CYCLIST - Big Ride: Cyclist rides the Stelvio

It was on the Stelvio Pass, on its introduction to the world of pro cycling in the 1953 Giro d’Italia, that Italian ‘Champion of Champions’ Fausto Coppi made one of his most famous attacks.

He broke the race leader, Hugo Koblet, putting three and a half minutes between them to steal the maglia rosa on the penultimate stage, and effectively secure his fifth and final Giro victory.

The majestic and pain-defying ride set a precedent for the Stelvio as the scene of courage, drama and triumph, and many other decisive and controversial moments have been played out on its slopes since, cementing the pass’s status as a cycling icon – the jewel of the Eastern Alps.

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