The second and third places were taken by Frenchman Jacques Anquetil and Spaniard Antonio Suárez, respectively.

[1][2] A total of 17 teams were invited to participate in the 1961 Giro d'Italia.

[3] Each team sent a squad of ten riders, so the Giro began with a peloton of 170 cyclists.

The leader of the general classification – calculated by adding the stage finish times of each rider – wore a pink jersey.

In this ranking, points were won by reaching the summit of a climb ahead of other cyclists.