Which cyclist holds the record for most stage wins in the Giro d'Italia?

Mario Cipollini holds the record for most stage wins in the Giro d'Italia, with 42 victories.

The Italian sprinter amassed those wins between 1989 and 2003. His success came primarily in flat, mass-start stages, where positioning, timing, and a powerful finishing burst made him one of cycling's defining sprinters. His nickname, “Il Re Leone” (“The Lion King”), reflected his flamboyant style and dominance.

Cipollini broke Alfredo Binda's long-standing record of 41 Giro stage wins in 2003. Binda had set that mark during the 1920s and 1930s, so Cipollini's achievement connected two very different eras of professional cycling.

The listed alternatives are all major Giro figures, but none matches Cipollini's total: Eddy Merckx won 25 stages, Francesco Moser 23, and Fausto Coppi 22. Cipollini also won stages in the Tour de France and Vuelta a España, but his Giro record is his signature achievement.