The 2004 Giro d'Italia was the 87th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It began in Genoa with a prologue. The race came to a close with a mass-start road stage that stretched from Clusone to Milan. Nineteen teams entered the race that was won by the Italian Damiano Cunego of the team. Second and third were the Ukrainian Serhiy Honchar and Italian Gilberto Simoni. Each team sent a squad of nine riders, so the Giro began with a peloton of 171 cyclists. Out of the 171 riders that started this edition of the Giro d'Italia, a total of 140 riders made it to the finish in Milan. It contained two time trial events, all of which were individual. The organizers divided the remaining nineteen stages into three categories: flat stages, rolling stages, and mountain stages. Twelve of the stages were declared flat stages. Of the seven stages remaining, three stages were designated rolling stages and three were ranked as mountain stages. In the stages containing categorized climbs, three had summit finishes: stage 3, to Corno alle Scale; stage 7, to Montevergine di Mercogliano; and stage 18, to Bormio 2000. The organizers chose to include two rest days. When compared to the previous year's race, the race was shorter, contained the same amount of rest days, and the same amount of time trials. In addition, this race opened with a prologue, which the last year's race did not.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Stage characteristics and winners
|- style="background:#efefef;"
!Stage
!Date
!Course
!Distance
!colspan="2"|Type
!Winner
|-
!style="text-align:center"| P
| style="text-align:center;"| 8 May
| Genoa
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|22px|link=|alt=
|Individual time trial
|
|-
!style="text-align:center"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 9 May
| Genoa to Alba
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|22px|link=|alt=
|Medium mountain stage
|
|-
!style="text-align:center"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 10 May
| Novi Ligure to Pontremoli
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|22px|link=|alt=
|Medium mountain stage
|
|-
!style="text-align:center"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 11 May
| Pontremoli to Corno alle Scale
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|22px|link=|alt=
|Medium mountain stage
|
|-
!style="text-align:center"| 4
| style="text-align:center;"| 12 May
| Porretta Terme to Civitella in Val di Chiana
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| 22px|link=|alt=
|Flat stage
|
|-
!style="text-align:center"| 5
| style="text-align:center;"| 13 May
| Civitella in Val di Chiana to Spoleto
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| 22px|link=|alt=
|Flat stage
|
|-
!style="text-align:center"| 6
| style="text-align:center;"| 14 May
| Spoleto to Valmontone
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| 22px|link=|alt=
|Flat stage
|
|-
!style="text-align:center"| 7
| style="text-align:center;"| 15 May
| Frosinone to Montevergine di Mercogliano
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|22px|link=|alt=
|Medium mountain stage
|
|-
!style="text-align:center"| 8
| style="text-align:center;"| 16 May
| Giffoni Valle Piana to Policoro
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| 22px|link=|alt=
|Flat stage
|
|-
!style="text-align:center"| 9
| style="text-align:center;"| 17 May
| Policoro to Carovigno
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| 22px|link=|alt=
|Flat stage
|
|-
!
| style="text-align:center;"|18 May
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;"| Rest day
|-
!style="text-align:center"| 10
| style="text-align:center;"| 19 May
| Porto Sant'Elpidio to Ascoli Piceno
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|22px|link=|alt=
|Medium mountain stage
|
|-
!style="text-align:center"| 11
| style="text-align:center;"| 20 May
| Porto Sant'Elpidio to Cesena
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|22px|link=|alt=
|Medium mountain stage
|
|-
!style="text-align:center"| 12
| style="text-align:center;"| 21 May
| Cesena to Treviso
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| 22px|link=|alt=
|Flat stage
|
|-
!style="text-align:center"| 13
| style="text-align:center;"| 22 May
| Trieste to Trieste
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"|22px|link=|alt=
|Individual time trial
|
|-
!style="text-align:center"| 14
| style="text-align:center;"| 23 May
| Trieste to Pula
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| 22px|link=|alt=
|Flat stage
|
|-
!style="text-align:center"| 15
| style="text-align:center;"| 24 May
| Poreč to San Vendemiano
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| 22px|link=|alt=
|Flat stage
|
|-
!style="text-align:center"| 16
| style="text-align:center;"| 25 May
| San Vendemiano to Pfalzen
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| 22px|link=|alt=
|Mountain stage
|
|-
!
| style="text-align:center;"|26 May
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;"| Rest day
|-
!style="text-align:center"| 17
| style="text-align:center;"| 27 May
| Bruneck to Fondo/Sarnonico
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| 22px|link=|alt=
|Mountain stage
|
|-
!style="text-align:center"| 18
| style="text-align:center;"| 28 May
| Cles to Bormio 2000
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| 22px|link=|alt=
|Mountain stage
|
|-
!style="text-align:center"| 19
| style="text-align:center;"| 29 May
| Bormio to Presolana
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| 22px|link=|alt=
|Mountain stage
|
|-
!style="text-align:center"| 20
| style="text-align:center;"| 30 May
| Clusone to Milan
| style="text-align:center;"|
| style="text-align:center;"| 22px|link=|alt=
|Flat stage
|
|-
!
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Total
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|
|}
Race overview
The 2004 Giro d'Italia began with a prologue around the Italian city of Genoa. Bradley McGee won the first leg of the race after besting the second place rider Olaf Pollack by ten seconds. The stage was won by Italian sprinter Alessandro Petacchi and Pollack managed to take the race lead after earning a twelve-second time bonus by finishing second on the stage.
Success in stages was limited to eight of the competing teams, three of which achieved multiple stage victories, while two individual riders won multiple stages. The riders that won more than once were Alessandro Petacchi in stages 1,
Additionally, there was a points classification, which awarded a mauve jersey.
| 20px|alt=Green jersey
| Denotes the winner of the Mountains classification
|-
| 20px|alt=Purple jersey
| Denotes the winner of the Points classification
| 20px|alt=Blue jersey
| Denotes the winner of the Intergiro classification
|}
General classification
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Rider
!Team
!Time
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| 20px|alt=Pink jersey
|
| style="text-align:right;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
|
| De Nardi–Piemme Telekom
| style="text-align:right;"| + 2' 02"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| + 2' 05"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 4
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| + 4' 36"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 5
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| + 5' 05"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 6
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| + 5' 31"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 7
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| + 6' 12"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 8
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| + 6' 15"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 9
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| + 6' 34"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 10
|
|
| style="text-align:right;"| + 7' 47"
|}
Points classification
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Rider
!Team
!Points
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| 20px|alt=Purple jersey
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 250
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| 20px|alt=Pink jersey
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 153
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 148
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 4
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 111
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 5
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 102
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 6
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 96
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 7
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 88
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 8
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 78
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 9
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 76
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 10
|
| De Nardi–Piemme Telekom
| style="text-align:center;"| 73
|}
Mountains classification
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Rider
!Team
!Points
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
|20px|alt=Green jersey
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 56
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| 20px|alt=Pink jersey
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 54
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 36
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 4
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 33
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 5
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 27
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 6
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 20
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 7
| 20px|alt=Blue jersey
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 16
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 8
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 15
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 9
|
|Formaggi Pinzolo Fiavè
| style="text-align:center;"| 14
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 10
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 13
|}
Intergiro classification
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Rider
!Team
!Time
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| 20px|alt=Blue jersey
|
| align=right|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
|
|
| align=right| + 13"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
|
|
| align=right| + 19"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 4
|
|
| align=right| + 22"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 5
|
| De Nardi–Piemme Telekom
| align=right| + 36"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 6
|
|
| align=right rowspan="2"| + 39"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 7
|
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 8
|
|
| align=right| + 44"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 9
|
|
| align=right| + 56"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 10
|
|
| align=right| + 1' 05"
|}
Trofeo Fast Team classification
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Team
!Time
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
|
|align="right"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
|
|align="right"| + 19' 15"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
|
|align="right"| + 26' 12"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 4
|
|align="right"| + 29' 13"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 5
|Saunier Duval–Prodir
|align="right"| + 39' 21"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 6
|
|align="right"| + 43' 02"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 7
|
|align="right"| + 57' 54"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 8
|
|align="right"| + 1h 03' 04"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 9
|De Nardi–Piemme Telekom
|align="right"| + 1h 20' 18"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 10
|Formaggi Pinzolo Fiave
|align="right"| + 2h 04' 05"
|}
Trofeo Super Team classification
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Team
!Points
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 384
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 359
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 339
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 4
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 327
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 5
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 315
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 6
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 301
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 7
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 273
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 8
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 265
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 9
|
| style="text-align:center;"| 250
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 10
|De Nardi–Piemme Telekom
| style="text-align:center;"| 217
|}
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. The Azzurri d'Italia classification was based on finishing order, but points were awarded only to the top three finishers in each stage. 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. Teams were given penalty points for minor technical infringements.