The 2002 Giro d'Italia was the 85th edition of the
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...
, one of cycling's
Grand Tours. The Giro began with a prologue that navigated through the streets of the Dutch city
Groningen
Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...
. The race came to a close with a mass-start stage that ended in the Italian city of
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
.
Twenty-two teams entered the race that was won by the Italian
Paolo Savoldelli
Paolo Savoldelli (born 7 May 1973) is a former Italy, Italian road racing cyclist and winner of the 2002 Giro d'Italia, 2002 and 2005 Giro d'Italia.
Savoldelli was a climbing specialist, climber but known for his fast downhill riding. He is nick ...
of the
Index Alexia team.
Second and third were the American
Tyler Hamilton
Tyler Hamilton (born March 1, 1971) is an American former professional road bicycle racer. He is the only American rider to win one of the five Monuments of cycling, taking Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2003. Hamilton became a professional cycl ...
and Italian
Pietro Caucchioli.
In the race's other classifications, rider
Julio Alberto Pérez won the mountains classification,
Massimo Strazzer of the team won the intergiro classification, and
Acqua & Sapone rider
Mario Cipollini won the points classification.
finished as the winners of the ''Trofeo Fast Team'' classification, ranking each of the twenty-two teams contesting the race by lowest cumulative time.
The other team classification, the ''Trofeo Super Team'' classification, where the teams' riders are awarded points for placing within the top twenty in each stage and the points are then totaled for each team was also won by Alessio.
Teams
A total of 22 teams were invited to participate in the 2002 Giro d'Italia.
Each team sent a squad of nine riders, so the Giro began with a peloton of 198 cyclists.
Out of the 198 riders that started this edition of the Giro d'Italia, a total of 140 riders made it to the finish in
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
.
The 22 teams that took part in the race were:
Route and stages

The route for the 2002 Giro d'Italia was unveiled by race director Carmine Castellano on 17 November 2001 in Milan. It contained three time trial events, all of which were individual. In the stages containing categorized climbs, four had summit finishes: stage 5, to
Limone Piemonte
Limone Piemonte ( Vivaro-Alpine: ''Limon'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about south of Turin and about south of Cuneo, on the border with France. As of September 2017, it had a p ...
; stage 11, to
Campitello Matese; stage 13, to San Giacomo; and stage 17, to Passo Coe.
The organizers chose to include two rest days. When compared to the
previous year's race, the race was shorter, contained one more rest day, and one more individual time trial. In addition, this race had an opening prologue like the year before.
Classification Leadership

In the 2002 Giro d'Italia, five different jerseys were awarded. For the
general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, and allowing time bonuses for the first three finishers on
mass-start stages, the leader received a pink jersey. This classification is considered the most important of the Giro d'Italia, and the winner is considered the winner of the Giro.
Additionally, there was a
points classification, which awarded a mauve jersey. In the points classification, cyclists got points for finishing in the top 15 in a stage. The stage win awarded 25 points, second place awarded 20 points, third 16, fourth 14, fifth 12, sixth 10, and one point fewer per place down the line, to a single point for 15th. In addition, points could be won in intermediate sprints.
There was also a
mountains classification, which awarded a green jersey. In the mountains classifications, points were won by reaching the top of a mountain before other cyclists. Each climb was categorized as either first, second, or third category, with more points available for the higher-categorized climbs. The highest point in the Giro (called the ''Cima Coppi''), which in 2002 was the Passo Pordoi, afforded more points than the other first-category climbs.
The fourth jersey represented the
intergiro classification, marked by a blue jersey.
The calculation for the intergiro is similar to that of the general classification, in each stage there is a midway point that the riders pass through a point and where their time is stopped. As the race goes on, their times compiled and the person with the lowest time is the leader of the intergiro classification and wears the blue jersey.
There were also two classifications for teams. The first was the Trofeo Fast Team. In this classification, the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added; the leading team was the team with the lowest total time.
The Trofeo Super Team was a team points classification, with the top 20 placed riders on each stage earning points (20 for first place, 19 for second place and so on, down to a single point for 20th) for their team.
The rows in the following table correspond to the jerseys awarded after that stage was run.
Final standings
General classification
Points classification
Mountains classification
Intergiro classification
Trofeo Fast Team classification
Trofeo Super Team classification
Minor classifications
Other less well-known classifications, whose leaders did not receive a special jersey, were awarded during the Giro. Other awards included the Combativity classification, which was a compilation of points gained for position on crossing intermediate sprints, mountain passes and stage finishes.
Italian
Massimo Strazzer won the Most Combative classification.
The
Azzurri d'Italia classification was based on finishing order, but points were awarded only to the top three finishers in each stage.
The Azzurri d'Italia classification was won by
Mario Cipollini.
The ''Trofeo Fuga Piaggio'' classification rewarded riders who took part in a breakaway at the head of the field, each rider in an escape of ten or fewer riders getting one point for each kilometre that the group stayed clear.
The classification was won by
Mariano Piccoli.
Teams were given penalty points for minor technical infringements.
was the most successful in avoiding penalties after not being penalized during the race, and so won the Fair Play classification.
References
Citations
{{DEFAULTSORT:2002 Giro D'italia
Giro d'Italia by year
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...
May 2002 sports events in Europe
June 2002 sports events in Europe
Cycling in Groningen (province)
Sports competitions in Groningen (city)