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Cycling Climbs Giro d'Italia History and Legends Races

Monte Zoncolan

One of the most demanding climbs in professional road bicycle racing, Monte Zoncolan is a mountain in the Carnic Alps, located in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. It has been used in the Giro d’Italia six times (2003, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2018) and in the Giro Donne (Giro d’Italia Femminile, rebranded in 2013 as the Giro Rosa), once (1997).

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Cycling Climbs Giro d'Italia History and Legends Races

Montevergine di Mercogliano

Montevergine is located near Avellino, in the comune of Mercogliano, in Campania, central Italy. The mountain is a limestone massif and part of the Apennine chain. Under the peak, at some 1,270 meters, is the Sanctuary of Montevergine (see notes 1), where the climb ends.

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Cycling Climbs Giro d'Italia History and Legends Races

Mount Etna

Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy. With a height of currently 3,329 meters / 10,922 ft (this varies with summit eruptions), it is the highest active volcano in Europe outside the Caucasus, and also the highest peak in Italy south of the Alps. To date, the Giro d’Italia has visited the volcano four times, three times to the Rifugio Sapienza and once to Piano Bottaro lower down. The last visit was in 2017, where Jan Polanc, the Slovenian rider of UAE Team Emirates won stage 4, as the last survivor of a four-man breakaway. The fifth visit will be in the 2018 edition.

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History and Legends Giro d'Italia Races

Black Jersey is Back

Between 1946 and 1951, the Giro d’Italia had a special jersey, “maglia nera” (English: black jersey), for the last-placed rider. There was a real competition between many riders, to win this highly-coveted jersey. The last-placed rider would ride the final victory lap with the race winner each year around the historic Vigorelli Velodrome in Milan.

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History and Legends Races Tour de France

A Mountain Pass during the 1925 Tour de France

Today’s historic photo of the day: a mountain pass during the 1925 Tour de France. Frenchman Roger Lacolle (Météore) is leading the group (in the left, walking). The rider going the opposite way is a native, not a competitor.

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History and Legends Races Tour de France

Jean Alavoine atop Col d’Aspin (Tour de France 1922)

Today’s historic photo of the day: on Wednesday, July 5, Frenchman Jean Alavoine (Peugeot-Wolber) crosses over the Col d’Aspin during the Tour de France 1922, stage 6. It was a monster 326-kilometer stage from Bayonne to Luchon, which contains three major climbs: Col d’Aubisque, Col d’Aspin, and Col de Peyresourde. Alavoine won the stage in 14 hours 28 minutes and 44 seconds. The second finisher, Victor Lanaers (Automoto) came 16 minutes 43 seconds behind. The overall winner, Firmin Lambot (Peugeot) came third, at 31:05.

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History and Legends

Watch: The race between LeMond, Kelly, Flecha, and Edwards

Cycling journalist Laura Meseguer posted a video on her Twitter account: three great retired cyclists, Greg LeMond, Sean Kelly, and Juan Antonio Flecha, and a British former triple jumper and a keen recreational cyclist Jonathan Edwards racing against each other using a custom setup. They jumped on their stationary bikes which were fitted to a toy race track with miniature riders representing each person.

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History and Legends Cycling and Music, Cinema, Art

48 Tornanti di Notte: Downhill from Stelvio, in the night, with no hands, no brakes!

This is the story of the last record attempt of Giuliano Calore, a racing cyclist, world champion of extreme cycling, holder of 13 records, and won 98 medals. He was born in Padova (north-east Italy) in 1938. The movie is titled “48 Tornanti di Notte” (48 Hairpin Bends at Night) tells about his most impressive challenge so far: descending from the Stelvio Pass – at an altitude of 2758 m – at night, with all of its 48 hairpin turns, on a bike with no handlebars or brakes, illuminated only by a torch and moonlight.

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History and Legends Giro d'Italia Races

Koblet-Coppi battle, Giro d’Italia 1953

Hugo Koblet, “Pédaleur de charme“, and Fausto Coppi, “Il Campionissimo”, two post-war era giants. They were good friends, until the Giro d’Italia 1953 edition. After that Giro, they would never speak to each other again. But, what happened?

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Il Lombardia Classics History and Legends Races

Il Lombardia

Il Lombardia (formerly known as the Giro di Lombardia), “Classica delle foglie morte” (the classic of the dead [falling] leaves), is traditionally the last of the five classic “Monuments” of the cycling season.

The first edition was 1905. It was then called Milan-Milan. It gained the name “Giro di Lombardia” in 1907. The route has changed many times. Milan, Sesto San Giovanni, Bergamo, Varese, Monza, Como have been start or finish place.