1988 Giro d'Italia
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The 1988 Giro d'Italia was the 71st running of the race. It started in Urbino, on 23 May, with a individual time trial and concluded in Vittorio Veneto, on 12 June, with a individual time trial. A total of 180 riders from 20 teams entered the 21-stage race, which was won by American
Andrew Hampsten Andrew Hampsten (born April 7, 1962) is an American former professional road bicycle racer who won the 1988 Giro d'Italia and the Alpe d'Huez stage of the 1992 Tour de France. Between 1986–1994 he finished in the Top 10 of eight Grand Tour ...
of the team. The second and third places were taken by Dutchman Erik Breukink and Swiss Urs Zimmermann, respectively. It was the third time – and second successive year – in the history of the Giro that the podium was occupied solely by non-Italian riders. In the first half of the race, the overall classification had been headed for several days by
Massimo Podenzana Massimo Podenzana (born 29 July 1961 in La Spezia) is an Italian former road racing cyclist. Podenzana won stages in both the Giro d'Italia, and the Tour de France, as well as a variety of other cycling classics. Major results ;1986 :1st, Gi ...
. He had participated in a breakaway during stage 4a, which won him sufficient time to hold the race leader's ''maglia rosa'' ( en, pink jersey) for more than a week.
Franco Chioccioli Franco Chioccioli (born 25 August 1959 in Castelfranco di Sopra) is an Italian former professional road racing cyclist. The highlight of his career was his overall win in the 1991 Giro d'Italia. Major results ;1977 : 1st Overall Giro dell ...
then wore the pink jersey for two stages before Hampsten took the general classification lead after the fourteenth stage. The fourteenth stage of the 1988 Giro, conducted in adverse weather including a snowstorm, has been recognized as an iconic event in the history of the Giro. After this stage, Hampsten began to build up a solid two-minute barrier against the second-placed rider, Breukink. This gap was sufficient to win Hampsten the race, despite losing around twenty seconds in the final two stages. Hampsten became the first American, and non-European, to win the Giro. He also won the secondary
mountains A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher th ...
and combination classifications, as well as the special sprints classification. In the other classifications,
Fanini–Seven Up Fanini–Seven Up was an Italian professional cycling team that existed from 1984 to 1988. The team went through several different name changes before being known as Fanini–Seven Up for its final season. The team was selected to race in five e ...
rider Stefano Tomasini of Italy placed ninth overall to finish as the best neo-professional in the general classification,
Johan van der Velde Johan van der Velde (born 12 December 1956 in Rijsbergen) is a former Dutch cyclist. In the 1980 Tour de France, he won the young rider classification, also placing 12th in the general classification that year. He had been a racing cyclist for o ...
of the Gisgelati–Ecoflam team was the winner of the points classification, and finished as the winners of the team classification.


Teams

Twenty teams were invited by the race organizers to participate in the 1988 edition of the Giro d'Italia, twelve of which were based outside of Italy. Each team sent a squad of nine riders, which meant that the race started with a peloton of 180 cyclists. In total, 82 of the starters were foreign, while the remaining 98 were Italian. Aside from Italy, Switzerland (17), Spain (12), and the Netherlands (11) all had more than 10 riders. Of those starting, 54 were riding the Giro d'Italia for the first time. The average age of riders was 26.94 years, ranging from 21–year–old
Angelo Lecchi Angelo Lecchi (born 13 December 1966) is an Italian former professional racing cyclist. He rode in two editions of the Tour de France, five editions of the Giro d'Italia and two editions of the Vuelta a España. Major results ;1988 :1st Stage 4 ...
from Del Tongo–Colnago to 37–year–old Pierino Gavazzi of
Fanini–Seven Up Fanini–Seven Up was an Italian professional cycling team that existed from 1984 to 1988. The team went through several different name changes before being known as Fanini–Seven Up for its final season. The team was selected to race in five e ...
. The team with the youngest average rider age was Selca–Ciclolinea (25), while the oldest was (29). The presentation of the teams – where each team's roster and manager were introduced in front of the media and local dignitaries – took place on 22 May, in the courtyard of the
Ducal Palace Several palaces are named Ducal Palace (Italian: ''Palazzo Ducale'' ) because it was the seat or residence of a duke. Notable palaces with the name include: France *Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, Dijon *Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine, Nancy *Pa ...
in Urbino. From the riders that began the race, 125 made it to the finish in Vittorio Veneto. The teams entering the race were:


Pre-race favorites

The starting peloton did not include the 1987 winner, Stephen Roche, who was sidelined for the majority of the 1988 season with a knee injury. '' l'Unità'' writer Gino Sala, author Bill McGann and an ''
El Mundo Deportivo ''Mundo Deportivo'' (; meaning ''Sports World'' in English) is a Spanish nationwide daily sports newspaper published in Barcelona. History and profile ''Mundo Deportivo'' was first published on 1 February 1906, as a weekly newspaper, and since 1 ...
'' writer named several riders as contenders for the overall classification, including
Andrew Hampsten Andrew Hampsten (born April 7, 1962) is an American former professional road bicycle racer who won the 1988 Giro d'Italia and the Alpe d'Huez stage of the 1992 Tour de France. Between 1986–1994 he finished in the Top 10 of eight Grand Tour ...
, Urs Zimmermann, Erik Breukink,
Franco Chioccioli Franco Chioccioli (born 25 August 1959 in Castelfranco di Sopra) is an Italian former professional road racing cyclist. The highlight of his career was his overall win in the 1991 Giro d'Italia. Major results ;1977 : 1st Overall Giro dell ...
, and Pedro Delgado. Sala believed
Jean-François Bernard Jean-François Bernard (born 2 May 1962) is a French former professional road bicycle racer. Career He turned professional in 1984 for La Vie Claire, led by Bernard Hinault. He was seen as Hinault’s successor as a winner of stage races from ...
came into the Giro in great shape and that the French rider could win the race if he could do well in the time trials and the mountains. In addition, Bernard Hinault told Sala that if Jean Francois could do well in this edition of the Giro, he could one day lead a team in the Tour de France. Former Giro champion Gianni Motta thought Hampsten would win because of the effort he was expected to make on the Gavia Pass stage. Motta believed that Hampsten would excel there, while the Italian riders – the majority of the peloton – would not because they did not realize its difficulty and thought the Gavia was "just another climb". The
1986 Tour de France The 1986 Tour de France was a cycling race held in France, from 4 July to 27 July. It was the 73rd running of the Tour de France. Greg LeMond of won the race, ahead of his teammate Bernard Hinault. It was the first ever victory for a rider outs ...
winner Greg LeMond entered the race with his squad, after a break from cycling due to injuries sustained in a
hunting accident An unintentional discharge is the event of a firearm discharging (firing) at a time not intended by the user. An unintended discharge may be produced by an incompatibility between firearm design and usage, such as the phenomenon of cooking off a ...
. Due to this, Sala did not see him as a front-runner for the overall victory. Swiss rider
Tony Rominger Tony Rominger (born 27 March 1961 in Vejle, Denmark) is a Swiss former professional road racing cyclist who won the Vuelta a España in 1992, 1993 and 1994 and the Giro d'Italia in 1995. He began cycling late, allegedly spurred by competition wi ...
also partook in the race and was considered by McGann and Sala as a dark-horse candidate for the victory after experiencing success at the beginning of his season.
Guido Bontempi Guido Bontempi (born 12 January 1960 in Gussago) is an Italian former road bicycle racer. Bontempi's career highlights include winning the spring's classic Gent–Wevelgem two times (1984 and 1986) and a total of 16 stages in the Giro d'Italia ...
was seen by Sala as a favorite to win a couple of stages. Before he injured his right knee earlier in the season during the Tour de Romandie, many newspapers also believed Moreno Argentin to be a favorite to take several stages. ''
Stampa Sera ''La Stampa'' (meaning ''The Press'' in English) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Turin, Italy. It is distributed in Italy and other European nations. It is one of the oldest newspapers in Italy. History and profile The paper was fou ...
'' writer Curzio Maltese believed that
Flavio Giupponi Flavio Giupponi (born 9 May 1964 in Bergamo) is an Italian former professional road racing cyclist. Professional career Giupponi was as professional cyclist from 1985 to 1994. His best Grand Tour result was at the 1989 Giro d'Italia where he ...
could take one of the stages containing many categorized climbs which award
mountains classification The King of the Mountains (KoM) is an award given to the best climbing specialist in a men's cycling road race; in women's cycle racing A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a femal ...
points, if properly supported by his team Del Tongo–Colnago. During the presentation of the teams, the riders were asked to choose their top picks for the overall victory.
Roberto Visentini Roberto Visentini (born 2 June 1957) is an Italian former professional road racing cyclist who won the White Jersey in the 1978 Giro, finished in the top 10 of the 1979, 1980, and 1981 Giro's, made the podium in 1983, wore the Maglia Rosa for ...
garnered the most votes from his fellow riders, but Delgado, Hampsten and LeMond also received many votes. Many media outlets felt that the overall victory would likely go to a non-Italian rider due to the lack of Italian general classification competitors, but that Visentini had the best chance of winning out of competing Italians.


Route and stages

The route for the 1988 edition of the Giro d'Italia was revealed to the public on television by head organizer Vincenzo Torriani, on 5 March 1988. It contained four time trial events, three of which were
individual An individual is that which exists as a distinct entity. Individuality (or self-hood) is the state or quality of being an individual; particularly (in the case of humans) of being a person unique from other people and possessing one's own Maslow ...
and one a team event. The race organizers hoped that the number of time trials, including one on the last day, would keep the race hotly contested to the end. There were fifteen stages containing thirty categorized climbs, of which four had summit finishes: stage 6, to
Campitello Matese Campitello Matese is an Italian civil parish (''frazione'') and ski resort, part of the municipality of San Massimo in the province of Campobasso, Molise region. History Still 1960s Campitello had only a building used as shelter for shepherds. In ...
; stage 12, to
Selvino Selvino (Bergamasque: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about northeast of Bergamo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,045 and an ...
; stage 13, to Chiesa in Valmalenco; and stage 15, to the Merano 2000 mountain. Another stage with a mountain-top finish was stage 18, which consisted of a climbing time trial to Valico del Vetriolo. The organizers chose to not include any rest days. When compared to the previous year's race, the race was shorter, contained one fewer rest day and individual time trial, and lacked a prologue. In addition, this race contained one fewer stage, but one more set of half stages. The race was televised in parts of Europe by Italy's national public broadcasting service, RAI. The eleventh stage between Parma and
Colle Don Bosco Castelnuovo Don Bosco, formerly Castelnuovo d'Asti (Piedmontese: ''Castelneuv d'Ast'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about northwest of Asti, on a hill near ...
was cancelled due to protests near the finish line. The fifteenth stage was originally intended to be and to start in Bormio. However, due to very poor weather conditions, the start was moved to Spondigna and the stage was shortened to . The route originally had the riders crossing the Stelvio Pass, but it was skipped due to snowdrifts that had developed on the roads. Excluding the finish on the Merano 2000, the stage was relatively flat after the adjustments. In previous years, the organizers had made the race easier for the Italian favorites by including fewer hard climbs. With the absence of Italian Francesco Moser from this edition, the race organizers included many famous and difficult climbs, such as the Gavia Pass. Moser himself stated that the route contained many difficult climbs and was not helping Italian cycling to prosper at a time when he believed it to be ailing. When asked about the route for the 1988 edition, rider Bob Roll said "Those sons of bitches put every mountain they could find in the race that year." Three-time winner Gino Bartali also believed the route to be very difficult and in favor of non-Italian competitors. Gino Sala also felt the route was harsher than in years past and that the team time trial could influence the overall classification greatly. ''La Stampa'' writer Gian Paolo Ormezzano praised the route saying it was beautiful and well crafted but contained one flaw, in that the race did not finish in any major Italian city. He also expressed his delight with the uphill time trial to Valico del Vetriolo as well as the inclusion of the Stelvio, Rombo and Gavia mountain passes.


Race overview

The Giro began with a time trial in the city of Urbino, which was won by Jean-François Bernard with a three-second margin over Tony Rominger. Guido Bontempi won the second stage and moved to third overall, while Bernard gained a five-second buffer over the second-placed rider, Rominger. In stage 4a,
Massimo Podenzana Massimo Podenzana (born 29 July 1961 in La Spezia) is an Italian former road racing cyclist. Podenzana won stages in both the Giro d'Italia, and the Tour de France, as well as a variety of other cycling classics. Major results ;1986 :1st, Gi ...
soloed to victory in Rodi Garganico, five minutes ahead of the second-place finisher. This victory and the respective time bonus allowed Podenzana to gain the ''maglia rosa'', which he held until stage 12. Stage 4b was a team time trial won by Del Tongo–Colnago, eleven seconds ahead of . Podenzana's lead shrunk to a little over two minutes after his team, Atala–Ofmega, finished two minutes and thirty-six seconds behind Del Tongo–Colnago. The eleventh stage was run without problems until the final mile, when environmentalist protestors occupied the finish line and forced the annulment of the stage. The protestors were upset with a nearby factory, owned by chemical manufacturer
Montedison Edison S.p.A. is an Italian electric utility company headquartered in Milan. The company was established in 1884 and acquired by Electricité de France in 2012. Edison employs more than 5,000 people in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. C ...
, which the protestors claimed had been polluting the
Bormida river The Bormida (''Bormia'' in Piedmontese language) is a river of north-west Italy. Toponymy The hydronym ''Bormida'' derives from the pre-Roman Ligurian proto-form ''*bormo'' ('warm or bubbling water'), also linked to the names of the gods of th ...
. The next stage was marked by the appearance of the major mountains and by Pondenzana conceding the ''maglia rosa'' to Franco Chioccioli. The ensuing stages saw the general classification shift more frequently due to the intensity of the mountains and fatigue. The fourteenth stage was memorable for its extreme weather, most notably on the final climb of the Gavia Pass. Overnight, a large amount of snow had accumulated on the Gavia, but the roads were cleared in time for the riders. Despite the cold and adverse weather forecast, the patron, Vincenzo Torriani, decided to go ahead with the stage. As snow fell on the riders climbing the muddy roads of the Gavia, Hampsten attacked at the base of the mountain but was chased by Erik Breukink, who eventually caught up and passed the American with to go. Although Breukink won the stage, Hampsten made the bigger story by becoming the first American to don the ''maglia rosa'' in the history of the Giro d'Italia. Conditions were so bad that one rider, Toshiba–Look's Dominique Gaigne, had to be carried on his bike into a shelter as his hands were frozen gripping the handlebars and former winner Giuseppe Saronni even stopped at a spectator's house and returned with a glass of the Italian
liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond ...
Grappa Grappa is an alcoholic beverage: a fragrant, grape-based pomace brandy of Italian origin that contains 35 to 60 percent alcohol by volume (70 to 120 US proof). Grappa is made by distilling the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems (i.e., the poma ...
. The start of the fifteenth stage was moved ahead from Bormio to Spondigna, because of snow covering the Stelvio Pass, but the summit finish in Merano was maintained. As soon as the climb started, Bernard, Urs Zimmermann and Chioccioli attacked. Bernard eventually shook off the two riders and won the stage, but with minimal time gain. The sixteenth stage was marked by rain – which turned into snow as the peloton rose higher – and by two protests while climbing the Rombo Pass. Near the summit of the last climb, Hampsten and a few others formed an escape group that was eventually caught in the final kilometers. The group raced into
Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...
, where
Franco Vona Franco Vona (born 20 August 1964) is a former Italian racing cyclist. Vona won three stages of the Giro d'Italia and placed 6th overall in 1992. During the 1992 Tour de France he placed 2nd on the only two high mountain stages of the race and wa ...
made a last minute attack that won him the stage. Bernard – who was in sixth place overall at the start of the seventeenth stage – crashed in a tunnel but managed to finish the stage; however, the following day he did not start the leg and withdrew from the race. The eighteenth stage, an individual time trial, would prove critical in deciding the overall winner of the Giro. The route started off with of flat roads, before the climb to the finish at the Vetriolo Terme ski station in Valico del Vetriolo. Going into the stage, Hampsten led the race by 42 seconds over Breukink, a margin that was increased by a further 32 seconds after the time trial. The nineteenth stage featured three categorized climbs. Zimmermann attacked on the first, the Duran Pass, but was caught later by Stefano Giuliani who bridged the gap on the descent of the Duran. The two riders rode to the finish together in Arta Terme. Although Giuliani won the stage, Zimmermann moved into second place overall, after gaining over three minutes on the general classification contenders. The twentieth stage came down to a sprint finish, won by
Paolo Rosola Paolo Rosola (born 5 February 1957) is an Italian racing cyclist. Major results ;1981 :1st Stage 2 Giro d'Italia ;1983 : Giro d'Italia ::1st Stages 3, 15 & 18 ;1984 :1st Stage 12 Giro d'Italia :1st Milano–Torino :4th Milan–San Remo ;198 ...
, who was later disqualified as his teammate, Roberto Pagnin, was found to have pushed him during the sprint. As a result, the second-place finisher,
Alessio Di Basco Alessio Di Basco (born 18 November 1964) was a former Italian professional cyclist. He is best known for winning three stages in the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España. Major results ;1988 : Giro d'Italia ::1st Stages 9 & 20 :3rd Trofeo L ...
, was awarded the stage victory. The penultimate stage was completely flat and culminated in a bunch sprint, won by
Urs Freuler Urs Freuler (born 6 November 1958 in Bilten, Canton of Glarus) is a Swiss cyclist, who raced professionally between 1980 and 1997, during which he won 124 victories. He was named Swiss Sports Personality of the Year in 1982 and 1983. He was bor ...
. Hours later, the final stage – a hilly individual time trial – took place. The weather conditions were fine for the majority of the riders, but as the general classification contenders were on the course, it began to lightning and rain heavily. There was a tricky descent about into the stage, which became more dangerous with the rain and ultimately resulted in the crashes of Giupponi and Zimmerman. The time lost by Zimmermann cost him his second place overall.
Lech Piasecki Lech Piasecki (born 13 November 1961) is a Polish former racing cyclist. Born in Poznań, he became the first Polish cyclist to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France, in 1987. After Piasecki became Amateur world champion in 1985, the Co ...
, who rode the course when dry, won the stage by a wide margin. Hampsten lost twenty seconds to Breukink, but it did not prevent him from becoming the first American to win the Giro d'Italia. The other podium positions were filled by non-Italian riders for the second year in a row and the third time in the history of the race. Breukink had been part of the non-Italian podium in
1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
, behind Ireland's Stephen Roche and Great Britain's Robert Millar. Stage success was limited to eleven of the competing teams, seven of which achieved multiple victories. Four individual riders won multiple stages: Bernard (stages 1, 8 and 15), Bontempi (stages 2 and 5), Hampsten (stages 12 and 18), and Di Basco (stages 9 and 20). won three stages with Bernard and stage 7 with
Andreas Kappes Andreas Kappes (23 December 1965 – 31 July 2018) was a German cyclist, who was a professional from 1987 to 2009, active on the road and on the track, collecting in total 133 wins, and, as an amateur, represented West Germany at the 1984 Summer ...
. won two stages, with Breukink in stage 14, and Freuler in stage 21a. won three stages, with a solo breakaway by Rominger in stage 13; Vona in stage 16, and Giuliani in stage 19. Del Tongo–Colnago also won multiple stages, with Chioccioli in stage 6, Piasecki in stage 21b, and the team time trial in stage 4b. Selca–Ciclolinea, Ceramiche Ariostea, Gewiss-Bianchi and Atala–Ofmega won one stage apiece. Ceramiche Ariostea rider
Stephan Joho Stephan Joho (born 4 September 1963) is a Swiss former professional cyclist. He is most known for winning two stages in the Giro d'Italia. He also competed in the individual pursuit and points race events at the 1984 Summer Olympics The 198 ...
took stage 3 in a sprint finish, as did Gewiss-Bianchi rider Rosola in stage 10, and Selca–Ciclolinea 's
Patrizio Gambirasio Patrizio Gambirasio (born 23 January 1961) is an Italian former professional cyclist. He is most known for winning one stage in the 1988 Giro d'Italia. Major results ;1981 : 1st Gran Premio Industria e Commercio Artigianato Carnaghese ;1982 : 1 ...
in stage 17. Atala–Ofmega's Podenzana won stage 4a after a solo breakaway.


Doping

The race organizers performed anti-doping controls throughout the race. Riders would be selected after a stage and have thirty minutes to get tested. The results generally would be returned between thirty and sixty minutes later. No rider tested positive in this edition of the Giro, but had this happened, the following penalties would have been applied: the rider would be demoted to last place of the stage, given a ten-minute penalty in the general classification, a lengthy suspension, and a fine of one thousand francs. Although no riders tested positive, Roberto Visentini, Flavio Giupponi and Urs Zimmermann – who placed second, third and fourth, respectively, in the eighteenth stage – showed up too late for their control tests and were given the penalties corresponding to riders testing positive; after complaints and threats to leave the race from their team leaders, the jury later reverted their decision, and no penalty was given.


Classification leadership

Five different jerseys were worn during the 1988 Giro d'Italia. The leader of the general classification – calculated by adding the stage finish times of each rider, and allowing time bonuses for the first three finishers on mass-start stages – wore a pink jersey. The time bonuses for the 1988 Giro were fifteen seconds for first, ten seconds for second, and five seconds for third place on the stage. This classification is the most important of the race, and its winner is considered as the winner of the Giro. For the points classification, which awarded a purple (or cyclamen) jersey to its leader, cyclists were given points for finishing a stage in the top 15; additional points could also be won in intermediate sprints. The green jersey was awarded to the
mountains classification The King of the Mountains (KoM) is an award given to the best climbing specialist in a men's cycling road race; in women's cycle racing A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a femal ...
leader. 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. 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, carried more points than the other first category climbs. The ''Cima Coppi'' for this edition of the Giro was supposed to be the Stelvio Pass, however the day the peloton was supposed to climb it, heavy snow cover forced the organization to omit it from the stage. The white jersey was worn by the leader of young rider classification, a ranking decided the same way as the general classification, but considering only neo-professional cyclists (in their first three years of professional racing). The combination classification, represented by a blue jersey, was calculated by summing up the points obtained by each rider in the other classifications; the leader was the rider with the lowest total of points. Although no jersey was awarded, there was also one classification for the teams, in which the stage finish times of the best three cyclists per team were added; the leading team was the one with the lowest total time.


Final standings


General classification


Points classification


Mountains classification


Young rider classification


Team classification


Combination classification


Special sprints classification


Intermediate sprints classification


Combativity classification


Aftermath

After the race, Andrew Hampsten told ''El Mundo Deportivo'' that he believed this was the biggest win of his career so far and thought he could win the upcoming Tour de France. Hampsten stated that Jean-François Bernard and Pedro Delgado both lacked awareness when attacking in the mountains and did not make the most of the time trials, but believed they would be more active in the Tour de France. In addition, Hampsten thought Bernard and
Roberto Visentini Roberto Visentini (born 2 June 1957) is an Italian former professional road racing cyclist who won the White Jersey in the 1978 Giro, finished in the top 10 of the 1979, 1980, and 1981 Giro's, made the podium in 1983, wore the Maglia Rosa for ...
did not perform to their expectations. He did not go on to win the Tour de France, but placed fifteenth overall. Runner-up Erik Breukink commented that he was satisfied with his second-place finish, but "Hampsten was simply better at the decisive moments". In addition, Breukink stated he came to the race in order to prepare for the Tour de France in July. At the Tour, he finished in twelfth overall and won the young rider classification for being the highest ranked rider in the general classification under the age of 25. Third place finisher Urs Zimmermann reflected on the race and stated that his chance of winning the overall race were gone after the Gavia stage. ''l'Unita'' writer Gino Sala looked back on the race and believed Delgado did not perform well and was not a serious threat to win the race. Luis Gómez, a writer for ''El País'', thought Delgado did not prepare properly for the Giro. In 2012, the organizer of the Giro d'Italia,
RCS Sport RCS Sport is a sport and media company that operates mainly in Italy in the sports sector, as part of RCS MediaGroup. It organises some of Italy's biggest road cycling events, including the Giro d'Italia, Milan–San Remo and Tirreno–Adriatico, ...
, did a survey on the greatest moments in the history of the Giro by interviewing over 100 journalists. The 1988 race was mentioned several times as one of the most memorable, with the journalists citing the fourteenth stage that traversed the Gavia Pass as the highlight. Several writers have referred to the fourteenth stage as being "epic" or "iconic" due to the weather conditions the riders battled over difficult climbs and unpaved roads to finish the stage. According to ''CyclingNews'' writer Jason Sumner, a photo from the fourteenth stage depicting the future winner Andrew Hampsten climbing the Gavia while a snowstorm blows in the foreground has become a widely known image that even casual cycling fans would recognize. After the stage, ''
La Gazzetta dello Sport ''La Gazzetta dello Sport'' (; "The Sports Gazette") is an Italian daily newspaper dedicated to coverage of various sports. Founded in 1896, it is the most widely read daily newspaper of any kind in Italy (in 2018). History and profile ''La ...
'' called the stage "The Day the Big Men Cried", with the stage still being commonly referred to as such.


References


Footnotes


Citations


Bibliography

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