{"id":18014,"title":"Watching the Giro 80s Style","description":"I'll never forget the first time I watched the Giro d'Italia, lying on a hotel bed in Basel, Switzerland. It left an indelible impression on me. Saronni\u2019s powerful limbs were tanned like ochre and his beautiful pink jersey flapped in the breeze.","content":"

Published in<\/strong>: COBBLES & CLASSICS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>

I'll never forget the first time I watched the Giro d'Italia, lying on a hotel bed in Basel, Switzerland.<\/p>

It left an indelible impression on me. Saronni\u2019s powerful limbs were tanned like ochre and his beautiful pink jersey flapped in the breeze.\"ImageYou may wonder what I was doing in Basel. I'd been selected to ride a race in the Swiss city. It made sense that my friendly rival Keith Jarrett and I were selected by our local Division.<\/p>

A hilly race was anticipated. We were good climbers and the leading two riders in the Division's series.<\/p>

Nothing to Do<\/h3>

Holed up in a strange place there was little to keep us occupied. We'd go cycling, have something to eat and then watch TV. Tuning in one day, we found Italian TV's coverage of the Giro.<\/p>

\u201ccycling exposure on British TV was almost non-existent.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>

We were transfixed. At this time cycling exposure on British TV was almost non-existent. Channel 4 had yet to start its iconic coverage of the Tour de France hosted by Paul Sherwen and Phil Liggett.<\/p>

Occasionally, if the wrestling, horse racing and snooker were all cancelled, ITV's World of Sport might show a few minutes' highlights from the Tour de France.<\/p>

Incidentally, I recently discovered that after Channel 4 cancelled their Tour de France coverage a House of Commons motion criticising Channel 4 was proposed. Forty-four MPs supported the motion.<\/p>

\"Image Silvano Contini (centre) was a major challenger. Image: The Mick Searle Collection<\/em><\/p>

The majority of those demanding a return of cycling to the screen were Labour MPs, including Jeremy Corbyn, with a sprinkling of Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru. The lone Conservative was Sir Peter Bottomley MP who was one of the original proposers.<\/p>

Dark Stains of Sweat<\/h3>

The first stage we watched, if I recall correctly, was an individual time trial from Reggio Emilia to Parma. We tuned in just as the leader and thus wearer of the Maglia Rosa Giuseppe Saronni left the start gate. He tore into the 38-kilometre course. Soon his leader's pink jersey was streaked with dark stains of sweat.<\/p>

\u201chuge, oak-like thighs powered his Colnago\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>

He presented a formidable and dramatic sight as his huge, oak-like, thighs powered his Colnago onwards. TV and photojournalist motorbikes buzzed around him like irritated wasps. The Tifosi screamed his name and proudly waved their Italian flags as he roared past.<\/p>

\"ImageFaustino Ruperez (left) finished 7th.<\/em> <\/a>Image: The Mick Searle Collection<\/em><\/p>

They knew a national hero when they saw one. For two British cyclists whose only exposure to continental racing was the pages of Cycling Weekly, it was a stunning sight.<\/p>

The commentary was, of course, in Italian. We understood a few words but it added to the excitement. The commentators were exhilarated by anything and everything.<\/p>

Their default mode was to shout and speak unbelievably quickly. There was no professional impartiality here. They willed Saronni to ride faster.<\/p>

Gladiator<\/h3>

Giuseppe radiated a gladiatorial appearance. Powerful limbs tanned like ochre. His beautiful pink jersey flapped in the breeze that his velocity generated. It looked incredible but it didn't seem aerodynamic. Even as humble amateurs, we had skinsuits. It was as if we'd stumbled into another era.<\/p>

\u201cetched upon the salt-caked faces of the riders.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>

What left me with the strongest impression though, was the behaviour of the commentators once the stages were complete. I could barely believe it. The pain and suffering of the day's stage would be etched upon the salt-caked faces of the riders.<\/p>

\"Image Didi Thurau finished 5th.<\/em> <\/strong><\/a>Image: The Mick Searle Collection<\/em><\/p>

Their deeply lined skin and countenance of fatigue displayed their exhaustion. Close up, the riders had the visage of middle age rather than men at their physical peak. It was as if they aged with every stage.<\/p>

Treated Like Cattle<\/h3>

This was of no concern to our commentary duo who treated the stars like cattle. Prodding and cajoling them into their commentary booth.<\/p>

All the while shouting and shrieking their way. A rider, his saddle still damp and warm with perspiration, was literally pulled from his bike to be interviewed. He personified weariness as he staggered in his cycling shoes.<\/p>

Answers were demanded of him. He appeared stunned and only able to shrug and mutter replies. They pushed him off the stage and grabbed another by his jersey. Later they shouted \"Claudio, Claudio\".<\/p>

Another depleted soul teetered onto the stage. \"No, no, no!\" They shouted. The wrong Claudio. An easy mistake given eight Claudios finished that year's Giro. They dismissed him contemptuously with a wave of the arm. If professional cycling was glamorous, surely this wasn't it.<\/p>

Easy Giro<\/h3>

It may have come as little comfort to the breathless riders that this was supposed to be an easy Giro. Only one true mountain stage was included.<\/p>

The aim was to ensure victory for either Saronni or arch-rival Francesco Moser. The result was the fastest Giro d'Italia until Gilberto Simoni's win twenty years later.<\/p>

Moser was beaten by the hills and it was left to Bianchi pair Silvano Contini and Tommy Prim, along with Roberto Visentini, Alberto Fernandez and Mario Beccia to offer up a challenge.<\/p>

After both Prim and Contini had held the race leadership, Saronni took over on stage seven. After the Reggio Emilia - Parma time trial, Visentini emerged as Saronni's strongest challenger.<\/p>

Visentini's triumph in the final time trial narrowed the overall gap to just over one minute but he'd literally run out of time.<\/p>

Visentini Grumbles<\/h3>

Visentini grumbled that he'd completed the overall route faster than Saronni. This was true but Giuseppe had garnered enough time bonuses to be declared champion for the second time.<\/p>

Visentini is largely remembered in the English-speaking world for his role in the infamous 1987 Giro d'Italia. The battle with his own teammate, Ireland's Stephen Roche, led to the Irishman being spat upon by the crowd.<\/p>

Visentini unsurprisingly has a different view of those events and he rejects the playboy tag that was often used by journalists.<\/p>

Born with a 'silver spoon in his mouth' as heir to a successful funeral business, he could have chosen any occupation or none.<\/p>

\"Image Moreno Argentin (right) won two stages. Image: The Mick Searle Collection<\/em><\/p>

The Roche-Visentini affair is largely presented in the English language press as a betrayal by Visentini. Even as a fan of Roche at the time, however, I felt that the Irishman's behaviour was incorrect. Visentini was leading the race and Roche should not have attacked.<\/p>

A brilliant cyclist but controversy has always followed Roche. It was little surprise to hear he'd been convicted of fraud. When Visentini retired from cycling he went to work at papa's funeral business which is still in operation today.<\/p>

SCANDALO!<\/h3>

There's a curious postscript to the story of the 1983 Giro d'Italia. The proprietor of FIR wheels that sponsored Visentini 's team, Giovanni Arrigoni was arrested for attempting to poison Saronni. \"SCANDALO Hanno tentato Saronni!\" screamed the headline of La Gazzetta dello Sport.<\/p>

I've seen the headline so that part is definitely true but the rest remains enshrined in the mists of Italian folklore. I can't find any evidence that Signor Arrigoni was ever penalised for his alleged conspiracy.<\/p>

Arrigoni claimed it was all a deliberate publicity stunt and no harm was ever intended. Given the power of Italy's Mafia at the time and their involvement in fraudulent betting, who knows what the truth really was?<\/p>

Meanwhile Back in Basel<\/h3>

If you've stuck with the story thus far, you might be wondering how Keith and myself fared in the expected hilly race. It transpired that it was held on a pancake flat 900-metre circuit around a housing estate. To add to the irony, it was sponsored by Camel Cigarettes.<\/p>

When we arrived at the course, we stood in awe of our prospective competitors. They were all sponsored by the brands we'd been watching on TV. They were supposed to be amateurs but didn't look it. The Bianchi team riders with their immaculate skinsuits resembled film stars.<\/p>

Whilst we were alone with our bikes, most of the others had team buses. We pleadingly asked a team helper if we could borrow his track pump. He reacted with shock and asked, \"But where are your mechanics?\".<\/p>

We hung on in the race as best we could. I recall grimly sticking to the wheel in front and staring at nothing else for lap after lap. After about twenty minutes a group of four flashed by. Yes, we'd already been lapped.<\/p>

Later, we discovered that the first two riders had just signed for top professional teams and the third and fourth were former professionals. The latter had realised they could make more money as sponsored amateurs. It was another world.<\/p>

1 March 2022, Tim Costello.<\/p>

\"Logo<\/p>

NEVER MISS OUT<\/strong><\/h3>

Subscribe\u00a0to get all our latest stories and news. We won't bombard you with special offers. We don't want to send you junk as much as you don't want to receive it.<\/a><\/p>

\"Image<\/u><\/a><\/p>

\"wzdg3j9roqqpqbcv4bsaqzjlarfycz08hlm2x6oofyayj85t.jpg.jpg?w=640&v=2\"Read more unique modern and retro stories about the heroes of cycling's classic races.<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"Link<\/u><\/a><\/p>","urlTitle":"giro-d-italia-1983","url":"\/blog\/giro-d-italia-1983\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/giro-d-italia-1983\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/rijden.uk\/blog\/giro-d-italia-1983\/","featured":true,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1653251985,"updatedAt":1704918324,"publishedAt":1704918324,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":61205,"name":"Rijden_2"},"tags":[{"id":1216,"code":"road-racing","name":"RoadRacing","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/road-racing\/"},{"id":2229,"code":"retro","name":"Retro","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/retro\/"}],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/i5ff33kmhoflq5exy3ktjtd7tqffmyg8apqwzgkznzjbyjkj.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/i5ff33kmhoflq5exy3ktjtd7tqffmyg8apqwzgkznzjbyjkj.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/i5ff33kmhoflq5exy3ktjtd7tqffmyg8apqwzgkznzjbyjkj.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"Watching the Giro d'Italia 80s Style | Rijden","metaDescription":"I'll never forget the first time I watched the Giro. It left an indelible impression on me. Read more to discover a story of Italian scandal.","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":10141,"title":"Soviet Invasion","url":"\/blog\/goodwood-1982\/","urlTitle":"goodwood-1982","division":61205,"description":"The first of three stories about the 1982 World Cycling Championships which was held at Goodwood. Sleepy Sussex was the stage for a minor invasion of Soviet cyclists and their KGB minders.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ysyhin4y6wh2tspjf8niotiyhghaolmac7ucoddcx2tlpzmt.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ysyhin4y6wh2tspjf8niotiyhghaolmac7ucoddcx2tlpzmt.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":10158,"title":"Goodwood 1982 - Amateur titles","url":"\/blog\/goodwood-1982-part-two\/","urlTitle":"goodwood-1982-part-two","division":61205,"description":"The UCI Cycling World Championships were held in England in 1982, with the road races at Goodwood in West Sussex. In the second part, we report on a rare British victory and socialist love.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/skobdoxdohlydrehwbak2vqm7psto0d1hfgryg4dee8axtqn.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/skobdoxdohlydrehwbak2vqm7psto0d1hfgryg4dee8axtqn.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":10162,"title":"Goodwood 1982 - Giuseppe Saronni wins","url":"\/blog\/goodwood-1982-part-three\/","urlTitle":"goodwood-1982-part-three","division":61205,"description":"La fucilata di Goodwood: Our unique insight into the 1982 Cycling World Championship road race won by Italian star Giuseppe Saronni aboard his beautiful Colnago.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/troqwtwuqogjpe46tgbnbqmp0ok1qvukq25eeawytinpgzua.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/troqwtwuqogjpe46tgbnbqmp0ok1qvukq25eeawytinpgzua.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}