When does Giro d’Italia 2023 start?

Every road cycling legend, every great champion has that first epic moment that defines their career. The moment that takes everyone by surprise, yet deep down, everyone knows this cyclist was always capable to do it. In 1967 Eddy Merckx was already a two-time  Milano-Sanremo champion, after he repeated his success in previous year. He… Read More »Eddy Merckx on Blockhaus (Giro d’Italia 1967)

Between 1946 and 1951 a special jersey was awarded to the last cyclist in the general classification of the Giro d ‘Italia, called Maglia Nera. The idea came from a story in the 1920s. A football player, called Giuseppe Ticozzelli was such a cycling enthusiast, that he attended the race as an individual rider in… Read More »The story of the Maglia Nera (Giro d’Italia 1946-1951)

Alfredo Binda ( 1902-1986), the second “Campionissimo”of the Italian cycling dominated at the Giro d’Italia in the second half of the 1920s. In 1929 he managed to win the race for the 4th time (after 1925, 1927 and 1928). This was a new record then.  

Fausto Coppi was the first rider to win the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France in the same year (1949) In 2024, 26 years after Marco Pantani’s double victory, Tadej Pogacar managed to win both Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in the same year. The list of the riders Fausto Coppi (ITA) 1949… Read More »Giro d’ Italia -Tour de France doubles

The pink jersey (maglia rosa) was introduced to the Giro d’Italia during the race in 1931.Learco Guerra (The Human Locomotive”) was the first rider to wear it.The top 11 riders  with  most days in pink jersey :Eddy Merckx 78 (1968,1969,1970,1972,1973,1974)Alfredo Binda 65 (1925,1927,1928,1929,1931,1933)Francesco Moser 50 (1976,1977,1979,1980,1981,1982,1984,1985)Giuseppe Saronni 48 (1979,1981,1983,1985,1986)Gino Bartali 42 (1936,1937,1939,1946,1947)Jacques Anquetil 42 (1959,1960,1961,1964,1967)Fausto… Read More »Most days in pink jersey

Passo del Mortirolo, usually a mid-stage ascent, was introduced to Giro d’Italia in 1990. The first rider on the top was the Venezuelan Leonardo Sierra. There is a monument to Marco Pantani at 8 km from the top (from the side of Mazzo di Valtellina).Also,  there is a special prize for the rider first atop,… Read More »Every time Passo del Mortirolo was part of Giro d’Italia

Thank you for being a devoted reader of PelotonTales. You are the reason why it’s worth spending so many hours to create new content and trying to improve this website. If you would show appreciation to my work, please consider supporting the blog with a small donation. Thank you! Raymond Delisle was one of those… Read More »Faces from the peloton: Raymond Delisle (1943-2013)

You would never guess in what kind of stage the  first Dutch Tour de France stage winner, Theo (Theofiel) Middelkamp (1914-2005) gained his victory. In a mountain stage in the Alps, including Télégraphe, Galibier and Lautaret. Considering that even in the early 1950s, when Wim van Est, the first Dutch cyclist to wear the yellow… Read More »Faces from the Peloton: Theo Middelkamp (1914-2005)

Undoubtedly, there were plenty of cyclists with unique stories in the peloton in the first few decades of road cycling races. These atlethes were not necessarily successful riders or didn’t become the bigest stars of their days, but yet, their stories are worth to be told. Actually, if we are looking deeper into the well… Read More »Faces from the peloton: Jules Deloffre, “the acrobat cyclist”

The winner of the longest ever individual time trial (139 km ) in the history of Tour de France, Raymond Impanis had a successful career. Although a bit in the shadow of the biggest names of the era. That certain individual time trial at Tour de France 1947 was one of his two TDF stage… Read More »Faces from the peloton: Raymond Impanis (1925-2010)

Fausto Coppi’s brother, Serse was born on the 19th of March in 1923 in Castellania, Italy. He started to race professionally in the Bianchi team as the most trusted domestique of his older sibling in 1946. Nevertheless, he had his own personal success either: he won Paris-Roubaix in 1949, although under disputable circumstances. Originally, André… Read More »Faces from the peloton: Serse Coppi (1923-1951)

The first Tour de France started at 3 pm on the 1st of July in 1903 from the Café au Reveil Matin (Paris).

There are few records from the early days of Tour de France still standing. One of them is the five consecutive stage victories during the race. The record holder is Francois Faber, the winner of the 1909 edition. Faber won eight stages that year, the the fiveco secutive knes he managed between the 2 and… Read More »15 July 1909 Francois Faber wins his5th consecutive stage

The opening stage of Tour de France 1906 was relatively short according to the standards of the time, “only” 271 km. The day started in Paris (as it was usual until 1926) and the finished in Lille. Emile Georget was the best rider on that day. Tour de France will return to Lille also in… Read More »4 July 1906 Tour de France visits Lille for the very first time

Tour de France 1914 started on the same day, 28th June, as the Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg  were assassinated in Sarajevo. When the riders lined up in the middle of the nigh for the start of the first stage in Paris, they knew nothing about that this day… Read More »Climbing Col d’Allos at Tour de France 1914 -Vintage cycling image of the day

Defining historical events of the 20th century often left  their marks on road cycling history. Just think about, for istance, the impact of World War 1 on the mythology of some famous races, like Paris-Roubaix. The born of the famous phase of “Hell of the North” is a quite well known story among cycling fans.… Read More »When Tour de France went abroad before 1914