Combination classification in the Giro d'Italia

Maglia Azzurra
Award details
Sport	Road Cycling
Competition	Giro d'Italia
Given for	Winning the combination classification
English name	Blue jersey
Local name	Maglia Azzurra (Italian)
History
First award	1969
Editions	15
Final award	2006
First winner	Urs Freuler (SUI)
Most wins	Eddy Merckx (BEL) (4 wins)
Most recent	Paolo Savoldelli (ITA)

The Combination classification was a competition in the annual Giro d'Italia bicycle race. It was first introduced in the 1985 Giro d'Italia, where it was first won by the Swiss rider Urs Freuler.^[1] The classification was run annually until the 1988 Giro d'Italia, where the American Andrew Hampsten won the classification.^[2] The combination classification was replaced in the 1989 Giro d'Italia by the intergiro classification. The classification reappeared after an 11 year hiatus in 2001. It was the absent from the succeeding Giro d'Italia editions until it returned in 2006, where Paolo Savoldelli won the classification.^[3] The classification did not return in 2007, as it was replaced by the return of the Young rider classification.

For the 1988 and the 2006 editions of the Giro, the leader of the classification was awarded a blue jersey.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Combination classification standings [edit]

Year	First	Points	Second	Points	Third	Points	Ref.
1969	Felice Gimondi (ITA)	8	Italo Zilioli (ITA)	11	Michele Dancelli (ITA)	13
1970	Eddy Merckx (BEL)	8	Martin Van den Bossche (BEL)	8	Michele Dancelli (ITA)	11
1972	Eddy Merckx (BEL)	5	José Manuel Fuente (ESP)	11	Francisco Galdos (ESP)	18
1973	Eddy Merckx (BEL)	4	Felice Gimondi (ITA)	9	Giovanni Battaglin (ITA)	17
1974	Eddy Merckx (BEL)	7	José Manuel Fuente (ESP)	9	Giambattista Baronchelli (ITA)	15
1975	Roger De Vlaeminck (BEL)	20	Fabrizio Fabbri (ITA)	54	Giacinto Santambrogio (ITA)	58
1976	Francesco Moser (ITA)	12	Eddy Merckx (BEL)	31	Arnaldo Caverzasi (ITA)	52
1977	Wilmo Francioni (ITA)	33	Mario Beccia (ITA)	38	Giambattista Baronchelli (ITA)	44
1980	Bernard Hinault (FRA)	10	Wladimiro Panizza (ITA)	11	Tommy Prim (SWE)	13
1985	Urs Freuler (SUI)						^[1]
1986	Guido Bontempi (ITA)	52	Pedro Muñoz (ESP)	38	Eric Vanderaerden (BEL)	30
1987	Stephen Roche (IRL)	80	Robert Millar (GBR)	68	Paolo Rosola (ITA)	60	^[6]
1988	Andrew Hampsten (USA)	8	Erik Breukink (NED)	12	Urs Zimmermann (SUI)	20	^[2]
2001	Paolo Savoldelli (ITA)	13	José Enrique Gutiérrez (ESP)	35	Ivan Basso (ITA)	38	^[7]
2006	Paolo Savoldelli (ITA)	775	Pietro Caucchioli (ITA)	651	Unai Osa (ESP)	595	^[3]

External links [edit]

^ ^a ^b "Hinault: Tres Vidas En Rosa" [Hinault: Three Lives In Pink] (PDF) (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 10 June 1985. p. 34. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
^ ^a ^b "Delgado termino septimo en la General" [Delgado finished seventh in the General] (PDF) (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 13 June 1988. p. 47. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c Anthony Tan (28 May, 2006). ""Seven key moments"; Mission 1 of 2 complete". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
^ "il gavia, 5 giugno 1988" [The Gavia, June 5, 1988] (in Italian). ALBUMCICLISMO. 13 December 2009. p. 1. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
^ "Giro 1988: Andy's Epic Day" (in English). PezCycling News. 1 December 2007. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
^ "B... Roche De Oro" [Golden Roche] (PDF) (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 14 June 1987. p. 41. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
^ Jeff Jones (2001-06-10). "Coda". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2012-09-26.