1995 Giro d'Italia
78th edition: May 13- June 4
Results, stages with running GC, map, profile, photos and history
1994 Giro | 1996 Giro | Giro d'Italia Database | Race Profile | 1995 Giro Quick Facts | 1995 Giro stage summary | 1995 Giro d'Italia Final GC | Stage results with running GC | The Story of the 1995 Giro d'Italia |
A special merci beaucoup (thank you very much) to Yves Guilleux for supplying GC standings down to 10th place for each stage.
1995 Giro d'Italia Race Profile
3,743.9 km raced at an average speed of 38.33 km/hr
198 starters and 122 classified finishers
Neither Marco Pantani nor Miguel Indurain started the 1995 Giro.
Tony Rominger took the lead when he won the stage two time trial and never relinquished it. His form was dominating and never did his opponents put him in difficulty. His major opposition came from Evgeni Berzin and Piotr Ugrumov, both on the Gewiss-Ballan squad. Because they were both ambitious and disliked each other, they spent as much time attacking each other as they did Rominger.
Date |
Stage |
Winner |
Pink jersey (Leader) |
| May 13 | 1 Perugia - Terni | Cipollini | Cipollini |
| May 14 | 2 Foligno - Assisi (Ind. Time Trial) | Rominger | Rominger |
| May 15 | 3 Spoleto - Marotta | Cipollini | Rominger |
| May 16 | 4 Mandolfo - Loreto | Rominger | Rominger |
| May 17 | 5 Porto Recanati - Tintoreto Lido | Casagrande | Rominger |
| May 18 | 6 Trani - Taranto | Minali | Rominger |
| May 19 | 7 Taranto - Terme Lunigiane | Fondriest | Rominger |
| May 20 | 8 Acquappesa Marina - Monte Sirino | Cubino | Rominger |
| May 21 | 9 Terme La Calda - Salerno | Sorenson | Rominger |
| May 22 | 10 Talese Terme - Maddaloni (Ind. Time Trial) |
Rominger | Rominger |
| May 24 | 11 Pietrasanta - Il Ciocco | Zaina | Rominger |
| May 25 | 12 Borgo a Mozzano - Cento | Svorada | Rominger |
| May 26 | 13 Pieve a Cento - Rovereto | Richard | Rominger |
| May 27 | 14 Trento - Val Senales | Rincon | Rominger |
| May 28 | 15 Val Senales - Lenzerheide Valbella | Piccoli | Rominger |
| May 29 | 16 Lenzerheide - Treviglio | Citterio | Rominger |
| May 30 | 17 Cenate Gewiss - Selvino Aviatico (Ind. Time Trial) | Rominger | Rominger |
| May 31 | 18 Stradella -Santuario di Vicoforte | Zanette | Rominger |
| June 1 | 19 Mondovi - Chianale di Ponte Chianale | Richard | Rominger |
| June 2 | 20 Briançon - Gressoney St. Jean | Outschakov | Rominger |
| June 3 | 21 Pont St. Martin - Luino | Berzin | Rominger |
| June 4 | 22 Luino - Milano | Lombardi | Rominger |
1995 Giro d'Italia Complete Final General Classification:
Tony Rominger (Mapei-GB): 97hr 39min 50sec- Evgeni Berzin (Gewiss-Ballan) @ 4min 13sec
- Piotr Ugrumov (Gewiss-Ballan) @ 4min 55sec
- Claudio Chiappucci (Carrera) @ 9min 23sec
- Oliverio Rincón (ONCE) @ 10min 3sec
- Pavel Tonkov (Panaria) @ 11min 31sec
- Enrico Zaina (Carrera) @ 13min 40sec
- Heinz Imboden (Refin-Cantina-Tollo) @ 16min 23sec
- Georg Totschnig (Polti) @ 18mn 5sec
- Francesco Casagrande (Mercatone Uno) @ 18min 50sec
- Bruno Cenghialta (Gewiss-Ballan) @ 21min 28sec
- Laurent Madouas (Castorama) @ 23min 0sec
- Pascal Richard (MG-Technogym) @ 23min 21sec
- Vladimir Poulnikov (Telekom) @ 24min 31sec
- Paolo Lanfranchi (Brescialat) @ 25min 33sec
- Nelson Rodriguez (ZG Mobili) @ 25min 45sec
- Stefano Cattai (ZG Mobili) @ 29min 14sec
- Hernan Buenahora (Kelme) @ 30mn 28sec
- Francisco Javier Mauleon (Mapei-GB) @ 33min 16sec
- Mariano Piccoli (Brescialat) @ 33min 16sec
- Arsenio Gonzalez (Mapei-GB) @ 37min 13sec
- Davide Rebellin (MG-Technogym) @ 38min 11sec
- Michel Lafis (Amore & Vita-Galatron) @ 43min 50sec
- Andrei Teteriouk (AKI-Gipiemme) @ 54min 29sec
- Pascal Hervé (Festina) @ 55min 33sec
- José Maria Jimenez (Banesto) @ 55min 56sec
- Jesus Montoya (Banesto) @ 56min 26sec
- Vladislav Bobrik (Gewiss-Ballan) @ 58min 52sec
- Francesco Frattini (Gewiss-Ballan) @ 1hr 1min 17sec
- Alberto Elli (MG-Technogym)@ 1hr 2min 9sec
- Giuseppe Guerini (Navigare-Blue Storm) @ 1hr 3min 56sec
- François Simon (Castorama) @ 1hr 6min 43sec
- Thomas Davy (Banesto) @ 1hr 8min 49sec
- Giorgio Furlan (Gewiss-Ballan) @ 1hr 11min 11sec
- Andrea Tafi (Mapei-GB) @ 1hr 14min 28sec
- Andrea Noè (Mapei-GB) @ 1hr 15min 13sec
- Jon Unzaga (Mapei-GB) @ 1hr 18min 11sec
- Zenon Jaskula (AKI-Gipiemme) @ 1hr 23min 49sec
- Omar Pumar (Brescialat) @ 1hr 24min 19sec
- Laudelino Cubino (Kelme) @ 1hr 28min 21sec
- Quintino Rodrigues (Sisacal Carnes-Acral) @ 1hr 32min 29sec
- Gianni Faresin (Lampre) @ 1hr 33min 11sec
- Laurent Dufaux (Festina) @ 1hr 36min 11sec
- Patrick Jonker (ONCE) @ 1hr 38min 32sec
- Alberto Volpi (Gewiss-Ballan) @ 1hr 45min 33sec
- Udo Bölts (Telekom) @ 1hr 46min 20sec
- Bruno Thibout (Castorama) @ 1hr 53min 2sec
- Rodolfo Massi (Refin-Cantina Tollo) @ 1hr 6min 50sec
- José Martin Farfan (Kelme) @ 1hr 58min 47sec
- Felice Puttini (Refin-Cantina Tollo) @ 2hr 1min 51sec
- Oscar Lopez Uriarte (Banesto) @ 2hr 5min 47sec
- José Jaime Gonzalez (Kelme) @ 2hr 11min 46sec
- Daniele Nardello (Mapei-GB) @ 2hr 12min 31sec
- Franco Vona (MG-Technogym) @ 2hr 12min 58sec
- Marcelino Garcia (ONCE) @ 2hr 14min 9sec
- Massimo Ghirotto (ZG Mobili) @ 2hr 15min 45sec
- Marcello Siboni (Carrera) @ 2hr 18min 2sec
- Andrew Hampsten (Banesto) @ 2hr 19min 20sec
- Erik Breukink (ONCE) @ 2hr 23min 27sec
- Roberto Menegotto (ZG Mobili) @ 2hr 24min 54sec
- Rolf Sørensen (MG-Technogym) @ 2hr 27min 52sec
- Carlo Finco (ZG Mobili) @ 2hr 29min 9sec
- Giancarlo Perini (Brescialat) @ 2hr 31min 36sec
- José Luis Arrieta (Banesto) @ 2hr 31min 48sec
- Juan Carlos Vicario (Castelblanch) @ 2hr 32min 15sec
- Francesco Secchiari (Navigare-Blue Storm) @ 2hr 37min 48sec
- Marco Saligari (MG-Technogym) @ 2hr 38min 29sec
- Maurizio Molinari (Amore & Vita-Galatron) @ 2hr 38min 48sec
- Eric Boyer (Polti) @ 2hr 39min 2sec
- Ignacio Garcia Camacho (Kelme) @ 2hr 41min 29sec
- Denis Zanette (AKI-Gipiemme) @ 2hr 44min 54sec
- Miguel Angel Peña (Mapei-GB) @ 2hr 46min 30sec
- Serguei Outschakov (Polti) @ 2hr 46min 31sec
- Kai Hundertmarck (Telekom) @ 2hr 46min 55sec
- Sergio Barbero (Carrera) @ 2hr 50min 4sec
- Juan Rodrigo Arenas (Festina) @ 2hr 50min 6sec
- Andrea Vatteroni (Navigare-Blue Storm) @ 2hr 53min 21sec
- Angel Yesid Camargo @ 2hr 53min 22sec
- Roberto Sierra (Kelme) @ 2hr 55min 1sec
- Luca Gelfi (Brescialat) @ 2hr 55min 30sec
- Mario Chiesa (Carrera) @ 2hr 56min 45sec
- Sauro Gallorini (Navigare-Blue Storm) @ 3hr 0min 10sec
- Juaquim Gomes (Sisacal Carnes-Acral) @ 3hr 1min 2sec
- Mauro Bettin (AKI-Gipiemme) @ 3hr 4min 12sec
- Stephen Hodge (Festina) @ 3hr 7min 34sec
- Mauro-Antonio Santaromita (Gewiss-Ballan) @ 3hr 8min 27sec
- Fabrizio Bontempi (Brescialat) @ 3hr 10min 39sec
- Roberto dal Sie (AKI-Gipiemme) @ 3hr 13min 30sec
- Roberto Conti (Lampre) @ 3hr 14min 18sec
- Nicola Loda (MG-Technogym) @ 3hr 15min 31sec
- Serafim Vieira (Sisacal Carnes-Acral) @ 3hr 17min 16sec
- Silvio Martinello (Mercatone Uno) @ 3hr 19min 44sec
- Heinrich Trumheller (Telekom) @ 3hr 20min 22sec
- Giovanni Fidanza (Polti) @ 3hr 22min 20sec
- Bo Hamburger (TVM) @ 3hr 25min 12sec
- Luis Maria Diaz de Otazu (ONCE) @ 3hr 25min 51sec
- Prudencio Indurain (Banesto) @ 3hr 27min 29sec
- Eleuterio Anguita (Castelblanch) @ 3hr 39min 19sec
- Bart Voskamp (TVM) @ 3hr 39min 58sec
- Carlos Galarreta (Castelblanch) @ 3hr 40min 23sec
- Lars-Kristian Johnsen (TVM) @ 3hr 40min 28sec
- Mario Scirea (Polti) @ 3hr 41min 58sec
- Erwin Nijboer (Banesto) @ 3hr 42min 30sec
- Stefano Zanatta (AKI-Gipiemme) @ 3hr 42min 45sec
- Mario Kummer (Telekom) @ 3hr 44min 20sec
- Andreas Kappes (Refin-Cantina Tollo) @ 3hr 44min 58sec
- Giuseppe Citterio (AKI-Gipiemme) @ 3hr 44min 59sec
- Mario Manzoni (Brescialat) @ 3hr 45min 2sec
- Davide Dall'Ollio (Amore & Vita-Galatron) @ 3hr 45min 8sec
- Riccardo Forconi (Amore & Vita-Galatron) @ 3hr 48min 0sec
- Giuseppe Calcaterra (Mercatone Uno) @ 3hr 49min 24sec
- Davide Bramati (Lampre) @ 3hr 52min 27sec
- Dariusz Bigos (Sisacal Carnes-Acral) @ 3hr 52min 28sec
- Giovanni Lombardi (Polti) @ 3hr 54min 57sec
- Jürgen Werner (Telekom) @ 3hr 58min 2sec
- Christian Henn (Telekom) @ 3hr 58min 29sec
- Jean-Jacques Henry (Festina) @ 3hr 58min 43sec
- Marco Villa (Amore & Vita-Galatron) @ 3hr 59min 31sec
- Francisco Javier Cerezo (Castelblanch) @ 4hr 0min 33sec
- Roberto Pagnin (ZG Mobili) @ 4hr 5min 10sec
- Frank Van den Abeele (Refin-Cantina Tollo) @ 4hr 6min 9sec
- Roberto Pellicoi (Refin-Cantina Tollo) @ 4hr 7min 7sec
Points Classification:
Tony Rominger (Mapei-GB): 205 points- Rolf Sørensen (MG-Technogym): 153
- Evgeni Berzin (Gewiss-Ballan): 148
- Piotr Ugrumov (Gewiss-Ballan): 145
- Giovanni Fidanza (Polti): 121
Climbers' Competition:
Mariano Piccoli (Brescialat): 75 points- Nelson Rodriguez (ZG Mobili): 45
- Giuseppe Guerini (Navigare-Blue Storm): 43
- Evgeni Berzin (Gewiss-Ballan): 33
- Oliverio Rincón (ONCE): 28
Intergiro:
Tony Rominger (Mapei-GB) 56hr 4min 21sec- Giovanni Fidanza (Polti) @ 54sec
- Evgeni Berzin (Gewiss-Ballan) @ 1min 24sec
- Rolf Sørensen (MG-Technogym)
- Fabrizio Bontempi (Brescialat)
Team Classification (Time)
- Gewiss-Ballan: 293hr 8min 42sec
- Mapei-GB @ 54min 57sec
- Carrera @ 1hr 9min 43sec
- MG-Technogym @ 1hr 31min 27sec
- Brescialat @ 1hr 46mn 9sec
Team Classification (points)
- Gewiss-Ballan: 631 points
- Carrera: 378
- MG-Technogym: 367
- Mercatone Uno: 334
- Lampre: 321
1995 Giro stage results with running GC:
Saturday, May 13: Stage 1, Perugia - Terni, 205 km
Major ascents: Casa Morella, Colle Campana, Todi
- Mario Cipollini: 5hr 15min 53sec
- Mario Manzoni s.t.
- Johan Capiot s.t.
- Giovanni Fidanza s.t.
- François Simon s.t.
- Nicola Minali s.t.
- Rolf Sørensen s.t.
- Michel Lafis s.t.
- Gilles Talmant s.t.
- Alessandro Bertolini s.t.
GC after Stage 1:
1. Mario Cipollini: 5hr 15min 41sec
2. Mario Manzoni @ 4sec
3. Maurizio Fondriest @ 6sec
4. Johan Capiot @ 8sec
5. Giovanni Fidanza s.t.
6. Tony Rominger @ 10sec
7. François Simon @ 12sec
8. Nicola Minali s.t.
9. Rolf Sørensen s.t.
10. Michel Lafis s.t.
Sunday, May 14: Stage 2, Foligno - Assisi 19 km individual time trial (cronometro)
- Tony Rominger: 25min 5sec. 45.449 km/hr
- Rolf Sørensen @ 47sec
- Maurizio Fondriest s.t.
- Francesco Casagrande @ 51sec
- Evgeni Berzin @ 55sec
- Piotr Ugrumov @ 1min 8sec
- Massimiliano Lelli @ 1min 10sec
- Wladimir Belli s.t.
- Pavel Tonkov @ 1min 12sec
- Mario Cipollini @ 1min 20sec
- Alberto Elli @ 1min 24sec
- Davide Rebellin @ 1min 25sec
- Patrick Jonker @ 1min 37sec
- Erik Breukink @ 1min 38sec
- François Simon @ 1min 39sec
- Filippo Casagrande @ 1min 44sec
- Bruno Cenghialta @ 1min 47sec
- Enrico Zaina @ 1min 50sec
- Claudio Chiappucci @ 1min 51sec
- Laurent Madouas @ 1min 57sec
GC after Stage 2:
1. Tony Rominger: 5hr 40min 56sec
2. Maurizio Fondriest @ 43sec
3. Rolf Sørensen @ 49sec
4. Francesco Casagrande @ 53sec
5. Evgeni Berzin @ 57sec
6. Mario Cipollini @ 1min 10sec
7. Piotr Ugrumov s.t.
8. Massimiliano Lelli @ 1min 12sec
9. Wladimir Belli s.t.
10. Pavel Tonkov @ 1min 14sec
Monday, May 15: Stage 3, Spoleto - Marotta, 161 km
Major ascent: Corinaldo
- Mario Cipollini: 3hr 56min 11sec
- Johan Capiot s.t.
- Giuseppe Citterio s.t.
- Jan Svorada s.t.
- Nicola Minali s.t.
- Giovanni Fidanza s.t.
- Silvio Martinello s.t.
- Massimo Strazzer s.t.
- Marco Villa s.t.
- Mario Manzoni s.t.
GC after Stage 3:
1. Tony Rominger: 9hr 37min 7sec
2. Maurizio Fondriest @ 43sec
3. Rolf Sørensen @ 49sec
4. Mario Cipollini @ 52sec
5. Francesco Casagrande @ 53sec
6. Evgeni Berzin @ 57sec
7. Piotr Ugrumov @ 1min 10sec
8. Massimiliano Lelli @ 1min 12sec
9. Wladimir Belli s.t.
10. Pavel Tonkov @ 1min 14sec
Tuesday, May 16: Stage 4, Mondolfo - Loreto, 192 km
Major ascents: Agugliano, Offagna
- Tony Rominger: 5hr 30min 53sec
- Maurizio Fondriest @ 4sec
- Francesco Casagrande @ 6sec
- Claudio Chiappucci s.t.
- Enrico Zaina s.t.
- Evgeni Berzin s.t.
- Heinz Imboden s.t.
- Paolo Lanfranchi s.t.
- Davide Rebellin s.t.
- Piotr Ugrumov s.t.
GC after Stage 4:
1. Tony Rominger: 15hr 7min 48sec
2. Maurizio Fondriest @ 51sec
3. Francesco Casagrande @ 1min 7sec
4. Evgeni Berzin @ 1min 15sec
5. Piotr Ugrumov @ 1min 28sec
6. Davide Rebellin @ 1min 45sec
7. Pavel Tonkov s.t.
8. Massimiliano Lelli @ 1min 49sec
9. Wladimir Belli @ 2min 7sec
10. Enrico Zaina @ 2min 10sec
Wednesday, May 17: Stage 5, Porto Recanati - Taranto, 182 km
Major ascents: Santa Vittoria in Matenano, Tortoreto
- Filippo Casagrande: 4hr 39min 2sec
- Rolf Sørensen s.t.
- Erik Breukink s.t.
- Mario Chiesa @ 4sec
- Luca Gelfi @ 31sec
- Jan Svorada @ 1mn 6sec
- Stefano Zanatta s.t.
- Stefano Giraldi s.t.
- José Luis Arrieta s.t.
- Mario Mantovan s.t.
GC after Stage 5:
1. Tony Rominger: 19hr 50min 39sec
2. Maurizio Fondriest @ 51sec
3. Francesco Casagrande @ 1min 7sec
4. Evgeni Berzin @ 1min 15sec
5. Piotr Ugrumov @ 1min 28sec
6. Davide Rebellin @ 1min 45sec
7. Pavel Tonkov s.t.
8. Massimiliano Lelli @ 1min 49sec
9. Wladimir Belli @ 2min 7sec
10. Enrico Zaina @ 2min 10sec
Thursday, May 18: Stage 6, Trani - Taranto, 165 km
- Nicola Minali: 4hr 11min 15sec
- Mario Cipollini s.t.
- Jan Svorada s.t.
- Giovanni Lombardi s.t.
- Giuseppe Citterio s.t.
- Massimo Strazzer s.t.
- Giovanni Fidanza s.t.
- François Simon s.t.
- Peter van Petegem s.t.
- Mauro Manzoni s.t.
GC after Stage 6:
1. Tony Rominger: 24hr 1min 54sec
2. Maurizio Fondriest @ 51sec
3. Francesco Casagrande @ 1min 7sec
4. Evgeni Berzin @ 1min 15sec
5. Piotr Ugrumov @ 1min 28sec
6. Davide Rebellin @ 1min 45sec
7. Pavel Tonkov s.t.
8. Massimiliano Lelli @ 1min 49sec
9. Wladimir Belli @ 2min 7sec
10. Enrico Zaina @ 2min 10sec
Friday, May 19: Stage 7, Taranto - Terme Luigiane, 216 km
Major ascent: Fagnano Castello
- Maurizio Fondriest: 5hr 11min 50sec
- Tony Rominger s.t.
- Francesco Casagrande s.t.
- Piotr Ugrumov @ 2sec
- François Simon @ 5sec
- Claudio Chiappucci s.t.
- Massimiliano Lelli s.t.
- Davide Rebellins s.t.
- Evgeni Berzin s.t.
- Jens Heppner s.t.
GC after Stage 7:
1. Tony Rominger: 29hr 13min 36sec
2. Maurizio Fondriest @ 47sec
3. Francesco Casagrande @ 1min 11sec
4. Evgeni Berzin @ 1min 28sec
5. Piotr Ugrumov @ 1min 38sec
6. Davide Rebellin @ 1min 58sec
7. Pavel Tonkov s.t.
8. Massimiliano Lelli @ 2min 2sec
9. Wladimir Belli @ 2min 20sec
10. Enrico Zaina @ 2min 23sec
Saturday, May 20: Stage 8, Acquappesa Marina - Monte Sirino, 209 km
Major ascents: Passo delle Scalone, Acquaformosa, Campo Tenese, Monte Sirino
- Laudelino Cubino: 5hr 53min 3sec
- Bruno Cenghialta @ 1min 19sec
- Francesco Frattini @ 1min 24sec
- Stefano Cattai s.t.
- Hernan Buenahora s.t.
- Georg Totschnig @ 1min 38sec
- Tony Rominger @ 1min 42sec
- Oliverio Rincón @ 1min 43sec
- Piotr Ugrumov @ 1min 48sec
- Francesco Casagrande @ 1min 17sec
- Jesus Montoya s.t.
- Davide Rebellin s.t.
- Claudio Chiappucci s.t.
- Laurent Madouas @ 1min 56sec
- Enrico Zaina @ 1min 59sec
- Heinz Imboden s.t.
- Pascal Richard s.t.
- Giuseppe Guerini @ 2min 6sec
- Vladimir Poulnikov s.t.
- Evgeni Berzin s.t.
GC after stage 8:
1. Tony Rominger: 35hr 7min 21sec
2. Francesco Casagrande @ 1min 17sec
3. Laudelino Cubino @ 1min 26sec
4. Piotr Ugrumov @ 1min 44sec
5. Evgeni Berzin @ 1min 52sec
6. Davide Rebellin @ 2min 4sec
7. Bruno Cenghialta @ 2min 21sec
8. Pavel Tonkov @ 2min 26sec
9. Claudio Chiappucci @ 2min 30sec
10. Francesco Frattini @ 2min 35sec
Sunday, May 21: Stage 9, Terme La Calda - Salerno, 165 km
Major ascent: Valico il Fortino
- Rolf Sørensen: 3hr 32min 12sec
- Francesco Frattini s.t.
- François Simon s.t.
- Marco Saligari s.t.
- Massimo Ghirotto s.t.
- Mario Chiesa s.t.
- Michel Lafis s.t.
- Udo Bölts s.t.
- Rodolfo Massi s.t.
- Gianni Faresin s.t.
GC after Stage 9:
1. Tony Rominger: 38hr 39min 46sec
2. Francesco Casagrande @ 1min 17sec
3. Laudelino Cubino @ 1min 26sec
4. Piotr Ugrumov @ 1min 44sec
5. Evgeni Berzin @ 1min 52sec
6. Davide Rebellin @ 2min 4sec
7. Francesco Frattini @ 2min 14sec
8. Bruno Cenghialta @ 2min 21sec
9. Pavel Tonkov @ 2min 26sec
10. Claudio Chiappucci @ 2min 30sec
Monday, May 22: Stage 10, Telese Terme - Maddaloni 42 km individual time trial (cronometro)
- Tony Rominger: 51min 54sec
- Evgeni Berzin @ 1min 24sec
- Piotr Ugrumov s.t.
- Francesco Casagrande @ 1min 43sec
- Maurizio Fondriest @ 1min 44sec
- Patrick Jonker @ 2min 11sec
- Rolf Sørensen @ 2min 19sec
- Claudio Chiappucci @ 2min 29sec
- Vladislav Bobrik @ 2min 42sec
- Massimiliano Lelli @ 2min 58sec
- Alberto Elli @ 3min 12sec
- Heinz Imboden @ 3min 30sec
- Pavel Tonkov @ 3min 31sec
- Davide Rebellin @ 3min 38sec
- Jesus Montoya @ 3min 57sec
- Francesco Frattini s.t.
- Zenon Jaskula @ 3min 59sec
- Bruno Cenghialta @ 4min 7sec
- Pascal Richard @ 4min 9sec
- Erik Breukink @ 4min 15sec
GC after Stage 10:
1. Tony Rominger: 39hr 31min 40sec
2. Francesco Casagrande @ 3min 0sec
3. Piotr Ugrumov @ 3min 8sec
4. Evgeni Berzin @ 3min 16sec
5. Claudio Chiappucci @ 4min 59sec
6. Davide Rebellin @ 5min 42sec
7. Pavel Tonkov @ 5min 57sec
8. Laudelino Cubino @ 6min 8sec
9. Francesco Frattini @ 6min 11sec
10. Massimiliano Lelli @ 6min 24sec
Tuesday, May 23: Rest Day (giorno di riposo)
Wednesday, May 24: Stage 11, Pietrasanta - il Ciocco, 175 km
Major ascents: Foce Carpinelli, San Pellegrino in Alpe, Il Ciocco
- Enrico Zaina: 4hr 37min 36sec
- Nelson Rodriguez s.t.
- Gilberto Simoni @ 22sec
- Giorgio Furlan @ 35sec
- Piotr Ugrumov @ 43sec
- Tony Rominger s.t.
- Evgeni Berzin s.t.
- Oliverio Rincón s.t.
- Laurent Madouas s.t.
- Claudio Chiappucci @ 56sec
GC after Stage 11:
1. Tony Rominger: 44hr 9min 59sec
2. Piotr Ugrumov @ 3min 8sec
3. Evgeni Berzin @ 3min 16sec
4. Francesco Casagrande @ 3min 20sec
5. Claudio Chiappucci @ 5min 12sec
6. Enrico Zaina @ 6min 24sec
7. Bruno Cenghialta @ 6min 48sec
8. Pavel Tonkov @ 6min 52sec
9. Alberto Elli @ 7min 2sec
10. Davide Rebellin @ 7min 12sec
Thursday, May 25: Stage 12, Borgo a Mozzano - Cento, 201 km
Mario Cipollini crossed the finish line first, but was declassified
- Jan Svorada: 5hr 4min 50sec
- Giovanni Lombardi s.t.
- Giuseppe Citterio s.t.
- Mario Manzoni s.t.
- Jean-Jacques Henry s.t.
- Johan Capiot s.t.
- Michel Lafis s.t.
- Nicola Minali s.t.
- Rolf Sørensen s.t.
- Roberto Pelliconi s.t.
GC after Stage 12:
1. Tony Rominger: 49hr 14min 49sec
2. Piotr Ugrumov @ 3min 8sec
3. Evgeni Berzin @ 3min 16sec
4. Francesco Casagrande @ 3min 20sec
5. Claudio Chiappucci @ 5min 12sec
6. Enrico Zaina @ 6min 24sec
7. Bruno Cenghialta @ 6min 48sec
8. Pavel Tonkov @ 6min 52sec
9. Alberto Elli @ 7min 2sec
10. Davide Rebellin @ 7min 12sec
Friday, May 26: Stage 13, Pieve di Cento - Rovereto, 218 km
Major ascents: San Valentino, Patone
- Pascal Richard: 5hr 44min 7sec
- Oliverio Rincón s.t.
- Vladislav Bobrik @ 3sec
- Giuseppe Guerini @ 26sec
- Mariano Piccoli @ 48sec
- Davide Rebellin @ 1min 22sec
- Claudio Chiappucci s.t.
- Francesco Casagrande s.t.
- Jens Heppner s.t.
- Enrico Zaina s.t.
GC after Stage 13:
1. Tony Rominger: 55hr 0min 18sec
2. Piotr Ugrumov @ 3min 8sec
3. Evgeni Berzin @ 3min 16sec
4. Francesco Casagrande @ 3min 20sec
5. Claudio Chiappucci @ 5min 12sec
6. Enrico Zaina @ 6min 24sec
7. Bruno Cenghialta @ 6min 48sec
8. Pavel Tonkov @ 6min 52sec
9. Davide Rebellin @ 7min 12sec
10. Heinz Imboden @ 7min 14sec
Saturday, May 27: Stage 14, Trento - Val Senales, 240 km
Major ascents: Auna di Sopra, Passo di Pennes, Passo di Monte Giovo, Maso Corto
- Oliverio Rincón: 7hr 32min 7sec
- Georg Totschnig @ 1min 18sec
- Tony Rominger @ 1min 20sec
- Piotr Ugrumov @ 1min22sec
- Claudio Chiappucci @ 1min 29sec
- Evgeni Berzin s.t.
- Heinz Imboden s.t.
- Pavel Tonkov @ 2mn 28sec
- Hernan Buenahora s.t.
- Arsenio Gonzalez s.t.
GC after Stage 14:
1. Tony Rominger: 62hr 33min 41sec
2. Piotr Ugrumov @ 3min 14sec
3. Evgeni Berzin @ 3min 29sec
4. Francesco Casagrande @ 4min 43sec
5. Claudio Chiappucci @ 5min 25sec
6. Oliviero Rincón @ 6min 13sec
7. Heinz Imboden @ 7min 27sec
8. Georg Totschnig @ 7min 50sec
9. Pavel Tonkov @ 8min 4sec
10. Enrico Zaina @ 9min 11sec
Sunday, May 28: Stage 15, Val Senales - Lenzerheide Valbella (Switzerland) , 185 km
Major ascents: Giogo di Santa Maria, Passo del Foscagno, Forcola di Livigno, Passo d. Bernina, Julierpass, Valbella
- Mariano Piccoli: 4hr 42min 9sec
- Giuseppe Guerini s.t.
- Francesco Frattini @ 1min 23sec
- François Simon @ 2min 6sec
- Enrico Zaina s.t.
- Georg Totschnig s.t.
- Heinz Imboden s.t.
- Claudio Chiappucci @ 2min 18sec
- Oliverio Rincón s.t.
- Piotr Ugrumov s.t.
GC after Stage 15:
1. Tony Rominger: 67hr 18min 8sec
2. Piotr Ugrumov @ 3min 14sec
3. Evgeni Berzin @ 3min 29sec
4. Claudio Chiappucci @ 5min 25sec
5. Oliviero Rincón @ 6min 13sec
6. Heinz Imboden @ 7min 15sec
7. Georg Totschnig @ 7min 38sec
8. Pavel Tonkov @ 8min 4sec
9. Enrico Zaina @ 9min 59sec
10. Francesco Casagrande @ 9min 34sec
Monday, May 29: Stage 16, Lenzerheide (Switzerland) - Treviglio (Bianchi Headquarters), 224 km
Gionvaani Lombardi was first and Mario Manzoni was third, but both were declassified
Major ascents: Julierpass, Taceno
- Giuseppe Citterio: 5hr 44min 44sec
- Roberto Pagnin s.t.
- Davide Bramati s.t.
- Silvio Martinello s.t.
- François Simon s.t.
- Rolf Sørensen s.t.
- Giovanni Fidanza s.t.
- Michel Lafis s.t.
- Marco Villa s.t.
- Andreas Kappes s.t.
GC after Stage 16:
1. Tony Rominger: 73hr 2min 52sec
2. Piotr Ugrumov @ 3min 14sec
3. Evgeni Berzin @ 3min 29sec
4. Claudio Chiappucci @ 5min 25sec
5. Oliviero Rincón @ 6min 13sec
6. Heinz Imboden @ 7min 15sec
7. Georg Totschnig @ 7min 38sec
8. Pavel Tonkov @ 8min 4sec
9. Enrico Zaina @ 9min 59sec
10. Francesco Casagrande @ 9min 34sec
Tuesday, May 30: Stage 17, Cenate (Gewiss Headquarters) - Selvino/Aviatico 43 km individual time trial (cronometro)
Major ascents: Colle del Gallo, Selvino
- Tony Rominger: 1hr 5min 39sec
- Evgeni Berzin @ 1min 39sec
- Piotr Ugrumov @ 2min3sec
- Francesco Casagrande @ 3min 11sec
- Pavel Tonkov @ 3min 27sec
- Zenon Jaskula @ 3min 44sec
- Oliverio Rincón @ 4min 8sec
- Claudio Chiappucci @ 4min 10sec
- Heinz Imboden @ 4min 37sec
- Georg Totschnig @ 4min 44sec
- Enrico Zaina @ 4min 45sec
- Rodolfo Massi @ 4min 55sec
- Pascal Richard @ 4min 58sec
- Paolo Lanfranchi @ 5min 0sec
- Bruno Cenghialta @ 5min 20sec
- José Jaime Gonzalez @ 5min 27sec
- Stefano Cattai @ 5min 39sec
- Vladimir Poulnikov @ 6min 11sec
- Giorgio Furlan @ 6min 12sec
- Hernan Buenahora @ 6min 14sec
GC after Stage 17:
1. Tony Rominger 74hr 8min 51sec
2. Evgeni Berzin @ 5min 8sec
3. Piotr Ugrumov @ 5min 17sec
4. Claudio Chiappucci @ 9min 35sec
5. Oliviero Rincón @ 10min 21sec
6. Pavel Tonkov @ 11min 31sec
7. Heinz Imboden @ 11min 52sec
8. Georg Totschnig @ 12min 22sec
9. Francesco Casagrande @ 12min 45sec
10. Enrico Zaina @ 13min 44sec
Wednesday, May 31: Stage 18, Stradella - Santuario di Vicoforte, 221 km
Major ascent: Montezemelo
- Denis Zanette: 5hr 30min 44sec
- Giuseppe Guerini s.t.
- Serguei Outschakov @ 1min 11sec
- Vladimir Poulnikov s.t.
- Roberto Pelliconi s.t.
- Lars-Kristian Johnsen s.t.
- roberto Pagnin s.t.
- Andrei Teteriouk s.t.
- Davide Rebellin s.t.
- Mario Chiesa s.t.
GC after Stage 18:
1. Tony Rominger: 79hr 55min 0sec
2. Evgeni Berzin @ 5min 8sec
3. Piotr Ugrumov @ 5min 17sec
4. Claudio Chiappucci @ 9min 35sec
5. Oliviero Rincón @ 10min 21sec
6. Pavel Tonkov @ 11min 31sec
7. Heinz Imboden @ 11min 52sec
8. Georg Totschnig @ 12min 22sec
9. Francesco Casagrande @ 12min 45sec
10. Enrico Zaina @ 13min 44sec
Thursday, June 1: Stage 19, Mondovì - Briançon (France) , planned 202 km, but stopped at Pontechianale, 129.9 km, because of snow avalanches on the course
Major ascent: Colle di Sampeyre
Stage 19 profile, the way it was planned
- Pascal Richard: 4hr 1min 11sec
- Rodolfo Massi s.t.
- Nelson rodriguez s.t.
- Hernan Buenahora @ 10sec
- Massimo Ghirotto @ 1min 8sec
- Marcello Siboni s.t.
- Thomas Davy s.t.
- Giancarlo Perini s.t.
- Patrick Joncker s.t.
- Francesco Frattini @ 4min 58sec
- Jon Unzaga s.t.
- Piotr Ugrumov s.t.
- Enrico Zaina s.t.
- Pavel Tonkov s.t.
- Claudio Chiappucci s.t.
- Oliverio Rincón s.t.
- Paolo Lanfranchi s.t.
- Laurent Madouas s.t.
- Tony Rominger s.t.
- Evgeni Berzin s.t.
GC after Stage 19:
1. Tony Rominger: 84hr 1min 9sec
2. Evgeni Berzin @ 5min 8sec
3. Piotr Ugrumov @ 5min 17sec
4. Claudio Chiappucci @ 9min 35sec
5. Oliviero Rincón @ 10min 21sec
6. Pavel Tonkov @ 11min 31sec
7. Heinz Imboden @ 11min 52sec
8. Georg Totschnig @ 12min 22sec
9. Francesco Casagrande @ 12min 45sec
10. Enrico Zaina @ 13min 44sec
Friday, June 2: Stage 20: Briançon (France) - Gressoney St. Jean, 203 km
Major ascents: Col de Montgenèvre, Grassoney St. Jean
- Serguei Outschakov: 4hr 59min 58sec
- Pascal Richard @ 5sec
- Piotr Ugrumov @ 8sec
- Evgeni Berzin s.t.
- Oliverio Rincón s.t.
- Claudio Chiappucci @ 26sec
- Pavel Tonkov s.t.
- Tony Rominger s.t.
- Paolo Lanfranchi s.t.
- Georg Totschnig s.t.
- Nelson Rodriguez s.t.
- Enrico Zaina s.t.
- Laurent Madouas s.t.
- Bruno Cenghialta s.t.
- Heinz Imboden s.t.
- Davide Rebellin @ 48sec
- Alberto Elli s.t.
- Francesco Secchiari s.t.
- Laurent Dufaux s.t.
- Michel Lafis s.t.
GC after Stage 20:
1. Tony Rominger: 89hr 1min 33sec
2. Evgeni Berzin @ 4min 50sec
3. Piotr Ugrumov @ 4min 55sec
4. Claudio Chiappucci @ 9min 35sec
5. Oliviero Rincón @ 10min 3sec
6. Pavel Tonkov @ 11min 31sec
7. Heinz Imboden @ 11min 52sec
8. Georg Totschnig @ 12min 22sec
9. Francesco Casagrande @ 13min 7sec
10. Enrico Zaina @ 13min 44sec
Saturday, June 3: Stage 21, Pont St. Martin - Luino, 190 km
Major ascents: Passo Cuvignone x 2, Montegrino
- Evgeni Berzin: 5hr 4min 59sec
- Claudio Chiappucci @ 21sec
- Enrico Zaina @ 25sec
- Pavel Tonkov s.t.
- Piotr Ugrumov s.t.
- Tony Rominger s.t.
- Nelson Rodriguez s.t.
- Oliverio Rincón s.t.
- Bruno Cenghialta @ 4min 56sec
- Heinz Imboden s.t.
- Andrea Noè s.t.
- Michel Lafis @ 6min 0sec
- Andrea Tafi @ 6min 8sec
- Giuseppe Guerini s.t.
- Francesco Casagrande s.t.
GC after Stage 21:
1. Tony Rominger: 94hr 6min 57sec
2. Evgeni Berzin @ 4min 13sec
3. Piotr Ugrumov @ 4min 55sec
4. Claudio Chiappucci @ 9min 23sec
5. Oliviero Rincón @ 10min 3sec
6. Pavel Tonkov @ 11min 31sec
7. Enrico Zaina @ 13min 40sec
8. Heinz Imboden @ 16min 23sec
9. Georg Totschnig @ 18min 5sec
10. Francesco Casagrande @ 18min 50sec
Sunday June 4: 22nd and Final Stage, Luino - Milano, 148 km
Major ascent: Brinzio
- Giovanni Lombardi: 3hr 2min 53sec
- Mario Manzoni s.t.
- Silvio Martinello s.t.
- Roberto Pelliconi s.t.
- Giuseppe Citterio s.t.
- Giovanni Findanza s.t.
- Andreas Kappes s.t.
- Roberto Pagnin s.t.
- Bo Hamburger s.t.
- Bruno Thibout s.t.
1995 Giro d'Italia Complete Final General Classification
The Story of the 1995 Giro d'Italia
This excerpt is from "The Story of the Giro d'Italia", Volume 2. If you enjoy it we hope you will consider purchasing the book, either print or electronic. The Amazon link here will make either purchase easy.
The starting field of 198 riders had some riders who were pretty good with a bike. Both Tony Rominger—already the Vuelta record holder with three wins (1992, ’93 and ’94) and owner of the World Hour Record—and Evgeni Berzin were in fine form. But Berzin couldn’t expect undivided loyalty from his Gewiss team. Piotr Ugrumov was included in the team roster and the two had developed an intense dislike for each other. Missing was Induráin, who decided not to tire himself before the Tour.
Pantani was looking good, but on May 1, while on a training ride before leaving later that day to ride the Tour of Romandie, he was hit by a car. He had no broken bones, but he was beaten up badly enough that he had to miss the Giro. Pantani recovered in time to contest the Tour de France in July where he came in thirteenth, winning two stages and the Best Young Rider Jersey.
The first Giro stage was sited in Umbria, rolling out of Perugia and finishing in Terni. The pack came to Terni together and Mario Cipollini’s Mercatone Uno team gave him a perfect leadout. He put several bike lengths between himself and second place Mario Manzoni, making the racer nicknamed the “Lion King” the year’s first maglia rosa.
The men riding to own the Pink Jersey in Milan would be not be allowed to hide this year. The second stage was a 19-kilometer time trial from Foligno to Assisi, and being planted on top of a hill, the only way to Assisi was up. This was a stage for an all-rounder who could handle his bike, given the roads were slippery from rain. Rominger destroyed the field with a superb winning ride and took the Giro lead for the first time in his career.
The General Classification at this point was thus:
1. Tony Rominger
2. Maurizio Fondriest @ 43 seconds
3. Rolf Sørensen @ 49 seconds
4. Francesco Casagrande @ 53 seconds
5. Evgeni Berzin @ 57 seconds
Stage four to Loreto in Le Marche featured four circuits over rolling roads, a route hard enough to keep the teams attentive to potential breaks by Classification contenders. Indeed, each lap’s climb was raced aggressively with attacking riders gaining a few seconds only to be swept up by Rominger’s gregari. On the final time up the hill, Berzin teammate Vladislav Bobrik jumped away. Rominger instantly had the Russian in his sights, swept by him and kept going for another stage win, distancing second-place Fondriest by four seconds.
Rominger wins stage four in Loreto
The race headed south to the toe of the boot. Each day there were at least a few hills to chew away at the riders’ reserves, stage seven being a good example with an uphill sprint after a day of rolling terrain. Rominger tried to repeat his stage four success, but Fondriest was tired of getting second and won the stage. Rominger remained the leader by 47 seconds over Fondriest.
The eighth stage had the potential to be game altering with its 18-kilometer climb to the finish at Monte Sirino. When he took the lead in stage two, Rominger had said that he didn’t plan to keep the lead. But as the race developed it was looking like Rominger had no plans to cede the maglia rosa and his Mapei team was put at the front of the race day after day.
Maurizio Fondriest wins stage seven in Terme Luigiane in front of Tony Rominger and Francesco Casagrande
A small break escaped on Monte Sirino and Laudelino Cubino was first while Rominger led in the field only 4 seconds behind the last of the fugitives. The day had two serious casualties, Berzin and Fondriest, who both lost time.
The General Classification stood thus:
1. Tony Rominger
2. Francesco Casagrande @ 1 minute 17 seconds
3. Laudelino Cubino @ 1 minute 26 seconds
4. Piotr Ugrumov @ 1 minute 44 seconds
5. Evgeni Berzin @ 1 minute 52 seconds
Stage ten, a 42-kilometer individual time trial on an undulating course finishing in Maddaloni, just north of Naples, was another opportunity for the World Hour Record holder to tighten his grip on the race. Rominger rode a new carbon-fiber time trial bike that had been delivered just the day before. Yet, the bike’s newness was no handicap: Rominger took 1 minute 24 seconds out of Berzin and Ugrumov, who finished within two-tenths of a second of each other. Rominger now had a 3-minute lead over Ugrumov and 3 minutes 8 seconds over third-place Berzin.
Tony Rominger time trialing
During the rest day that followed, the race transferred north to the coast of Tuscany. Stage eleven had a hilltop finish at Il Ciocco after a day of climbing in the Apuan Alps. On the road to Il Ciocco, Berzin tried to challenge Rominger, but the Swiss rider had no trouble marking the Russian. Ugrumov tried his hand and Rominger’s answer was to go to the front. Though Rominger didn’t look like he was going deep, only Berzin and Ugrumov were able to stay with him. They finished the stage together.
The Giro’s final chapter opened in Trent with stage fourteen, the year’s longest stage at 240 kilometers. There were four highly rated climbs with the finish atop the 2,004-meter high Val Senales in the Dolomites.
At over twenty kilometers, the Senales ascent was long enough for the Gewiss drama to really play out. With about eight kilometers to go, Rominger was with Berzin, Ugrumov and Spanish rider Oliviero Rincon while a group with Chiappucci was a short distance behind them.
Rincon scooted away and Ugrumov decided to lead the Rominger trio. Crystallizing the split within the team, Ugrumov then attacked, taking Rominger with him, leaving teammate Berzin behind. Rominger and Ugrumov formed a working duo that temporarily distanced itself from Berzin, but as the road flattened out, Berzin clawed his way back. The trio slackened their speed slightly allowing the Chiappucci group to close up. There were now only two kilometers to go and no one was able to catch Rincon. At no time during the stage was Rominger ever in distress; he easily matched the efforts of his two Gewiss challengers and that was quite enough.
The General Classification stood thus:
1. Tony Rominger
2. Piotr Ugrumov @ 3 minutes 14 seconds
3. Evgeni Berzin @ 3 minutes 29 seconds
4. Francesco Casagrande @ 4 minutes 43 seconds
5. Claudio Chiappucci @ 5 minutes 25 seconds
Stage fifteen left Italy for Switzerland and a 185-kilometer day in the mountains ending with a climb to Lenzerheide/Valbella. Berzin wasn’t giving up. On the Flüele pass, the day’s penultimate ascent, Berzin attacked and bridged up to an earlier break. The stage was only about half over and Berzin had about a two-minute lead. Rominger didn’t seem too concerned, putting his Mapei men to work controlling the gap.
Berzin was caught before the start of the final climb. He and Ugrumov kept trying to get away but Rominger had such deep reserves he was able to answer each attack. And that’s how the stage ended with no change in the standings of the top three.
The year’s final time trial was not designed for the big-gear boys, featuring an ascent of the 760-meter-high Gallo before the climb to Selvino Aviatico. Again, Rominger was supreme. Ugrumov faltered a bit and lost 24 seconds to Berzin, ceding second place to his rival.
The new General Classification:
1. Tony Rominger
2. Evgeni Berzin@ 5 minutes 8 seconds
3. Piotr Ugrumov @ 5 minutes 17 seconds
4. Claudio Chiappucci @ 9 minutes 35 seconds
It wasn’t over as far as Ugrumov was concerned. Stage nineteen, going from Mondovì to Briançon in France offered no end of possibilities with its three major Alpine passes, the Sampeyre, the Agnello, and the Izoard.
Snowpack on the upper slopes of the Agnello from the previous day’s snowfall avalanched onto the road a few kilometers from the summit, trapping some of the race caravan travelling ahead of the race. As a result, it was decided to end the stage just part way up the Agnello in Ponte Chianale where an intermediate sprint had been planned.
Since the announcement of the shortened stage came with only about an hour’s worth of riding left in the now 130-kilometer stage, any plans for big moves on the final climb had to be forgotten. This might have been a gift to Rominger, who looked awful that day. No one was able to take advantage of his apparent giornata no.
The next day was another race in the Alps. Ugrumov went crazy trying to get away, but Berzin and Rincon stayed with him and no amount of attacking could drop them. They also refused to work with him to distance themselves from the Rominger group, being content to ride up to Ugrumov’s wheel after each of his accelerations. The distaste the two Gewiss riders had for each other was starkly evident, the duo bickering their way to the line while Rominger led his group to the finish without any evident panic, feeling comfortable with a few seconds’ time loss.
That evening the Gewiss director had a sit-down with his petulant racers, telling them that they should be attacking Rominger, not each other.
The second-to-last stage was not going to be easy with two ascents of the Cuvignone. It was another lousy day with the rain coming down in buckets. Berzin tried to escape on the second time up the Cuvignone, but had to surrender near the top. The descent was extremely technical and the riders were in no mood to take stupid chances on the slippery roads.
The final ascent of the day and the Giro was the 5.7-kilometer Salita di Montegrino Valtravaglia and Berzin used it to get away and stay away. He beat the Rominger group containing Ugrumov to the line by 25 seconds, thereby assuring himself of a secure second place.
Rominger’s Giro win was as commanding and effortless as any Grand Tour victory. No one at any point had the ability to put him in extremis. He seized the lead at the first possible opportunity, the stage two time trial, and kept it the rest of the race. He was the third Swiss victor in Giro history, Koblet having won in 1950 and Clerici in 1954.
On the final podium Rominger and Berzin looked quite pleased with things but Ugrumov looked dour, probably replaying the race in his head and wondering where he could have taken 42 seconds out of his Russian nemesis.
Final 1995 Giro d’Italia General Classification:
1. Tony Rominger (Mapei-GB) 97 hours 39 minutes 50 seconds
2. Evgeni Berzin (Gewiss-Ballan) @ 4 minutes 13 seconds
3. Piotr Ugrumov (Gewiss-Ballan) @ 4 minutes 55 seconds
4. Claudio Chiappucci (Carrera Jeans) @ 9 minutes 23 seconds
5. Oliviero Rincon (ONCE) @ 10 minutes 3 seconds
Climbers’ Competition:
1. Mariano Piccoli (Brescialat): 75 points
2. Nelson Rodriguez (ZG Mobili-Selle Italia): 45
3. Giuseppe Guerini (Navigare-Blue Storm): 43
Points Competition:
1. Tony Rominger (Mapei-GB): 205 points
2. Rolf Sørensen (Maglificio-MG): 153
3. Evgeni Berzin (Gewiss-Ballan): 148
* * *
That fall Pantani crashed again, this time it was a horrific, potentially career-ending racing accident. Fine-tuning his form before the 1995 Tour of Lombardy, he crashed into a car that had been allowed on the course of the late-season Milan–Turin Classic. As he was descending into Turin at high speed with two other riders they smashed into a Nissan 4x4 going the opposite direction. Pantani suffered, among other serious injuries, several broken bones in his left leg.
After a protracted and difficult recovery regimen, he was able to resume riding in March of 1996. In April, he signed to race the 1997 season with Luciano Pezzi’s Mercatone Uno-sponsored team, which was to be built around him. Because this was a Pantani-centered squad, no sprinters were signed who might distract the team from its goal of delivering him to the finish first. By the end of 1996, still wearing his Carrera kit, Pantani was riding professional races in Spain. When Carrera pulled out of racing at the end of the year Mercatone Uno swept in and signed several more of the team’s riders to be Pantani’s gregari.