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By Barry Boyce, CyclingRevealed Historian |
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Merckx’s 5th Giro Victory but Barely
Belgian Eddy Merckx won his fifth Giro d’Italia Championship but not without a fight. These were the Merckx "Golden Years" but the competition was getting closer.
SPECIAL NOTE: A first in 1974 the leader of the Mountain Classification wore the Maglia Vert (Green Jersey)  .
Spanish climber Jose-Manuel Fuente controlled the race through the stage 12 individual time trial won by Merckx. Fuente lost over 2 minutes in the ITT but retained the Maglia Rosa. He gave up the race lead to Merckx on stage 14.
SPECIAL NOTE: Race officials changed the stage schedule after a terrorist bombing in Brescia, near Milan. The Wednesday, May 29th rest day originally scheduled for Saturday, June 1 after stage 14 in San Remo. Italian government declared a National Day of Mourning on May 29 and the race officials moved up the restday.
Jose-Manuel Fuente rode poorly on stage 14. After not properly eating during the stage Fuente bonked and lost more than 10 minute to the Merckx group. The Belgian took the Maglia Rosa.
After taking the Maglia Rosa the Cannibal tentatively controlled the race until the penultimate stage 20, the mountain top finish in Tre cime di Laverado.
There were only two stages until the finish in Milan and Merckx was struggling to hold the lead group on the finishing climb. Fuente set a brutal pace and split the leaders. Young Italian Gianbattista Baronchelli went after a solo Fuente and gapped Merckx to become the “race leader on-the-road”. With the Giro lead slipping away from the race leader Merckx dug deep to find a huge effort in the final kilometer to close the gap. Fuente won the stage and Baronchelli, second on the stage, closed to within 12 seconds of the race lead.
Merckx left no doubt and won the next stage in Bassano del Grappa. The stage win cemented his hold on the Maglia Rosa.
Eddy Merckx rode into Milan for his record tying fifth Giro d’Italia victory, but not without a fight.
Stage and Distance |
Stage Winner |
Race Leader |
Stage 1 Rome/Vatican-Formia, 164 km |
Wilfried Reybrouck (Bel) |
Wilfried Reybrouck (Bel) |
Stage 2 Formia-Pompei, 121 km |
Patrick Sercu (Bel) |
Wilfried Reybrouck (Bel) |
Stage 3 Pompei-Sorrento, 137 km |
Jose-Manuel Fuente (Spa) |
Jose-Manuel Fuente (Spa) |
Stage 4 Sorrente-Sapri, 208 km |
Roger De Vlaeminck (Bel) |
Jose-Manuel Fuente (Spa) |
Stage 5 Sapri-Taranto, 215 km |
Pierino Gavazzi (Ita) |
Jose-Manuel Fuente (Spa) |
Stage 6 Taranto-Foggia, 206 km |
Franco Bitossi (Ita) |
Jose-Manuel Fuente (Spa) |
Stage 7 Foggia-Chieti, 257 km |
Ugo Colombo (Ita) |
Jose-Manuel Fuente (Spa) |
Stage 8 Chieti-Macereta, 150 km |
Franco Bitossi (Ita) |
Jose-Manuel Fuente (Spa) |
Stage 9 Macereta-Monte Carpegna, 191 km |
Jose-Manuel Fuente (Spa) |
Jose-Manuel Fuente (Spa) |
Stage 10 Monte Carpegna-Modena, 205 km |
Patrick Sercu (Bel) |
Jose-Manuel Fuente (Spa) |
Stage 11a Modena-Il Ciocco, 153 km |
Jose-Manuel Fuente (Spa) |
Jose-Manuel Fuente (Spa) |
Stage 11b Il Ciocco-Forte dei Marmi, 62 km |
Patrick Sercu (Bel) |
Jose-Manuel Fuente (Spa) |
Stage 12 Forte dei Marmi, 40 km ITT |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Jose-Manuel Fuente (Spa) |
Stage 13 Forte dei Marmi-Pietra Ligure, 231 km |
Enrico Paolini (Ita) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 14 Pietra Ligure-San Remo, 189 km |
Giuseppe Perletto (Ita) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 15 San Remo-Valenza, 206 km |
Ercole Gualazzini (Ita) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 16 Valenza-Mendrisio, 158 km |
Jose-Manuel Fuente (Spa) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 17 Como-Iseo, 158 km |
Santiago Lazcano (Ita) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 18 Iseo-Sella Valsugana, 190 km |
Franco Bitossi (Ita) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 19 Borgo Valsudana-Pordenone, 146 km |
Enrico Paolini (Ita) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 20 Pord.-Tre cime di Laverado, 163 km |
Jose-Manuel Fuente (Spa) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 21 Misurina-Bassano del Grappa, 194 km |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 22 Bassano del Grappa-Milan, 257 km |
Marino Basso (Ita) |
 Eddy Merckx (Bel)
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Mountain Classification |
José-Manuel Fuente (Spa) |
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Points Classification |
 Roger De Vlaeminck (Bel)
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GdI May 16 - June 09, 1974 |
| 4,001 Km |
1. Eddy MERCKX (Bel) 113h08'13" |
| 2. Gianbattista Baronchelli (Ita) +12" |
| 3.
Felice Gimondi (Ita) +33" |
Starters: 140 |
Finishers: 96 |
Average Speed: 35.372 km/h |
GdI 1975
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