1974 Giro d'Italia
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The 1974 Giro d'Italia was the 57th running of the Giro, one of cycling's
Grand Tours In road bicycle racing, a Grand Tour is one of the three major European professional cycling stage races: Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, and Vuelta a España. Collectively they are termed the ''Grand Tours'', and all three races are similar in ...
. It started in
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, on 16 May, with a stage and concluded in
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, on 8 June, with leg. A total of 140 riders from fourteen teams entered the 22-stage race, that was won by Belgian
Eddy Merckx Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx (, ; born 17 June 1945), better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional road and track bicycle racer who is among the most successful riders in the history of competitive cycling. His victorie ...
of the
Molteni Molteni was an Italian professional road bicycle racing team from 1958 until the end of 1976. It won 663 races, many of them earned by its most famous rider, Eddy Merckx. Other riders included Gianni Motta and Marino Basso, who contributed 48 a ...
team. The second and third places were taken by Italians
Gianbattista Baronchelli Gianbattista Baronchelli (born 6 September 1953) is an Italian retired professional road racing cyclist (1974–1989). He obtained a total of 94 victories. Baronchelli was born in Ceresara, in the Province of Mantua. In 1973, as an amateur, h ...
(Scic) and
Felice Gimondi Felice Gimondi (; 29 September 1942 – 16 August 2019) was an Italian professional racing cyclist. With his 1968 victory at the Vuelta a España, only three years after becoming a professional cyclist, Gimondi, nicknamed "The Phoenix", was the ...
( Bianchi), respectively. Amongst the other classifications that the race awarded,
Roger De Vlaeminck Roger De Vlaeminck (; born 24 August 1947) is a Belgian former professional racing cyclist. He was described by Rik Van Looy as "The most talented and the only real classics rider of his generation". Nicknamed “The Gypsy” because he was bo ...
() won the
points classification The points classification is a secondary award category in road bicycle racing. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning sprints at certain places along the route, most often called ''intermediate sprints''. The points cl ...
and
José Manuel Fuente José Manuel Fuente Lavandera (September 30, 1945 in Limanes, Spain – July 18, 1996 in Oviedo, Spain) was a professional road racing cyclist and noted climbing specialist. Fuente was a professional from 1970 to 1976. He had the same nickname ...
of KAS won the mountains classification. KAS finished as the winners of the team points classification. Merckx's victory in the 1974 Giro was his first step in completing the
Triple Crown of Cycling The Triple Crown of Cycling is a term used in road bicycle racing to denote the achievement of winning three major titles in the same season, usually the Giro d'Italia general classification, the Tour de France general classification and the UCI ...
–winning the Giro d'Italia, the
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
, and the World Championship road race in one calendar year–becoming the first rider ever to do so.


Teams

A total of fourteen teams were invited to participate in the 1974 Giro d'Italia. Each team sent a squad of ten riders, which meant that the race started with a peloton of 140 cyclists. Three riders from Rokado did not start the race after enrolling, which reduced the starting field to 137. From the riders that began this edition, 96 made it to the finish
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
. The teams entering the race were:


Pre-race favorites

Reigning champion and four-time winner
Eddy Merckx Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx (, ; born 17 June 1945), better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional road and track bicycle racer who is among the most successful riders in the history of competitive cycling. His victorie ...
() returned to the race in 1974 to defend his crown and to claim fifth victory and join the likes of
Alfredo Binda Alfredo Binda (11 August 1902 – 19 July 1986) was an Italian road cyclist of the 1920s and 1930s. He was the first to win five editions of the Giro d'Italia, and a three-time world champion. In addition he won Milan–San Remo twice, and the ...
and
Fausto Coppi Angelo Fausto Coppi (; 15 September 1919 – 2 January 1960) was an Italian cyclist, the dominant international cyclist of the years after the Second World War. His successes earned him the title ''Il Campionissimo'' ("Champion of Champions ...
who also had five Giro victories. He arrived to the race the day before after racing in the Four Days of Dunkirk. Merckx came into the Giro d'Italia after not having won a single spring classic for the first time since 1965. In March, he was forced to take a rest from cycling due to a respiratory ailment. Merckx gradually returned to racing after beating the illness in late March, and writer Giuliano Califano stated that several experts found him to be in great form coming into the Giro. ''La Stampa'' writer Gianni Pignata felt Merckx's form and his poor performances in the early season would provide motivation for this race. In particular, he referenced Merckx's poor sprinting in the early season and how the Giro was his first race longer than seven stages this season. Merckx himself told a radiohost "After my long illness, I am now in an increasing form and I estimate myself already for 80 hundred of my means," before the race started.
José Manuel Fuente José Manuel Fuente Lavandera (September 30, 1945 in Limanes, Spain – July 18, 1996 in Oviedo, Spain) was a professional road racing cyclist and noted climbing specialist. Fuente was a professional from 1970 to 1976. He had the same nickname ...
( Kas) was thought to have entered the Giro in good form after winning the
Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the ...
weeks earlier. Pignata commented that Fuente would provide Merckx a stiff opposition through his ability to attack in the mountains, but his poor time trialing ability was his weakness. ''l'Unita'' interviewed several of the riders and many named Merckx as the favorite to take the victory. The third main contender to win the race named by the media was reigning world champion
Felice Gimondi Felice Gimondi (; 29 September 1942 – 16 August 2019) was an Italian professional racing cyclist. With his 1968 victory at the Vuelta a España, only three years after becoming a professional cyclist, Gimondi, nicknamed "The Phoenix", was the ...
( Bianchi). Gimondi was viewed to have a strong team for support which included former world champion and sprinter
Marino Basso Marino Basso (born 1 June 1945) is an Italian former professional road racing cyclist, considered one of the best sprinters of his generation. He won the World Cycling Championship in 1972. Basso was born at Rettorgole di Caldogno, in the Vene ...
,
Antoine Houbrechts Antoine Houbrechts (born 6 September 1943) is a retired Belgian road racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 1965 and 1981. He won the 1967 Volta a Portugal and 1968 Vuelta a Andalucía, and rode the Tour de France The Tour d ...
, and
Martín Emilio Rodríguez Martín Emilio Rodríguez Gutiérrez (born 14 April 1942), known by the nickname Cochise, is a retired Colombian road and track cyclist. Cochise started his first Vuelta a Colombia in 1961. He would win his first Vuelta two years later in 1 ...
, among others. Gimondi downplayed his chances stating that he was not 20 year-old anymore and "... it takes me a long time to get into action." Scic's
Gianbattista Baronchelli Gianbattista Baronchelli (born 6 September 1953) is an Italian retired professional road racing cyclist (1974–1989). He obtained a total of 94 victories. Baronchelli was born in Ceresara, in the Province of Mantua. In 1973, as an amateur, h ...
,
Tour de l'Avenir Tour de l'Avenir ( en, Tour of the Future) is a French road bicycle racing stage race, which started in 1961 as a race similar to the Tour de France and over much of the same course but for amateurs and for semi-professionals known as independen ...
winner
Giovanni Battaglin Giovanni Battaglin (born 22 July 1951) is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The highlight of his career was his overall win in the 1981 Giro d'Italia, 1981 Giro d'Italia. He also won the 1981 Vuelta a España. Early years Battaglin wa ...
(Jolly Ceramica), and
Francesco Moser Francesco Moser ( or ; ; born 19 June 1951), nicknamed "Lo sceriffo" (The sheriff), is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer. He finished on the podium of the Giro d'Italia six times including his win in the 1984 edition. Moser wa ...
(Filcas) as three young riders who have the potential to become stars during the race. Despite suffering an accident early in the season, Pignata believed Battaglin's participation in the
Tour de Romandie The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs through the Romandie region, or French-speaking part of Switzerland. The competition began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling. It ...
provided a great lead-up into the Giro. Moser was thought to have a strong season and showed a sprinting prowess as evidenced by his second place in
Paris–Roubaix Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the ' Monuments' or classics of th ...
. Pignata ultimately concluded that these younger riders should not be cautious during the race as it would play into the hands of Merckx, who then would only have to react to Fuente's attacks. Amid rumors of not participating,
Luis Ocaña Jesús Luis Ocaña Pernía (; 9 June 1945 – 19 May 1994) was a Spanish road bicycle racer who won the 1973 Tour de France and the 1970 Vuelta a España. During the 1971 Tour de France he launched an amazing solo breakaway that put him ...
confirmed his absence due to
bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...
three days prior to the start. ''La Stampa'' columnist Maurizio Caravella gave Merckx a 60% chance to win, while giving Gimondi, Fuente, and Battaglin at 10% chance and Baronchelli and Moser a 5% chance at victory. The peloton also featured 1971 winner
Gösta Pettersson Gösta Artur Roland Pettersson (born 23 November 1940) is a retired Swedish cyclist. As an amateur, he competed in the individual and team road events at the 1960, 1964 and 1968 Olympics and won one silver and two bronze medals, in 1964 and 196 ...
(Magniflex).


Route and stages

The route for the 1974 edition of the Giro d'Italia was revealed to the public by race director Vincenzo Torriani on 29 March 1974. It contained one were
individual time trial An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' " stopwatch stage"). There are also track ...
. There were eleven stages containing twenty three categorized climbs, of which four had summit finishes: stage 11a, to Il Cioccio; stage 16, to
Monte Generoso Monte Generoso (also known as ''Calvagione'') is a mountain of the Lugano Prealps, located on the border between Switzerland and Italy and between Lake Lugano and Lake Como. The western and southern flanks of the mountain lie in the Swiss cant ...
; stage 18, to
Borgo Valsugana Borgo Valsugana (''El Bórgo'' in local dialect) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about east of Trento. Borgo Valsugana borders the following municipalities: Telve, ...
; and stage 20, to
Tre Cime di Lavaredo The Tre Cime di Lavaredo (; ), also called the Drei Zinnen (; ), are three distinctive battlement-like peaks, in the Sexten Dolomites of northeastern Italy. They are probably one of the best-known mountain groups in the Alps. The three peaks, ...
. In total the race route contained of official climbing across the twenty-three climbs. The organizers chose to include two rest days, in Capri and
Sanremo Sanremo (; lij, Sanrémmo(ro) or , ) or San Remo is a city and comune on the Mediterranean coast of Liguria, in northwestern Italy. Founded in Roman times, it has a population of 55,000, and is known as a tourist destination on the Italian Rivie ...
. When compared to the previous year's race, the race was longer, lacked a
prologue A prologue or prolog (from Greek πρόλογος ''prólogos'', from πρό ''pró'', "before" and λόγος ''lógos'', "word") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier story that ...
, and had the same number of rest days and individual time trials. In addition, this race contained two more stages, as well as one more set of half stages. In Italy, the race was televised daily in thirty-minute segments at during the evening on the second channel of
RAI RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...
. The race, however, was still to be broadcast normally over radio. Upon the release of the route in March, ''La Stampa'' writer Gianni Pignata believed that the first leg of the split eleventh stage, to Il Cioccio, along with stages 20 and 21, which featured eight total climbs in the
Dolomites The Dolomites ( it, Dolomiti ; Ladin: ''Dolomites''; german: Dolomiten ; vec, Dołomiti : fur, Dolomitis), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form pa ...
, would be decisive in determining the race's winner. Pignata believed this edition of the Giro d'Italia was geared towards climbers. He added that if a rider wanted to best Merckx, he would need to make his move earlier in the race and not wait for the Dolomites, as Merckx would likely be in top form by then. After looking over the race route, Italian rider Basso stated that there were few opportunities for sprinters to try and win a stage. Two-time winner Gimondi felt the race started off hard and agreed with Pignata and Basso, in that the race favored climbers and lacked chances for sprint finishes. He stated that the route suited the riding styles of Ocaña, Merckx, and Jose Manuel Fuente. In addition, Gimondi criticized Torriani for placing a rest day in after the third day of racing, stating that there was no justification for it there. The route did not enter the high mountains until 27 May, which was thought to work against Fuente's chances to win the race and take advantage of Merckx's unknown condition.


Race overview

The first day of racing was gearing up to finish with a bunch sprint, when neo-professional cyclist Wilfried Reybrouck attacked with 400 meters to go. Reybrouck managed to hold off the chasing sprinters
Roger De Vlaeminck Roger De Vlaeminck (; born 24 August 1947) is a Belgian former professional racing cyclist. He was described by Rik Van Looy as "The most talented and the only real classics rider of his generation". Nicknamed “The Gypsy” because he was bo ...
and Basso, among others to win the stage. A strike had been rumored to happen on the race route near
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, which caused the riders to stick together and not attack. The pack of riders finished together, with Belgian
Patrick Sercu Patrick Sercu (27 June 1944 – 19 April 2019) was a Belgian cyclist who was active on the road and track between 1961 and 1983. On track, he won the gold medal in the 1 km time trial at the 1964 Summer Olympics, as well as three world titl ...
taking the stage victory. The third stage featured a late climb of Mount Faito, where
José Manuel Fuente José Manuel Fuente Lavandera (September 30, 1945 in Limanes, Spain – July 18, 1996 in Oviedo, Spain) was a professional road racing cyclist and noted climbing specialist. Fuente was a professional from 1970 to 1976. He had the same nickname ...
attacked ten kilometers from the summit and rode 25 kilometers solo to the finish. Merckx, Baronchelli, Gimondi, Moser, and other general classification hopefuls remained behind and attacked each other within the group until the finish. The group finished 33 seconds after Fuente, but Merckx, who had been dropped, lost 42 seconds to Fuente, along with some other riders. Race leader Reybrouck lost the lead to Fuente upon finishing thirty minutes behind and ultimately being eliminated from the race because he finished outside the time limit. This was the first time a rider had gone from leading the race to being disqualified after the next stage in the race's history. The following stage was interrupted 102 kilometers into the day for five minutes because of a strike conducted in response to a
dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...
built.
Pierino Gavazzi Pierino Gavazzi (born 4 December 1950 in Provaglio d'Iseo) is an Italian former road bicycle racer, who was professional from 1973 to 1993. He rode in the 1975 Tour de France and 1976 Tour de France, as well as in seventeen editions of the Gi ...
won the first stage of his career upon beating the likes of De Vlaeminck and Franco Bitossi. During the sprint, José Gonzales Linares and
Jos Huysmans Jos Huysmans (18 December 1941 – 10 October 2012) was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. Major results ; 1963 : 1st, Rummen ; 1964 : 1st, Bruxelles-Liège : 1st, Stage 5a, Four Days of Dunkirk : 1st, Stage 4a, Tour of Belgium : 1st ...
led out their teammates respective teammates Fuente and Merckx, but were found guilty of illegally boosting their teammates during the sprint. The four riders were fined 50,000 lire each and relegated to 37th position on the stage. The sixth leg had little action until the final twenty kilometers, when the headwinds picked up and splintered the peloton into several groups just hundreds of meters apart.
Giacinto Santambrogio Giacinto Santambrogio (25 April 1945, in Seregno – 13 June 2012) was an Italian professional road bicycle racer. Major results ;1969 : Coppa Bernocchi ;1971 : Giro d'Italia: ::Winner stage 20A ;1972 :Tre Valli Varesine ;1974 :Gran Premi ...
made a move closer to the finish line and rode solo until Bitossi joined him. Eventually Bitossi dropped Santambrogio and then held off the charging sprinters in order to win the day, which was his 100th career victory. Ugo Colombo won the race's seventh leg after telling race leader Fuente he was riding up the road to greet some family - as is custom - although none of his family lived anywhere near the region. Colombo was allowed a maximum advantage of around thirteen minutes before the peloton closed the gap to within one minute. The race for second place brought out the general classification contenders as there was a slight incline near the end of the stage. In particular,
Francesco Moser Francesco Moser ( or ; ; born 19 June 1951), nicknamed "Lo sceriffo" (The sheriff), is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer. He finished on the podium of the Giro d'Italia six times including his win in the 1984 edition. Moser wa ...
, Merckx, and De Vlaeminck attacked several times and Fuente could not counter, allowing the riders to gain seven seconds on the race lead. The eighth leg of the race was a rather flat stage that featured heavy winds throughout the stage. During the stage a
dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
ran in the road and caused a reaction in the peloton, but no injuries or falls were reported. As the main field rode under the kilometer to go banner, they had just caught the leading rider Zilioli who had made a last ditch solo effort to win the stage. Merckx opened up the sprint as the group made the final bend into the final 200 meters. His wheel skidded out and forced him to ride and graze the barriers, which hindered several sprinters who had been using his slipstream. Bitossi and
Martín Emilio Rodríguez Martín Emilio Rodríguez Gutiérrez (born 14 April 1942), known by the nickname Cochise, is a retired Colombian road and track cyclist. Cochise started his first Vuelta a Colombia in 1961. He would win his first Vuelta two years later in 1 ...
(Bianchi) contested the sprint the best, with Bitossi taking the day after coming of Rodríguez' wheel.


Doping

There were doping controls.


Classification leadership

There were three main individual classifications contested in the 1974 Giro d'Italia, as well as a team competition. Three of them awarded jerseys to their leaders. The
general classification The general classification (or the GC) in road bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for riders in multi-stage races. Each stage will have a stage winner, but the overall winner in the GC is the rider who has the fastest cumulat ...
was the most important and was calculated by adding each rider's finishing times on each stage. The rider with the lowest cumulative time was the winner of the general classification and was considered the overall winner of the Giro. The rider leading the classification wore a pink jersey to signify the classification's leadership. The second classification was the
points classification The points classification is a secondary award category in road bicycle racing. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning sprints at certain places along the route, most often called ''intermediate sprints''. The points cl ...
. Riders received points for finishing in the top positions in a stage finish, with first place getting the most points, and lower placings getting successively fewer points. The rider leading this classification wore a purple (or
cyclamen ''Cyclamen'' ( or ) is a genus of 23 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. ''Cyclamen'' species are native to Europe and the Mediterranean Basin east to the Caucasus and Iran, with one species in Somalia. They gro ...
) jersey. The mountains classification was the third classification and its leader was denoted by the green jersey. In this ranking, points were won by reaching the summit of a climb ahead of other cyclists. Each climb was ranked as either first, second or third category, with more points available for higher category climbs. Most stages of the race included one or more categorized climbs, in which points were awarded to the riders that reached the summit first. The ''
Cima Coppi The ''Cima Coppi'' is the title given to the highest peak in the yearly running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tour races. The mountain that is given this title each year awards more mountains classification points to the first rider ...
'', the race's highest point of elevation, awarded more points than the other first category climbs. The ''Cima Coppi'' for this Giro was the
Tre Cime di Lavaredo The Tre Cime di Lavaredo (; ), also called the Drei Zinnen (; ), are three distinctive battlement-like peaks, in the Sexten Dolomites of northeastern Italy. They are probably one of the best-known mountain groups in the Alps. The three peaks, ...
. The first rider to cross the Tre Cime di Lavaredo was Spanish rider
José Manuel Fuente José Manuel Fuente Lavandera (September 30, 1945 in Limanes, Spain – July 18, 1996 in Oviedo, Spain) was a professional road racing cyclist and noted climbing specialist. Fuente was a professional from 1970 to 1976. He had the same nickname ...
. The final classification, the team classification, awarded no jersey to its leaders. This was calculated by adding together points earned by each rider on the team during each stage through the intermediate sprints, the categorized climbs, stage finishes, etc. The team with the most points led the classification. There were other minor classifications within the race, including the neo-professional competition. The classification was determined in the same way as the general classification, but considering only neo-professional cyclists (in their first three years of professional racing).


Final standings


General classification


Points classification


Mountains classification


Neo-professional classification


Traguardi tricolori classification


Team classification


Aftermath

This victory in the race gave Merckx five career victories at the Giro d'Italia, equaling the record of Binda and Coppi. In July, Merckx entered the
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
. He emerged victorious, winning eight stages en route to his fifth career Tour victory, again equaling the record for career Tour victories. He won the Tour by a margin of eight minutes and four seconds over the second-place finisher and thus became the only cyclist to win the Giro and Tour in the same year three times in a career. In August, he won the men's road race at the 1974 UCI Road World Championships and became the first rider to achieve the
Triple Crown of Cycling The Triple Crown of Cycling is a term used in road bicycle racing to denote the achievement of winning three major titles in the same season, usually the Giro d'Italia general classification, the Tour de France general classification and the UCI ...
, which consists of winning two
Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tut ...
races and the men's road race at the
UCI Road World Championships The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and a mixed team relay. Events ...
in a calendar year. For his career successes in the Giro d'Italia, Merckx became the first rider inducted into the race's Hall of Fame in 2012. When being inducted, Merckx was given the modern-day trophy with the winners engraved until 1974, the last year he won the race.


References


Citations

{{DEFAULTSORT:1974 Giro D'italia G Giro d'Italia Giro d'Italia by year Giro d'Italia Giro d'Italia 1974 Super Prestige Pernod