This year’s Giro is a reminder of how great this race can be.
My first memory of the Giro d’Italia dates back to 1988 when Andy Hampsten became the first and only American to win the race overall. This was well before the internet or live streaming, so I followed the race by reading the results in the sports page of the Rocky Mountain News as often as I could.
Growing up in Colorado, and with Andy having ties to the state at that time, it was a big deal.
This race became infamous for the epic battle on stage 14 over the snowy Passo di Gavia and then down the freezing cold valley to the finish in Bormio. I vaguely remember watching short video footage of this stage on the news back in Colorado, but in those days, we had to wait a few weeks before VeloNews arrived in the mailbox to get all the details.
The stories I have heard over the years from people who were present on that epic day are mind-boggling. What Andy and the rest of the riders had to endure during that stage with those brutal conditions is legendary. They obviously didn’t have the same extreme weather protocols in place that exist today!
Giro debut and a maglia rosa defence
Since I raced on French teams for five years where the Tour de France was the focus, the Giro d’Italia was not on my race program for much of my career. I didn’t participate until 2006 while riding for Team CSC.
In the winter of 2005, after my best season as a professional, it was decided that I would be part of the team supporting Ivan Basso in his bid to win the 2006 Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. It seemed like a very ambitious goal to me at the time, as Ivan had never won a Grand Tour before, let alone pull off “the double,” but I adjusted my personal goals and agreed to the challenge.
My first Giro did not get off to a great start as I suffered from allergies at the start in Belgium. Once we got to Italy, we won the stage 4 team time trial by a mere one second over T-Mobile, which was a career highlight. However, the allergy issues soon returned.
I felt as if I was stuck to the road and wanted to abandon, but I was convinced to stay in the race with the promise that we would soon change regions with higher altitudes and less pollen. Our team leader, Ivan Basso, won the first of his eventual three stage wins on Stage 7 and took the pink leader’s jersey. Even though I was in the grupetto for much of the first two weeks, stopping the race was not an option.
Things eventually improved for me, and I was able to contribute to the team efforts in defending the jersey in the final week. The highlight for me was setting tempo for Ivan on the Passio di Gavia on stage 19, which he wound up winning.
Racing on Hampsten’s stomping ground
The Gavia came about halfway through the stage, and my job was to make it over the climb with the leaders, then ride on the front with Jens Voigt on the descent until the base of the Mortirolo, where Ivan wanted to attack.
Even though we were riding in near-perfect conditions compared to 1988, I had goosebumps knowing that we were on the same roads as Andy and the other legends who survived that epic stage.
Ivan would eventually win the race and after the last stage in Milan, I went around to all my teammates and asked for a signed race number and for them to sign the pink jersey that Ivan gave me. I have not got around to framing it yet, but one day I will.
This year’s Giro d’Italia has been a very exciting race on many levels. Every Grand Tour has its fair share of surprises and drama, but this year has had non-stop action and has been fun to watch.
We have seen very predictable Grand Tour finishes for a few years now, and I think it is good for the sport to see different riders battling it out for stage wins and podium places.
The points jersey of Mads Petersen and the mountain jersey of Lorenzo Fortunato seem to be a formality, but the biggest prize of all, the coveted pink leader’s jersey, was settled in a stunning final mountain stage on Saturday. In what was a very dramatic finale, Simon Yates grabbed the maglia rosa, seven years after losing it on the same Colle delle Finestre climb.
In this race we have witnessed some remarkable rides of confirmation, surprise, inspiration, and comebacks. These moments are what make this sport so great and keep fans eagerly watching year after year.