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Stage 9
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. |
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