The Italian adventure : Giro d’Italia
The Giro d’Italia is the Italian equivalent of the Tour de France. Like the Tour de France, the Giro was also started by a newspaper company looking to increase sales. First held in 1909, the Giro, as it is often referred to, has been as prestigious and tough as Le Tour over the years.
The inaugural Giro d’Italia took participants from Milan to Naples and back again. This journey covered nearly 2400 km over eight days. In its modern version, the race begins in various locations, sometimes even outside of Italy, before moving onto the Italian side of the Alps. While the Tour de France remains more famous, many consider the Giro to be even tougher due to its challenging routes and unpredictable weather conditions.
The stages take riders across Italy’s boot-shaped landscape. The race traverses the majestic sandstone Dolomites in northern Italy, continues through the greener, birch-tree-dominated slopes of the Apennines along the spine of the country, and finally reaches Mount Etna in Sicily, located in the south.
The Giro d’Italia remains a monumental test of endurance, strategy, and resilience, celebrated by cycling enthusiasts worldwide for its unique blend of physical challenge and breathtaking scenery.
The Gavia : Not just a mountain
The Giro is known to surprise its riders with inclement weather along the tour. The coast brings rain and the imposing summits bring cold weather and snow. While many stages go through the idyllic setting, some of the nasty ones are up in the mountains. The most famous one of them is the Gavia Pass. Situated in the Lombardy region in the rough and tough of Northern Italy the seemingly gentle Gavia surprises the riders from being idyllic one moment and treacherous the next.
Riders have passed over the beautiful yet treacherous that Gavia is , at least in 14 Giros. It was way back in 1960 that it was first made a part of the Giro. The riders had very little idea of what to expect. It was narrow, punishing, and unpaved. Going up against cycling greats like Jacques Anquetil and Charly Gual, a then unknown , 23-year-old Italian, Imerio Massignan, crossed the Gavia for the first time and won the stage.
It was heroic from the young man as he tackled the cobblestones, cliffs, and the snow that lined the climb. He also gained himself a nickname: “Angel of Gavia.”.
The stories of Gavia and its challenges are many. But the one that is a part of Giro’s history is the one of 1988.
In 1988, the American Andy Hampsten’s ride up the Gavia is part of cycling’s fantastic folklore. Hampsten and his team in 1988 used lanolin wax, diving gloves, and ski gear to combat the blizzard to emerge out of the stage.
Have a look at this from GCN+
The Giro greats
Italians Alfredo Binda and Fausto Coppi have won the Giro 5 times. The mercurial Belgian Eddy Merckx has 5 Giro titles to add to his 5 Tour De France wins. 5 wins at the Tour De France and the Giro make Merkcx very simply the greatest cyclist ever. His insatiable desire to win and the ability to cope with the physical demands of the sport made him what he was.
The Giro Italia is not just a race, it is a piece of Italian pride. It has been won by 44 Italians winning the Giro 69 times. The next best is Belgium with 7 wins. The legendary Gino Bartali won it three times in the 30’s and the 40’s. ( Read: Gino Bartali : A Great Cycling Legend but then much more)
Though the Giro often gets overshadowed by the more media favorite Tour De France, there is no mistaking that to every professional cyclist, it is right up there as one of the greatest races in cycling.
======================================================================================
