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By Barry Boyce, CyclingRevealed Historian |
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Battaglin Completes a Grand Double
The 1981 Giro d’Italia was a huge battle between 5 Italian stars, Francesco Moser, Roberto Visentini, Giuseppe Saronni, Giovanni Battaglin and Silvano Contini. Battaglin, who had just taken the victory in the Vuelta a Espana, used the finishing climb of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo on stage 20 to gain significant time and take the race lead with two stage to go.
The final test would be the 42 km Individual Time Trial from Soave to Verona. The tight GC standing had Tommy Prim (Swe) trailing by 40", strong time trailer Saronni by 49”, and Contini by 1’54”. Race leader Battaglin left no doubt covering the 42 km in 53’14”, losing only 2” to Prim and beating Saronni by 1”. Giovanni Battaglin was crowned the 1981 Giro d’Italia champion.
Giovanni Battaglin
SPECIAL NOTE: Giovanni Battaglin achieved a very rare spring time “Double Victory” sweeping both the Vuelta a Espana (April 21 to May 10) and the Giro d’Italia (May 13 to June 7) in 1981. With the double victory Battaglin matched the great Eddy Merckx’s 1973 springtime Vuelta/Giro double.
Stage and Distance |
Stage Winner |
Race Leader |
Prologue Trieste, 6.6 km ITT |
Knut Knudsen (Nor) |
Knut Knudsen (Nor) |
Stage 1a Trieste-Bibione, 100 km |
Guido Bontempi (Ita) |
Guido Bontempi (Ita) |
Stage 1b Lignano-Bibione, 15 km TTT |
HOONVED-BOTECCHIA |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Stage 2 Bibione-Ferrara, 211 km |
Paolo Rosola (Ita) |
Gregor Braun (Ger) |
Stage 3 Bologna-Recanati, 255 km |
Giuseppe Saronni (Ita) |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Stage 4 Recanati-Lanciano, 214 km |
Mario Beccia (Ita) |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Stage 5 Marina di San Vito-Rd Garganico, 180 km |
Giuseppe Saronni (Ita) |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Stage 6 Rodi Garganico-Bari, 225 km |
Giuseppe Saronni (Ita) |
Giuseppe Saronni (Ita) |
Stage 7 Bari-Potenza, 143 km |
Palmiro Masciarelli (Ita) |
Giuseppe Saronni (Ita) |
Stage 8 Sala Consilina-Cosenza, 202 km |
Moreno Argentin (Ita) |
Giuseppe Saronni (Ita) |
Stage 9 Cosenza-Reggio di Calabria, 230 km |
Sergio Parsani (Ita) |
Giuseppe Saronni (Ita) |
Stage 10 Rome-Cascia, 166 km |
Gianbattista Baronchelli (Ita) |
Giuseppe Saronni (Ita) |
Stage 11 Cascia-Arezzo, 199 km |
Giovanni Renosto (Ita) |
Giuseppe Saronni (Ita) |
Stage 12 Arezzo-Livorno Montenero, 224 km |
Moreno Argentin (Ita) |
Giuseppe Saronni (Ita) |
Stage 13 Empoli-Montecatini, 35 km ITT |
Knut Knudsen (Nor) |
Roberto Visentini (Ita) |
Stage 14 Montecatini-Salsomaggiore, 224 km |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Silvano Contini (Ita) |
Stage 15 Salsomaggiore-Pavia, 198 km |
Daniel Gisiger (Sui) |
Silvano Contini (Ita) |
Stage 16 Milan-Mantova, 173 km |
Claudio Torelli (Ita) |
Silvano Contini (Ita) |
Stage 17 Mantova-Borno, 215 km |
Benedetto Patellaro (Ita) |
Silvano Contini (Ita) |
Stage 18 Borno-Dimaro Val di Sole, 127 km |
Miguel-Maria Lasa (Spa) |
Silvano Contini (Ita) |
Stage 19 Dimaro-San Vigilio di Marrebe, 208 km |
Giovanni Battaglin (Ita) |
Silvano Contini (Ita) |
Stage 20 San Vigilio.d.M.-T. Cm Lavaredo, 100 km |
Beat Breu (Sui) |
Giovanni Battaglin (Ita) |
Stage 21 Auronzo di Cadore-Arzignano, 197 km |
Pierino Gavazzi (Ita) |
Giovanni Battaglin (Ita) |
Stage 22 Soave-Verona, 42 km ITT |
Knut Knudsen (Nor) |
 Giovanni Battaglin (Ita)
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Mountain Classification |
 Claudio Bortolotto (Ita)
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Points Classification |
 Giuseppe Saronni (Ita)
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GdI May 13 to June 07, 1981 |
| 3,895 Km |
1. Giovanni BATTAGLIN (Ita) 104h50'36" |
| 2. Tommy Prim (Swe) +38" |
| 3. Giuseppe Saronni (Ita) +50" |
Starters: 130 |
Finishers: 104 |
Average Speed: 37.150 km/h |
GdI 1982
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