The 1971 Giro d'Italia was the 55th edition of the Giro, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The 3,567-kilometre (2,216 mi) race consisted of 20 stages and an opening prologue, starting in Lecce on 20 May and finishing at the Vigorelli velodrome in Milan on 10 June. There were three time trial stages and a single rest day. Gösta Pettersson of the Ferretti team won the overall general classification, becoming the first Swedish rider to win a Grand Tour. Herman Van Springel (Molteni) placed second, 2 min and 32 s in arrears, and Ugo Colombo (Filotex) was third, just three seconds slower than Van Springel.