What every jersey color means at the Giro d’Italia 2018

Just like the Tour de France, four main jerseys are up for grabs in the Giro d’Italia. Here is the breakdown of which colors represent each classification.

Perhaps the most famous jersey in cycling is the maillot jaune, worn by the Tour de France overall winner. There is also the rainbow stripes of the UCI world champion, who earns the right to wear the iconic garb for an entire year in every road race in which he competes.

The Giro d’Italia has its own emblematic jerseys. As you watch the race over the next month, here is what to watch for in the peloton. Finding these jerseys will key you in to who is ahead in the main competitions.

This year, the newest editions of the four jerseys were released back in January. Each one features a clean and uncluttered look that will make the different leaders easy to spot in the pack.

Here’s what you’ll want to look for this May as the riders course around Israel and Italy. Hint: Don’t go looking for yellow.

Maglia rosa: The pink jersey of the general classification

Equivalent to the yellow jersey at the Tour de France, the maglia rosa is the pink variant awarded to the overall leader at the Giro d’Italia. The jersey was originally awarded in 1931. The organizers selected pink as a nod to race sponsor La Gazzetta dello Sport, the famous Italian sports newspaper printed on pink newsprint.

This jersey is awarded to the cyclist with the lowest cumulative time across all stages contested to that point. Like the maillot jaune in July, May frequently sees the pink jersey of the Giro d’Italia change riders over the course of the race. The most important, naturally, is the final jersey handed out after the final stage.

Throughout the history of the Giro d’Italia, three riders have won the race a record five times. Alfredo Binda captured five titles, but the star of the 1920s only wore the maglia rosa once on his final victory in 1933. Fausto Coppi, legend from the 1940s and 1950s, joined his Italian compatriot in winning the Giro five times. The third man to pull of a quintet of victories is the all-time great Eddy Merckx of Belgium.

Last year, in the 100th edition of the Giro, Tom Dumoulin became the first Dutchman in more than a century to win the general classification and go home with the maglia rosa. He will be back to defend the title against a field of strong challengers that includes former Tour winner Chris Froome and former Vuelta a España winner Fabio Aru. Thibaut Pinot, the best young rider at the 2014 Tour de France, will also be a contender to watch.

Dumoulin, though, is the only former Giro d’Italia winner on this year’s start list. Other recent winners such as Nairo Quintana and Vincenzo Nibali are focusing on the Tour. That could leave the door open for a surprise winner in 2018.