The Italian National Road Race Championships are held annually. They are a

road cycling Road cycling is the most widespread form of cycling in which cyclists ride on paved roadways. It includes Recreational cycling, recreational, Road bicycle racing, racing, Bicycle commuting, commuting, and utility cycling. As users of the road, ...

race which decides the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

cycling champion in the road racing discipline, across several categories of rider. The event was first held in 1906 and was won by

Giovanni Cuniolo Giovanni Cuniolo (25 June 1884 – 25 December 1955) was an Italian professional road racing cyclist who was born in Tortona, Italy. He won the second ever stage in Giro d'Italia history in 1909 Events January–February * Janu ...

. At the beginning there were often back-to-back wins from many riders.

Costante Girardengo Costante Girardengo (; 18 March 1893 – 9 February 1978) was an Italian professional road bicycle racer, considered by many to be one of the finest riders in the history of the sport. He was the first rider to be declared a "Campionissimo" or " ...

made the remarkable achievement of 9 wins between 1913 and 1925. Perhaps if it were not for the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, which blocked the running of the

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

for four years, from 1915 until 1918, Girardengo would have gained additional victories. Despite this, he also holds the record for most consecutive wins, with 7. After his winning streak ended, another Italian cycling

legend A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...

Alfredo Binda Alfredo Binda (11 August 1902 – 19 July 1986) was an Italian road cyclist of the 1920s and 1930s. He was the first to win five editions of the Giro d'Italia, and a three-time world champion. In addition he won Milan–San Remo twice, and the ...

, won 4 races in a row.

Learco Guerra Learco Guerra (14 October 1902 - 7 February 1963) was an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The highlight of his career was his overall win in the 1934 Giro d'Italia. He was born in San Nicolò Po, a ''frazione'' of Bagnolo San Vito in L ...

succeeded him with 5 consecutive wins. Since then the event has not been dominated to the same extent, although

Fausto Coppi Angelo Fausto Coppi (; 15 September 1919 – 2 January 1960) was an Italian cyclist, the dominant international cyclist of the years after the World War II, Second World War. His successes earned him the title ''Il Campionissimo'' ("Champio ...

claimed 4 victories. Recent multiple victors have included

Vincenzo Nibali ), The Nibbler , birth_date = , birth_place = Messina, Sicily, Italy , height = , weight = , currentteam = , discipline = Road , role = Rider , ridertype = Climber , proyears1 = 2005 , proteam1 = , proyears2 = 2006–2012 , protea ...

, Giovanni Visconti,

Paolo Bettini Paolo Bettini (born 1 April 1974 in Cecina, Tuscany, Cecina, Province of Livorno, Livorno, Tuscany) is an Italian former champion road racing cyclist, and the former coach of the Italian national cycling team. Considered the best classic cycle ra ...

Salvatore Commesso Salvatore Commesso (born March 28, 1975) is an Italian professional road bicycle racer who most recently rode for UCI Professional Continental team Preti Mangimi. He was born in Torre del Greco, Campania, and turned professional in 1998. That y ...

Massimo Podenzana Massimo Podenzana (born 29 July 1961 in La Spezia) is an Italian former road racing cyclist. Podenzana won stages in both the Giro d'Italia, and the Tour de France, as well as a variety of other cycling classics. Major results ;1986 :1st, ...

and

Gianni Bugno Gianni Bugno (; born 14 February 1964) is a retired Italian professional road racing cyclist. Biography Bugno was a versatile rider, able to do well in different types of races. He won numerous stages in the Tour de France, and the Milan� ...

. None of the road champions have also won the

time trial In many racing sports, an athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athlete or team sets off at ...

race.

Multiple winners

Men

Women

Men

Elite

U23

Women

References

{{Authority control National road cycling championships Cycle races in Italy Recurring sporting events established in 1885

Cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from t ...

1885 establishments in Italy

Multiple winners

Men

Women

Men

Elite

U23

Women

See also

References