The story of the endless trophy that offers priceless glory for Giro d'Italia champions - What is the Trofeo Senza Fine?

When the Giro d'Italia began in 1909, there was no signature pink leader's jersey or golden-spiralled Infinity Trophy. The maglia rosa arrived in 1931 to signify the race leader, while a new trophy, the Trofeo Senza Fine, was only created 25 years ago to celebrate the overall winner. 

Regarded as one of the most unique awards in pro sports, the Trofeo Senza Fine, also known as the 'endless trophy', is a long, curling band of 18-carat gold-plated copper with the names of the Italian Grand Tour winners etched on the curved surface. It stands approximately 54cm (21 inches) tall and weighs approximately 9.5kg (21 pounds), which makes it easy to transport and provides infinite space to engrave the names of champions for future years.

Do those numbers of 21 sound familiar? The Giro d'Italia, now in its 108th edition, will crown a champion after the completion of 21 stages, the winding scroll of metal replicating the twisting and 'endless' roads of the Grand Tour.

In 1999 a group of 14 international designers was commissioned by La Gazetta dello Sport and RCS Sport to design a new trophy, with a design by Fabrizio Galli selected from an online survey. The trophy was then crafted by an Italian company, Penello Mario SRL, which also created the bronze-inlaid trident trophy that has become the highest treasure at the weeklong Tirreno-Adriatico. 

It takes three weeks to complete the Giro, but it takes a full month to make one trophy. The Trofeo Senza Fine is updated every year with the name of the winner of the Giro, engraved by hand, and only one piece is produced each year.

In 2019 Paolo Bellino, CEO of RCS Sport, told FloBikes the Trofeo Senza Fine was more important than the pink jersey because it told the history of the race, as the name of the current winner will be engraved along with the long list of accomplished riders dating back to 1909.

"We worked with a very particular design for the trophy for the centennial edition. We did not expect that [the popularity] would grow," Bellino said about the introduction of the new design in 2000. "The value of the trophy for the riders is incredible. It is 'infinito'."

Stefano Garzelli (Mercantone Uno-Albacome) was the first overall winner of the Giro to receive the new trophy. While all names of the previous winners are listed on the trophy, it was only Garzelli and the winners since 2020 who actually received the actual infinity trophy. 

In 2025, a small band of the same gold-covered copper was fashioned into a medal, which is now awarded to every stage winner at the Giro d'Italia. 

When Giro organisers rebranded the women's Grand Tour for 2024, a reimagined 'inifinity trophy' was created for that race. The same Italian company uses white gold to cover a brass band that twists into an 'endless' figure-eight shape. Each stage winner of the Giro d'Italia Women also receives a custom 'strada' medal, with eight flower buds, one for each stage, on the figure-eight form.