What is the Cima Coppi? The story of the Giro d'Italia's highest climb

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Cima Coppi winners

The famed mountains and passes of the Giro d'Italia are the stuff of legends throughout over 100 editions of the race.

Climbs such as the Gavia, Pordoi, Tre Cime di Laverado, Blockhaus, Finistre and – since the 1980s – the brutally steep Zoncolan, have provided the battlegrounds and backdrops to numerous memorable moments for over a century of racing for the Maglia Rosa.

But the Passo dello Stelvio, first used in the 1953 Giro, is the most famous of all. Standing at 2,757m, it is the second highest paved road in the Alps. Its iconic switchbacks are a photographer's dream, a climber's dream, and a sprinter's worst nightmare.

First introduced in 1965, the award honours the great Fausto Coppi, a five-time winner of the Maglia Rosa, who died in 1960. Race director Vincenzo Torriani gave the Cima Coppi double points in the mountains competition, making it a prime target for maglia azzura contenders. In recent years, however, its points tally has been reduced to the same as a first-category summit finish, but it remains a special prize and an honour to win.

The Stelvio is a fitting setting for the Cima Coppi, as it was here in 1953 – the first year of the mountain's inclusion – that Il Campionissimo sealed his record-equalling fifth Giro d'Italia win, dropping the hitherto imperious Hugo Koblet to overcome an almost 2 minute deficit and allowing Coppi to enter the finish city of Milan the following day with the race win sealed.

Cima Coppi records

Most appearances as Cima Coppi

Pordoi, 2,239m – 14 editions (1966, 1970, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2002, 2022)
Stelvio, 2,757m – 10 editions (1972, 1975, 1980, 1994, 2005, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2020, 2024) NB: Also scheduled for 1965, 1988 and 2013 but route modified due to adverse weather.

Most wins

José Manuel Fuente (Spain) – 1972, 1973, 1974
José Jaime González (Colombia) – 1997, 1999, 2000

Most wins by nationality:

Italy – 22
Spain – 11
Colombia – 8
France – 5

Most extraordinary winner?

Chris Froome, not a racer renowned for his attacking style, was the protagonist of one of the greatest days in Giro history on stage 19 of the 2018 race. Beginning the day in fourth, 3:22 down on maglia rosa Simon Yates, that year's Cima Coppi, the 2,178m Finestre, provided the springboard for an astonishing 80km solo break that broke Yates and catapulted Froome into pink. He became Britain's first Giro d'Italia winner three days later in Rome. Remarkable.

Relive stage 19 here.

Most unlikely winner

Thomas de Gendt may now be renowned for being the veteran breakaway specialist, making extraordinary long-distance solo efforts and picking up the occasional memorable Grand Tour stage win in the process, but as a young pro with Vaconsoleil back in 2012, the Belgian had GC aspirations.

And it was a De Gendt-esque effort that landed him the Cima Coppi on the Stelvio, pressing on alone for the final 16 kilometres of the ascent and shooting up the GC standings to fourth in the process.

He would rise to third in the following day's stage 21 time trial in Milan, becoming the first Belgian to mount a Grand Tour podium since Johan Bruyneel in 1995.

Lowest Cima Coppi

Bruno Armirail — Bruno's big day out (Image credit: Getty Images)

Although 2,010 metres is nothing to be sniffed at, the Passo del Sampione – better known to English speakers as the Simplon Pass – is technically the least high Cima Coppi climb in its 59-year existence.

Whilst rail passengers pass beneath the mountain between Italy and Switzerland in the almost 20 kilometre-long tunnel, Giro d'Italia riders haul themselves over the pass.

The most notable recent history of Simplon-related stories relates to unlikely GC leader Bruno Armirail, the French domestique spending two days in the leader's jersey in 2023 following a timely break on the climb that Team Ineos were glad to let go and hand over responsibility to FDJ-Groupama.

The Cima Coppi winner of 1985, however, the only time the Sampione was awarded the status, was Reynal Montoya of the famous Café Colombia team. He would go on to become a three-time Colombian national road race champion.

Cima Coppi winners

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Year	Stage	Climb	Elevation	First cyclist to summit	Notes
1965	20	Stelvio Pass	1,958m*	Graziano Battistini	Shortened due to snow
1966	20	Passo Pordoi	2,239m	Franco Bitossi	Row 1 - Cell 5
1967	19	Tre Cime di Lavaredo	2,320m	Felice Gimondi	Row 2 - Cell 5
1968	12	Tre Cime di Lavaredo	2,320m	Eddy Merckx	Row 3 - Cell 5
1969	21	Passo Sella	2,337m	Claudio Michelotto	Row 4 - Cell 5
1970	20	Passo Pordoi	2,239m	Luciano Armani	Row 5 - Cell 5
1971	17	Grossglockner	2,505m	Pierfranco Vianelli	Row 6 - Cell 5
1972	17	Stelvio Pass	2,757m	José Manuel Fuente	Row 7 - Cell 5
1973	19	Passo Giau	2,246m	José Manuel Fuente	Row 8 - Cell 5
1974	20	Tre Cime di Lavaredo	2,400m	José Manuel Fuente	Row 9 - Cell 5
1975	21	Stelvio Pass	2,757m	Francisco Galdós	Row 10 - Cell 5
1976	19	Passo Sella	2,214m	Andrés Gandarias	Row 11 - Cell 5
1977	18	Valparola Pass	2,200m	Faustino Fernández Ovies	Row 12 - Cell 5
1978	15	Passo Valles	2,033m	Gianbattista Baronchelli	Row 13 - Cell 5
1979	17	Passo Pordoi	2,239m	Leonardo Natale	Row 14 - Cell 5
1980	20	Stelvio Pass	2,757m	Jean-René Bernaudeau	Row 15 - Cell 5
1981	20	Tre Cime di Lavaredo	2,400m	Beat Breu	Row 16 - Cell 5
1982	21	Col d'Izoard	2,361m	Lucien Van Impe	Row 17 - Cell 5
1983	20	Passo Pordoi	2,239m	Marino Lejarreta	Row 18 - Cell 5
1984	20	Passo Pordoi	2,239m	Laurent Fignon	Row 19 - Cell 5
1985	19	Passo del Sempione	2,010m	Reynel Montoya	Row 20 - Cell 5
1986	21	Passo Pordoi	2,239m	Pedro Muñoz Machín Rodríguez	Row 21 - Cell 5
1987	16	Passo Pordoi	2,239m	Jean-Claude Bagot	Row 22 - Cell 5
1988	20	Stelvio Pass	2,758m	-	Climb cancelled due to snow
1989	16	Passo di Gavia	2,621m	-	Stage cancelled due to snow
1990	16	Passo Pordoi	2,239m	Maurizio Vandelli	Climbed twice
Row 26 - Cell 0	Row 26 - Cell 1	Row 26 - Cell 2	Row 26 - Cell 3	Charly Mottet	Row 26 - Cell 5
1991	17	Passo Pordoi	2,239m	Franco Vona	Climbed twice
Row 28 - Cell 0	Row 28 - Cell 1	Row 28 - Cell 2	Row 28 - Cell 3	Franco Chioccioli	Row 28 - Cell 5
1992	14	Passo Pordoi	2,239m	Claudio Chiappucci	Row 29 - Cell 5
1993	14	Passo Pordoi	2,239m	Miguel Induráin	Row 30 - Cell 5
1994	15	Stelvio Pass	2,758m	Franco Vona	Row 31 - Cell 5
1995	19	Colle dell'Agnello	2,744m	Row 32 - Cell 4	Climb cancelled due to avalanche
1996	21	Passo di Gavia	2,621m	Hernán Buenahora	Row 33 - Cell 5
1997	19	Passo Pordoi	2,239m	José Jaime González	Row 34 - Cell 5
1998	17	Passo Sella	2,214m	Marco Pantani	Row 35 - Cell 5
1999	21	Passo di Gavia	2,621m	José Jaime González	Row 36 - Cell 5
2000	19	Colle dell'Agnello	2,748m	José Jaime González	Row 37 - Cell 5
2001	18	Colle Fauniera	2,511m	Row 38 - Cell 4	Climb cancelled due to rider protests
2002	16	Passo Pordoi	2,239m	Julio Alberto Pérez Cuapio	Row 39 - Cell 5
2003	18	Colle d'Esischie	2,366m	Fredy González	Row 40 - Cell 5
2004	18	Passo di Gavia	2,621m	Vladimir Miholjević	Row 41 - Cell 5
2005	14	Stelvio Pass	2,758m	José Rujano	Row 42 - Cell 5
2006	20	Passo di Gavia	2,621m	Juan Manuel Gárate	Row 43 - Cell 5
2007	12	Colle dell'Agnello	2,748m	Yoann Le Boulanger	Row 44 - Cell 5
2008	20	Passo di Gavia	2,621m	Julio Alberto Pérez Cuapio	Row 45 - Cell 5
2009	10	Sestriere*	2,039m	Stefano Garzelli	Stage shortened due to snow, Col d'Izoard removed
2010	20	Passo di Gavia	2,621m	Johann Tschopp	Row 47 - Cell 5
2011	15	Passo Giau	2,236m	Stefano Garzelli	Row 48 - Cell 5
2012	20	Stelvio Pass	2,758m	Thomas De Gendt	Row 49 - Cell 5
2013	20	Tre Cime di Lavaredo*	2,320m	Vincenzo Nibali	Stelvio removed due to snow
2014	16	Stelvio Pass	2,758m	Dario Cataldo	Row 51 - Cell 5
2015	20	Colle delle Finestre	2,178m	Mikel Landa	Row 52 - Cell 5
2016	19	Colle dell'Agnello	2,748m	Michele Scarponi	Row 53 - Cell 5
2017	16	Stelvio Pass	2,758m	Mikel Landa	Row 54 - Cell 5
2018	19	Colle delle Finestre	2,178m	Chris Froome	Row 55 - Cell 5
2019	20	Passo Manghen*	2,047m	Fausto Masnada	Gavia removed due to weather on stage 16
2020	18	Stelvio Pass	2,758m	Rohan Dennis	Row 57 - Cell 5
2021	16	Passo Giau*	2,236m	Egan Bernal	Pordoi removed due to snow
2022	20	Passo Pordoi	2,239m	Alessandro Covi	Row 59 - Cell 5
2023	19	Tre Cime di Lavaredo*	2,304m	Santiago Buitrago	Grand St Bernard Pass removed from stage 13 due to weather
2024	16	Stelvio Pass	2,758m	Row 61 - Cell 4	Row 61 - Cell 5