Giro d'Italia, 5th June 1988: Franco Chioccioli fights his way up the muddy dirt road to the Gavia Pass. He loses his pink jersey to Andrew Hampsten and can only guess what kind of snowstorm awaits him at the top of the pass. The next morning, "La Gazzetta dello Sport" ran the headline: "The day the hard men cried."
In 2010, the Gavia marks the highest point of the Tour of Italy for the seventh time - this time on the 20th stage. In contrast to 1988, this year the pros climb the longer but less steep north side from Bormio to Ponte di Legno. But no matter which side you climb from: both climbs lead beautifully into the high alpine, remote landscape of the Stelvio National Park.
You can find the entire article as a PDF download below.
Downloads:
download
