Italy is one of the great historical powers of cycling. In this article we wanted to analyse who are the best riders of the twentieth century from this country. See our top 10 list right here and let us know if you agree!
Legendary cyclists like Fausto Coppi and his great rival Gino Bartali, to more forgotten men like Francesco Moser. These are for us the top 10 Italian riders of the last century, accompanied by the main achievements they made during their respective professional careers.
1. Fausto Coppi
- 5x Giro d'Italia ('53, '52, '49, '47, '40)
- 2x Tour de France ('52, '49)
- 22x stages in the Giro d'Italia ('55, '54, '53, '52, '51, '49, '48, '47, '46, '40)
- 5x Il Lombardia ('54, '49, '48, '47, '46)
- 3x Milan-San Remo ('49, '48, '46)
- 9x stages in the Tour de France ('52, '51, '49)
- 4x Baracchi Trophy ('57, '55, '54, '53)
- 1x World Championship road race ('53)
- 1x Paris-Roubaix ('50)
- 3x Giro dell'Emilia ('48, '47, '41)
- 3x Tre Valli Varesine ('55, '48, '41)
- 2x Tour de France mountain classification ('52, '49)
2. Gino Bartali
- 3x Giro d'Italia ('46, '37, '36)
- 2x Tour de France ('48, '38)
- 4x Milan-San Remo ('50, '47, '40, '39)
- 17x stages in the Giro d'Italia ('50, '47, '40, '39, '37, '36, '35)
- 12x stages in the Tour de France ('50, '49, '48, '38, '37)
- 3x Il Lombardia ('40, '39, '36)
- 2x Tour de Suisse ('47, '46)
- 7x Giro d'Italia mountain classification ('47, '46, '40, '40, '39, '37, '36, '35)
- 2x Züri Metzgete ('48, '46)
- 4x 2nd Giro d'Italia ('50, '49, '47, '39)
- 1x Tour de Romandie ('49)
- 1x Itzulia ('35)
3. Francesco Moser
- 22x stages in the Giro d'Italia ('86, '85, '84, '84, '82, '81, '80, '79, '78, '76, '73)
- 3x Paris-Roubaix ('80, '79, '78)
- 5x Baracchi Trophy ('85, '84, '79, '75, '74)
- 1x Giro d'Italia ('84)
- 1x World Championship road race ('77)
- 2x Il Lombardia ('78, '75)
- 2x Tyrrhenian Adriatic ('81, '80)
- 3x Giro del Lazio ('84, '78, '77)
- 1x Milan-San Remo ('84)
- 4x Points classification in the Giro d'Italia ('82, '78, '77, '76)
- 1x Ghent-Wevelgem ('79)
- 1x Paris-Tours ('74)
4. Felice Gimondi
- 3x Giro d'Italia ('76, '69, '67)
- 1x Tour de France ('65)
- 7x stages in the Tour de France ('75, '69, '67, '65)
- 1x Vuelta a España ('68)
- 2x Il Lombardia ('73, '66)
- 1x World Championship road race ('73)
- 7x stages in the Giro d'Italia ('76, '73, '71, '68, '67, '66)
- 1x Milan-San Remo ('74)
- 5x GP Forli ('73, '71, '69, '68, '67)
- 1x Paris-Roubaix ('66)
- 2x Baracchi Trophy ('73, '68)
- 1x Tour de Romandie ('69)
5. Girardengo Costant
- 30x stages in the Giro d'Italia ('26, '25, '23, '22, '22, '21, '19, '14, '13)
- 6x Milan-San Remo ('28, '26, '25, '23, '21, '18)
- 2x Giro d'Italia ('23, '19)
- 3x Il Lombardia ('22, '21, '19)
- 5x Milan-Turin ('23, '20, '19, '15, '14)
- 5x Giro dell'Emilia ('25, '22, '21, '19, '18)
- 4x Corsa del XX settembre ('25, '23, '22, '21)
- 3x Milan-Modena ('28, '20, '19)
- 6x Giro della Provincia Milano ('25, '24, '23, '22, '21, '19)
- 4x Giro del Veneto ('26, '25, '24, '23)
- 3x Giro del Piemonte ('24, '20, '19)
- 1x Corsa del XX settembre ('13)
6. Fiorenzo Magni
- 3x Giro d'Italia ('55, '51, '48)
- 3x Tour of Flanders ('51, '50, '49)
- 7x stages in the Tour de France ('53, '52, '51, '50, '49)
- 3x Baracchi Trophy ('51, '50, '49)
- 6x Giro d'Italia stages ('55, '53, '50, '50, '48)
- 2x Giro del Lazio ('56, '51)
- 2x Rome-Naples-Rome ('53, '52)
- 3x stages in the Vuelta a España ('55)
- 2x Milan-Modena ('55, '54)
- 2x 2nd Giro d'Italia ('56, '52)
- 3x Giro del Piemonte ('56, '53, '42)
- 2x Giro della Romagna ('55, '51)
7. Franco Bitossi
- 21x stages in the Giro d'Italia ('75, '74, '71, '70, '70, '69, '68, '67, '66, '65, '64)
- 2x Il Lombardia ('70, '67)
- 2x Züri Metzgete ('68, '65)
- 4x stages in the Tour de France ('68, '66)
- 1x Volta a Catalunya ('70)
- 1x Tyrrhenian Adriatic ('67)
- 3x Mountain classification in the Giro d'Italia ('66, '65, '64)
- 1x Tour of Switzerland ('65)
- 8x stages in the Tour de Suisse ('74, '70, '65)
- 2x Giro dell'Emilia ('73, '70)
- 1x Giro del Lazio ('65)
- 6x stages in the Tyrrhenian Adriatic ('78, '74, '69, '68, '67)
8. Alfredo Binda
- 5x Giro d'Italia ('33, '29, '28, '27, '25)
- 41x stages in the Giro d'Italia ('33, '31, '29, '28, '27, '26, '25)
- 3x World Championship road race ('32, '30, '27)
- 4x Il Lombardia ('31, '27, '26, '25)
- 2x Milan-San Remo ('31, '29)
- 2x stages in the Tour de France ('30)
- 3x Nice - Puget - Theniers - Nice ('24, '23, '22)
- 2x Giro della Toscana ('27, '26)
- 2x Giro della Provincia Milano ('32, '26)
- 1x Milan-Modena ('26)
- 3x 2nd Milan-San Remo ('32, '28, '27)
- 2x Giro del Piemonte ('27, '26)
9. Giuseppe Saronni
- 24x stages in the Giro d'Italia ('85, '83, '82, '81, '80, '79, '78)
- 2x Giro d'Italia ('83, '79)
- 1x World Championship road race ('82)
- 2x Tyrrhenian Adriatic ('82, '78)
- 1x Milan-San Remo ('83)
- 2x Baracchi Trophy ('86, '79)
- 1x Il Lombardia ('82)
- 4x Tre Valli Varesine ('88, '80, '79, '77)
- 4x Points classification in the Giro d'Italia ('83, '81, '80, '79)
- 1x Tour de Suisse ('82)
- 1x Flèche Wallonne ('80)
- 1x Tour de Romandie ('79)
10. Marco Pantani
- 1x Tour de France ('98)
- 8x Tour de France stages ('00, '98, '97, '95)
- 1x Giro d'Italia ('98)
- 8x Giro d'Italia stages ('99, '98, '94)
- 1x GC Vuelta Ciclista a la Región de Murcia ('99)
- 1x King of the Mountains Giro d'Italia ('98)
- 1x GC A Travers Lausanne ('98)
- 1x Boucles de l'Aulne - Châteaulin ('98)
- 1x Tour de Suisse stage ('95)
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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