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By Barry Boyce,
CyclingRevealed Historian |
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From Athens to Milan
SPECIAL NOTE: the 1996 Giro d'Italia started in Athens, Greece. After three days of racing around Greece the Giro returned to Ostuni, Italy for stage 4.
The Giro began to take life after two weeks of boring racing on the very hilly 13th stage from Loano to Pratonevoso. The stage climbed over the Colle San Bernardo, Colla di Casotto, San Giacomo di Roburent, and Pratonevoso. Russian Pavel Tonkov won the stage and gained enough time to take the Maglia Rosa.
A bit of drama played out on stages 19, 20, and 21, when Tonkov lost significant time to his main rivals on the 62 km ITT on stage 19, but managed to hold the race lead by 1 second.
Tonkov would lose additional time on the mountainous stage 20. The race lead went to Spaniard Abraham Olano.
The next day the stage presented brutally mountainous profile, climbing the Passo Mendola, Passo Tonale, Passo di Gavia, Passo di Mortirolo, and Aprica. Trailing by 46”Pavel Tonkov followed stage winner Ivan Gotti and finished second on the stage. Race leader Olano finished over 2 minutes behind and Tonkov retook the race lead.
Pavel Tonkov rode into Milan to win the Giro and gain his first Grand Tour victory. He became the second Russian to win the Giro d’Italia.
Stage and Distance |
Stage Winner |
Race Leader |
Stage 1 Athenes (Gre), 170 km |
Silvio Martinello (Ita) |
Silvio Martinello (Ita) |
Stage 2 Elefsina (Gre)-Nafpaktos (Gre), 235 km |
Glenn Magnusson (Swe) |
Silvio Martinello (Ita) |
Stage 3 Messolongi (Gre)-Ioanina (Gre), 199 km |
Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) |
Stefano Zanini (Ita) |
Stage 4 Ostuni-Ostuni, 147 km |
Mario Cipollini (Ita) |
Silvio Martinello (Ita) |
Stage 5 Metaponto-Crotone, 196 km |
Angel Edo (Spa) |
Silvio Martinello (Ita) |
Stage 6 Crotone-Catanzaro, 179 km |
Pascal Herve (Fra) |
Pascal Herve (Fra) |
Stage 7 Amatea-Monte Sirino, 164 km |
Davide Rebellin (Ita) |
Davide Rebellin (Ita) |
Stage 8 Polla-Napoli, 135 km |
Mario Cipollini (Ita) |
Davide Rebellin (Ita) |
Stage 9 Napoli-Fiuggi, 184 km |
Enrico Zaina (Ita) |
Davide Rebellin (Ita) |
Stage 10 Arezzo-Prato, 164 km |
Rodolfo Massi (Ita) |
Davide Rebellin (Ita) |
Stage 11 Prato-Marina di Massa, 130 km |
Mario Cipollini (Ita) |
Davide Rebellin (Ita) |
Stage 12 Aulla-Loano, 195 km |
Fabiano Fontanelli (Ita) |
Davide Rebellin (Ita) |
Stage 13 Loano-Pratonevoso, 115 km |
Pavel Tonkov (Rus) |
Pavel Tonkov (Rus) |
Stage 14 Santuario di Vicoforte-Briancon (Fra), 202 km |
Pascal Richard (Sui) |
Pavel Tonkov (Rus) |
Stage 15 Briancon (Ita)-Aoste, 235 km |
Gianni Bugno (Ita) |
Pavel Tonkov (Rus) |
Stage 16 Aoste-Lausanne (Sui), 180 km |
Alexandre Gontchenkov (Rus) |
Pavel Tonkov (Rus) |
Stage 17 Lausanne (Sui)-Biella, 236 km |
Nicolai Bo Larsen (Den) |
Pavel Tonkov (Rus) |
Stage 18 Meda-Vicenza, 216 km |
Mario Cipollini (Ita) |
Pavel Tonkov (Rus) |
Stage 19 Vicenza-Marostica, 62 km ITT |
Evgueni Berzin (Rus) |
Pavel Tonkov (Rus) |
Stage 20 Marostica-Passo Pordoi, 220 km |
Enrico Zaina (Ita) |
Abraham Olano (Spa) |
Stage 21 Cavalese-Aprica, 250 km |
Ivan Gotti (Ita) |
Pavel Tonkov (Rus) |
Stage 22 Sondrio-Milan, 176 km |
Serguei Outschakov (Ukr) |
 Pavel Tonkov (Rus)
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Mountain Classification |
 Mariano Piccoli (Ita) |
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Points Classification |
 Fabrizio Guidi (Ita) |
GdI May 18 to June 09, 1996 |
| 3,990 Km |
1. Pavel TONKOV (Rus) 105h20'23" |
| 2. Enrico Zaina (Ita) +2'43" |
| 3. Abraham Olano (Spa) +2'57" |
Starters: 162 |
Finishers: 98 |
Average Speed: 37.880 km/h |
GdI 1997
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