Buy a Slice of History

guest — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:58:30 GMT

In the 100 year history of the Giro d'Italia only one American has ever stood on the top step of the podium. In 1988, Andy Hampsten became the first, and only, US rider to win the pink jersey or 'maglia rosa.' Not only did Hampsten create cycling history as the first American winner, but he took the leader's jersey in a snowstorm on the Gavia Pass on a stage that has become legendary.

That stage on the Gavia Pass is known as 'the day strong men cried' because the brutal conditions forced many of the best professional riders in the world to crack and seek shelter from the storm in their team cars. That wouldn't seem to be a bad thing, but the race was still in progress. Snow fell heavily on the ascent of the 8500' pass, but it was the raging blizzard on the descent that separated the men from the boys.

Andy Hampsten didn't win the stage that day. He finished seven seconds behind Erik Bruekink. But, he won two other stages and held off Breukink on the final day's time trial stage held in pouring rain. It was that kind of grand tour and Hampsten's was a well-deserved win.

You can read more about that epic day on the Gavia Pass and Andy's historic Giro win at: http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s-3-9-17127-1,00.html

Now, you can own a slice of history by purchasing a newly designed poster featuring a photo of Andy climbing the Gavia Pass in the snow. Next time you are on the fence about going out for a ride in less-than-ideal conditions you can look at Andy's face and hair caked with snow and realize that the weather outside isn't too bad.

Check out www.cinghiale.com for details on ordering.

Bruce

Exciting Giro Finale: Now and 20 Years Ago

guest — Sat, 31 May 2008 04:59:17 GMT

The Giro heads into an extremely exciting final weekend in which the top three riders are separated by only 21 seconds. Saturday the race climbs the grueling Passo Gavia and the fearsome Passo Mortirolo and the final day features a 17-mile individual time trial. You have to go back 20 years to find a Giro which included both the Gavia Pass and a final stage time trial and guess what, an American won the whole enchilada!

Andy Hampsten's historic victory is most remembered for the stage which has become know as "The Day Strong Men Cried". It was on the slopes of the Gavia Pass, in the midst of a horrific blizzard, that Hampsten showed us the character of a true champion. While almost every other rider in the race was thinking only of survival, Andy rode away from his competitors and into the teeth of a snowstorm that turned the 8600' pass into a chaotic mess.

Conditions were so bad that most riders stopped on top and hopped into their team cars to warm up. But not Hampsten. He knew that the real race was going to be on the descent where the loss of the body heat he was generating going up the 4500' climb was going to end and the shivering would begin. There were no follow vehicles, no race radios, Andy headed down into the 5500' descent all by himself. There would be no help of any kind for him on the way down, he was literally on his own.

This blog isn't long enough to describe the tortuous ordeal in the detail it so rightly deserves, suffice it to say that Andy persevered and took the maglia rosa, the pink jersey signifying the race leader, at the finish. And just to prove that he deserved to be in pink, he and his Team 7-Eleven defended the jersey in the final week which included three mountain stages, a mountain time trial and a final stage time trial near Venice.

If the current media coverage, Versus TV, cycling.tv, the Internet, etc. had been around 20 years ago Andy would be a huge hero in the States. It was an epic win in epic conditions. But, the mild-mannered Hampsten would probably not have wanted all that public attention. He just likes living in Boulder, riding his bike and hanging with his daughter, Emma, girlfriend, Elaine, and his buds.

Bruce

Blog Posts From Active Expert: Bruce Hildenbrand Tagged With gavia_pass

Buy a Slice of History

Exciting Giro Finale: Now and 20 Years Ago