When Andy Hampsten won the Giro d' Italia just under 25 years ago, he became the first American and non-European to snag the title. It was an especially incredible feat when you consider when he gained the
Maglia Rosa (the leader's jersey): the 14th stage from Chiesa in Valmaleneco to Bormio on June 5, 1988.
The race passed over the Passo del Gavia climb in horrid blizzard conditions—so bad, in fact,
La Gazetta dello Sport dubbed it "The Day the Big Men Cried."
While Erik Breukink won the stage, Hampsten finished just a few seconds down and took the lead. He never gave it up.
In his account of the stage, Hampsten wrote:
"Things started to look grim on the descent of the Aprica. I was wearing
tons of clothes, but the rain had been coming down in buckets from the
start of the stage and I was shaking badly from the wet and cold. In the
valley going up to the base of the Gavia I was upset because this was
going to be my big day and it appeared that it was not going to happen.
Slowly, I began to accept that it was going to be bad and that it was
going to be bad for everyone else...
"I realized that I had to go 100% on the attack and hold nothing back. I
had about 10 kilos of wet clothing from the weather, but I had to get
rid of everything. I dumped my leg warmers and 2 extra jerseys. I was
down to shoes and socks, shorts, 1 undershirt, a thin long-sleeve polypro
top and clear Oakleys. I was wearing the "performance" jersey which is
the rider with the best combined point totals in sprints, climbing and
overall classification made of pretty thick wool, which was nice! My
biggest asset was that I kept my neoprene gloves. I realized that I had
to keep my hands warm or I couldn't function... I remember telling Bob Roll that this would probably be the hardest day on the bike in our lives.
 |
| Photo via US Bicycling Hall of Fame |
"As I climbed higher and higher, my mind started wandering and the
psychological aspects of what was happening started to creep into my
mind. I felt that I had achieved my results, to date, without taking any
shortcuts, but when it started getting bad, I thought about what I
could do to make things better. I gave up on asking God for any help, I
was blessed already having the privilege of racing, instead I speculated
on what I would bargain for if the devil showed up. Demoralized by this
chain of thought, I realized that at the beginning of the day, I had
relied only on myself to get me through the stage. On the Gavia, as
always, there where no shortcuts and I had never looked for help from
pills or other aids, although I was in such a mental state that I doubt I
would have resisted any temptation that delivered me to Bormio. I must
rely on myself to see me through...
"Within 10 minutes of the finish, I was up on the podium. The pink jersey
felt good. I slipped it on and all my doubts went away. The TV
interviews began and I remember saying, 'Incredible, I have never seen
conditions like this, even in Colorado. Today it was not sport, it was
something beyond sport.'"
TV commentator and Hampsten's teammate Bob Roll also described the day in his book
Bobke II:
"I grabbed a plastic hat, long-finger gloves, and Oakley Pilots and
took off down the pass for Bormio, a mere 15 kilometers away. I thought I
could ride 15 kilometers in any condition, at any time, anywhere on
Earth. I have never been more wrong in my life.
"Meanwhile, I kept my head down
and hammered, following the tire grooves through the snow. After only 1
kilometer, I was bloody cold. After 2 kilometers, I was frozen to the
core. After only 3 kilometers, I was laughing like a lunatic and passed
Rolf Sorensen, screaming at the top of my lungs in an attempt to
generate some warmth. After 5 kilometers, I was crying and about to slip
into a frozen coma. About halfway down, I was not thinking straight and
was making poor choices. At one point, I got off my bike and began to
run back up the hill in a lame attempt to warm up."
 |
| Andy Hampsten in the Maglia Rosa. Photo via CyclingNews. |
Over the next few days, Hampsten managed to win another stage and built
up a 2-minute lead over Bruekink. The American, known more as a climber
than a time trialist, limited his losses in the final time trial and
ultimately won the race.
But what if this incredible stage had never happened?
After seeing how awful the weather would be, the technical director, Francesco Moser, urged Director Vincenzo Torriani to cancel the race. But for some unknown reason Torriani thought the show should go on and the cyclists should suffer through. While we'll never know if Hampsten would've still clinched the lead without the Passo del Gavia stage, one things is for sure: without the epic snowstorm, we likely wouldn't still be talking about with such wonder and amazement as we are now.
