The Giro visits Termoli:
Stage 10 of the 1987 Giro finished in Termoli with
Paolo Rosola taking the honors. That represents the
sole prior visit of this great race.
May 14th in the Giro:
Alfredo Binda took the first stage of the 1927 Giro
over the 288km route from Milan to Turin. He would
win the first three stages of that edition, nine
out of the first ten, and 12 out of the 15 total.
Only four other riders would finish within an hour
of him on GC.
The Maglia Rosa made it's debut in 1931 and Learco
Guerra was the first to wear it. But Binda spent May
15th in pink and finished the day off with a win in
Pescara.
Herman Buse finished over 11 minutes ahead of the
field in Udine on this date in 1932, and became the
first German to take a stage and to wear pink.
In 1933 Binda would win again on May 15th, and this
time we would be taking the jersey from the Belgian
Demuysere. He would hold it for the remaining two
weeks of the race, extending his lead over the second
placed Demuysere to over twelve minutes and taking
the points competition as well.
We haven't spoken much of Coppi, but he won today
in 1953 in Roccaraso. He would take his fifth and
final Giro that year, but not without a battle.
Hugo Koblet held the lead as the Giro entered the
Dolomites. On a vicious stage Coppi dropped him
on the final climb. But Koblet made a heroic
descent to catch his rival on the road to Bolzano
and Coppi believed his Giro was over. But Coppi
attacked again the following day near the top of
the Stelvio and again Koblet released. This time
he was gone for good and Coppi took the lead with
only the stage to Milan remaining.
But as compelling as that story is, it is not what
people remember the 1953 Giro for. What was more
memorable was Coppi's growing relationship with
the wife of a doctor from Varano, a relationship
that would explode at his victory in the world
championships of that year in Lugano.
Today we view stage wins from Aussies as nothing
special. But in 1982 Michael Wilson became the first
Aussie to pull it off on this date in Cortona.
Robbie McEwen would celebrate the 20 year anniversary
of this feat by taking his first Giro stage in
Strasbourg.
David Zabriskie took the 2005 time trial to Florence
on this date. The US is way down the list of national
achievement in the Giro, so Zabriskie stands out. The
US has taken a total of 8 Giro stages, the same number
as Sweden and fewer than Norway and Denmark.