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By Barry Boyce, CyclingRevealed Historian |
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Moser-Fignon: a Controversial Battle to the End!
Frenchman Laurent Fignon, the 1983 Tour de France Champion, came to the Giro d’Italia as the main threat to Italy’s two main favorites Francesco Moser and defending Giro Champion Giuseppe Saronni.
The 1984 race course was relatively flat, which favored the two Italians. Fignon would need to excel in the mountains to have a chance.
Moser wore the first Maglia Rosa after his prologue 5 km TT stage win. Fignon took the jersey for 4 stages before Moser distanced the bonking Frenchman on gradual stage 5 climb to Block Haus. Moser held the lead the Giro until the mountainous stage 20.
SPECIAL NOTE: Controversy abounded during the Giro. Francesco Moser was accused by a number of contenders of receiving favorable treatment by the Italian organizers and officials.
| 1. The toughest climb of the race, the Stelvio, was cancelled because of snow even though the photos showed it was perfectly passable. |
| 2. On more than one climb Moser was pushed by team support and fans. |
| 3. On the climb of the Selva di Val Gardena Fignon’s breakaway group gained enough time to warrant a team car to support the escape. Officials denied the request to pass the Moser group. When Fignon had a chain problem there was no team car to help. |
| 4. During the ITT’s on the final stage the TV helicopter flew in a position that gave Moser a favorable tailwind. |
Fignon fought back with a brilliant breakaway on the hardest mountain stage and took back the Maglia Rosa with 2 stages to go. His race lead was 1’21” going into the final stage Individual Time Trial.
Despite a puncture Francesco Moser could not be stopped. The more experienced time trialer gained the stage win by 2’24” and captured the controversial and tensely fought Overall Classification by 1’03”. The 1984 Giro d’Italia would be Moser’s only Grand Tour victory.
SPECIAL NOTE: Italian champion Felice Gimondi stated that Laurent Fignon lost the Giro because of 3 mistakes:
| 1. Fignon tried to set the pace on the Block Haus climb before bonking. |
| 2. He tried to win the sprint into Foggio by leading out Moser and stage winner Moreno Argentine from 800 meters. |
3. He tried to follow stage winner Roberto Visentini on the climb to Lerici in too big a gear. |
Gimondi: “These are not errors of a Giro champion, they are errors of a youth.”
Stage and Distance |
Stage Winner |
Race Leader |
Prologue Lucca, 5 km ITT |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Stage 1 Lucca-Pietrasanta Marina, 55 km TTT |
RENAULT-ELF |
Laurent Fignon (Fra) |
Stage 2 Pietrasanta-Firenze, 127 km |
Urs Freuler (Sui) |
Laurent Fignon (Fra) |
Stage 3 Bologna-San Luca, 110 km |
Moreno Argentin (Ita) |
Laurent Fignon (Fra) |
Stage 4 Bologna-Numana, 238 km |
Stefan Mutter (Sui) |
Laurent Fignon (Fra) |
Stage 5 Numana-Block Haus, 194 km |
Moreno Argentin (Ita) |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Stage 6 Chieti-Foggia, 193 km |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Stage 7 Foggia-Marconia di Pisticci, 226 km |
Urs Freuler (Sui) |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Stage 8 Policoro-Agropoli, 228 km |
Urs Freuler (Sui) |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Stage 9 Agropoli-Cava di Tirreni, 104 km |
Dag-Erik Pedersen (Nor) |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Stage 10 Cava di Tirreni-Isernia, 209 km |
Martial Gayant (Fra) |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Stage 11 Isernia-Rieti, 243 km |
Urs Freuler (Sui) |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Stage 12 Rieti-Citta di Castello, 175 km |
Paolo Rosola (Ita) |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Stage 13 Citta di Castello-Lerici, 269 km |
Roberto Visentini (Ita) |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Stage 14 Lerici-Alessandria, 204 km |
Sergio Santimaria (Ita) |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Stage 15 Certosia di Pavia-Milan, 38 km ITT |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Stage 16 Alessandria-Bardonecchia, 198 km |
Dag-Erik Pedersen (Nor) |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Stage 17 Bardoneccia-Lecco, 249 km |
Jurg Bruggmann (Sui) |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Stage 18 Lecco-Merano, 252 km |
Bruno Leali (Ita) |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Stage 19 Merano-Selva Val Gardena, 74 km |
Marino Lejarreta (Spa) |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
Stage 20 Selva Val Gardena-Arabba, 169 km |
Laurent Fignon (Fra) |
Laurent Fignon (Fra) |
Stage 21 Arabba-Treviso, 208 km |
Guido Bontempi (Ita) |
Laurent Fignon (Fra) |
Stage 22 Soave-Verona, 42 km ITT |
Francesco Moser (Ita) |
 Francesco Moser (Ita)
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Mountain Classification |
 Laurent Fignon (Fra)
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Points Classification |
 Urs Freuler (Sui)
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GdI May 17 - June 10, 1984 |
| 3,784 Km |
1. Francesco MOSER (Ita) 98h32'20" |
| 2. Laurent Fignon (Fra) +1'03" |
| 3. Moreno Argentin (Ita) +4'26" |
Starters: 170 |
Finishers: 143 |
Average Speed: 38.681 km/h |
GdI 1985
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