Retro: Early upsets at the Giro d'Italia
Ivan Quaranta wins in Cesenatico on the 1999 Giro d'Italia (Image credit: Getty Images) https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/retro-early-upsets-at-the-giro-ditalia/ A look back Martinello, Quaranta and Pöstlberger’s surprise wins on opening road stage by Barry Ryan Sunday should have seen the opening road stage of the 2020 Giro d’Italia between Budapest and Győr. The flat, 195km run up the Danube valley ought to have lent itself to a bunch sprint, but the opening road stage of the Giro can occasionally deviate from the set script. Cyclingnews takes a look back at three early surprises at the corsa rosa over the past 25 years. 1996: Martinello upstages Cipollini in Athens Silvio Martinello began his road career as a sprinter quick enough to win stages at the Giro and the Vuelta a España, but he was also blessed with the self-awareness to repurpose himself as a lead-out man when his Mercatone Uno team signed Mario Cipollini ahead of the 1995 season. The unlikely partnership ...