey from 1958 (Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Paolo Savoldelli in 2006(Image credit: Sirotti)
Gosta Petterson in 1971 (Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Adolfo Leoni's pink jersey from 1949(Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Bruno Mealli's pink jersey from 1965(Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Adolfo Leoni in the pink jersey during the 1949 Giro d'Italia(Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Fiorenzi Magni in action while wearing the pink jersey(Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
The 1995 maglia rosa(Image credit: Sirotti)
Felice Gimondi in 1976(Image credit: Sirotti)
In 1993, Santini took over from Castelli as makers of the maglia rosa. Here's Miguel Indurain about to pull it on(Image credit: Sirotti)
Ercole Baldini in pink in 1958 (Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Miguel Indurain at the 1992 Giro d'Italia(Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Giovanni Valetti's pink jersey from 1939(Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Designer Paul Smith and Gazzetta dello Sport's Andre Monti present the Giro's new maglia rosa(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Silvano Contini in 1980(Image credit: Sirotti)
Pink jerseys on display at the Ghisallo museum(Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
A wall of pink jerseys(Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Each pink jersey is framed for posterity (Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Urs Freuler in 1983(Image credit: Sirotti)
Stefano Garzelli in a Mapei-branded 2002 pink jersey, alongside a model of the original(Image credit: Sirotti)
Evgeni Berzin shows the pink skinsuit he wore during the 1994 Giro d'Italia(Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Gianni Bugno was the winner in 1990(Image credit: Sirotti)
Giovanni Visconti autographs his pink jersey(Image credit: Museo Ghisallo/Federico Meda)
Stephen Roche in 1987(Image credit: Sirotti)
Ivan Basso treasures winning the maglia rosa in 2010(Image credit: Sirotti)
Laurent Jalabert in a rare Fila maglia rosa in 1999(Image credit: Sirotti)
Roberto Visentini in pink in 1985(Image credit: Sirotti)
Asics made the jersey in 2001(Image credit: Sirotti)
Richard Carapaz pulls on the final 2019 maglia rosa(Image credit: Sirotti)
The 2017 version(Image credit: Sirotti)
Marco Pantani in Fila pink in 1998(Image credit: Sirotti)
Alberto Contador won the Giro for a second time in 2015(Image credit: Sirotti)
Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) in Milan having secured the Giro d'Italia – the first man from Canada to do so(Image credit: AFP)
Antonio Pesenti's 1932 maglia rosa on display at the Pesenti bike shop in Bergamo(Image credit: Luca Pesenti)
The pink jersey – or maglia rosa, as it known in Italian – is the race leader's jersey at the Giro d'Italia. Since its introduction in 1931, it has become iconic, symbolising the emotions, passion and style of Italian cycling.
The current maglia rosa is made by Castelli, harking back to the 1980s, with the majority of the past 25 years having seen Santini as the supplier.
Nowadays, the jerseys are made from lightweight lycra, but in the past the jersey was made from wool or acrylic fibre, with a collar and even front facing pockets.
We've gone back through the archives to bring you a view of the pink jersey from over the years, going right back to its early years in the 1930s.
Many of these photos come from the Ghisallo Cycling museum in northern Italy, for whom Federico Meda and his father Sergio, who have both served as press officers for the Giro, worked to build a collection of authentic pink jerseys worn by riders in the race. The project saw the light of day in 2013, with more than 50 jerseys on display at the museum, overlooking Lake Como, north of Milan.
With no 2020 maglia rosa in sight until at least October, click or swipe through the gallery above for a slice of pink nostalgia.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Stephen is one of the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.
