The 1988 Giro d'Italia began on 23 May, and stage 11 occurred on 2 June. The 1988 edition began with a short 9km (5.6mi)individual time trial around the city of Urbino. The following two days of racing were normal mass-start stages, before the fourth day of racing consisted of two half-stages, the first a normal stage and the latter a 40km (24.9mi)team time trial. The rest of the opening half of the race– remaining within Italy for the duration– consisted of stages with or without categorized climbs.
Overview of the stages; red lines represent distances covered in the individual stages, while green dotted lines are the distances covered in transfers between the stages.
Jean-François Bernard became the first race leader, as he won the opening stage in Urbino; the first of two stage wins that Bernard achieved during the opening half of the race, along with the eighth stage. As a result, Bernard was the second rider to win multiple stages in the opening half of the race, after Guido Bontempi who won stages 2 and 5. Bernard lost the race leader's maglia rosa (English: pink jersey) after stage 4a to Massimo Podenzana, who had been a part of a breakaway that survived and finished minutes ahead of the peloton. Podenzana held the lead all the way to the end of the eleventh stage.
American Greg LeMond (pictured here at the 1989 Tour de Trump) time for the time trial was inhibited when his chain dropped halfway through the stage.
The first stage of the 1988 edition of the event was a 9km (5.6mi)individual time trial that navigated the streets of Urbino.[2] An El Mundo Deportivo writer stated that the course was fast.[2] The first 2.2km (1.4mi) were the fastest section of the course because the route was downhill. After the course passed the railroad station in Urbino, the course began to increase slightly in elevation until the finish.[2] The writer also noted two bends, one at Via della Stazione (2km (1.2mi) in) and the other at Ciale Comandino (8.2km (5.1mi) in), which he classified as "dangerous."[2] The first rider was scheduled to start at 13:30 local time.[2]
Greg LeMond (PDM–Ultima–Concorde) suffered from a dropped chain halfway through the course, which caused him to post a "horrible" time according to El País writer Luis Gómez.[3] Tony Rominger (Chateau d'Ax), Erik Breukink (Panasonic–Isostar–Colnago–Agu), and Erich Maechler (Carrera Jeans–Vagabond) chose to use rear lenticular wheels instead of a traditional wheel with spokes.[3] Rominger came in second overall with a time of 13' 10", Breukink came in fourth at 13' 15", and Maechler came in third after finishing with the same time as Breukink.[3] After the stage, Rominger told reporters that his time slower than it could have been due to a fall that occurred due to his front wheel being too inflated.[4]Pedro Delgado (Reynolds), who rode a standard bike, finished in twentieth position, twenty-eight seconds behind stage winner Jean-François Bernard (Toshiba–Look).[3] Bernard traversed the course with the fastest time of 13' 07" at a pace of 41.168km/h.[5] With the time bonuses added to the top three finisher's times, Bernard's lead was increased to eight seconds over Rominger.[4]
More information Rank, Rider ...
Stage 1 result and general classification after stage 1
The second stage of the race was one of the longer ones in the race and featured two third category climbs,[3] the Santa Vittoria (626m (2,053.8ft)) and the Valico Croce di Casaleo (731m (2,398.3ft)).[4][7] The intermediate sprint for the stage was located 19km (11.8mi) into the stage in Fossombrona.[7] The first categorized climb was set to be crossed after 178km (110.6mi) had been covered, and the second after 204km (126.8mi).[7] With the last climb coming over twenty kilometers before the finish of the stage, it was expected that the stage would finish with a field sprint.[7] The stage was set to begin at 10:30 local time.[7]
The eleventh leg of the event was very flat and contained no categorized climbs.[28] It was expected to be one of the last opportunities for the sprinters in the race to get a chance at a stage win.[29] The stage's start was scheduled for 11:00 local time and was speculated to be finished at around 4:30.[28]
Werner Stutz (Cyndarella-Isotonic) jumped off the front of the peloton with 54km (33.6mi). He rode solo and without issue until the closing kilometers of the race where fifty environmentalist protestors blocked the road.[N 2] The protestors were upset with a nearby factory, owned by chemical manufacturer Montedison, which the protestors claimed had been polluting the Bormida river.[27][31] Stutz rode through the mass of people and went on to finish the stage in first position. The peloton, however, struggled to get past the protestors, which led race director Vincenzo Torriani to cancel the stage.[27][29][31] The cancelling of the stage left no winner and the general classification standings were left unchanged.[33]
Jerseys appearing in the table on the left of the page indicate those worn by the cyclist during the particular stage, while those appearing in the table on the right of the page indicate those awarded to the cyclist after the stage.
The sources disagree on where exactly the protestors were located on the course. El País claim they were located at around four kilometers to go,[29]El Punt says the demonstration took place with two kilometers remaining,[30] while El Mundo Deportivo, La Stampa, and Avui state that they protestors were located at around one kilometer to go.[27][31][32]
"Bernard: Quien Da Primero..."[Bernard: Who Gives First...](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 24 May 1988. p.41. Archived(PDF) from the original on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
"Urbino-Urbino, 9 km por las murallas"[Urbino Urbino, 9 km from the walls](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 23 May 1988. p.62. Archived(PDF) from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
Luis Gómez (24 May 1988). "Delgado decepciona en su debú en el Giro"[Delgado disappoint in his debut in the Giro]. El País (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
Mario Fossati (24 May 1988). "Super Bernard subito in rosa"[Super Bernard now in pink]. La Repubblica (in Italian). Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso. p.29. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
"Clasificacion"[Classification](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 24 May 1988. p.41. Archived(PDF) from the original on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
"Bontempi: Tipicamente Italiano"[Bontempi: Typically Italian](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 25 May 1988. p.38. Archived(PDF) from the original on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
""Zahor" lanzara a Van Brabant"["Zahor" launched Van Brabant](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 24 May 1988. p.42. Archived(PDF) from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
"Clasificaciones"[Classifications](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 25 May 1988. p.39. Archived(PDF) from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
"Joho: Una Victoria De Fuerza"[Joho: A Victory Of Force](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 26 May 1988. p.46. Archived(PDF) from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
"Clasificaciones"[Classifications](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 26 May 1988. p.46. Archived(PDF) from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
"Pondenza: Un Hombre de Paja Vestido de Rosa"[Pondenza: A Man of Straw Pink Dress](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 27 May 1988. p.36. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
"Clasificaciones"[Classifications](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 27 May 1988. p.36. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
McGann, Bill; McGann, Carol. "1988 Giro d'Italia". Bike Race Info. Dog Ear Publishing. Archived from the original on 30 May 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
"Bis Para Bontempi En "La Maraton""[Encore For Bontempi In "Marathon"](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 28 May 1988. p.36. Archived(PDF) from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
"Clasificaciones"[Classifications](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 28 May 1988. p.36. Archived(PDF) from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
"Primer "Palo" Para Delgado"[First "Bat" For Delgado](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 29 May 1988. p.36. Archived(PDF) from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
"Clasificaciones"[Classifications](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 29 May 1988. p.36. Archived(PDF) from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
"Kappes Aprovecho El Mal Dia De Bontempi"[Kappes takes Evil Day of Bontempi](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 30 May 1988. p.48. Archived(PDF) from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
"Clasificaciones"[Classifications](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 30 May 1988. p.48. Archived(PDF) from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
"Segundo "Toque" De Bernard"[Second stage for Bernard](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 31 May 1988. p.36. Archived(PDF) from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
"Clasificaciones"[Classifications](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 31 May 1988. p.37. Archived(PDF) from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
""David" Di Basso Pudo Con "Goliat" Bontempi"["David" Di Basso beats "Goliath" Bontempi](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 1 June 1988. p.38. Archived(PDF) from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
"Clasificaciones"[Classifications](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 1 June 1988. p.39. Archived(PDF) from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
"Rosola Aprovecho La Baja Forma De Bontempi"[Rosola takes Bontempi with Late Form](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 2 June 1988. p.36. Archived(PDF) from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
"Clasificacion"[Classification](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 2 June 1988. p.37. Archived(PDF) from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
"Una Etapa Para Nada"[A Stage For Nothing](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 3 June 1988. p.39. Archived(PDF) from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
"Mas llana que un lago"[Flatter than a lake](PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 2 June 1988. p.37. Archived(PDF) from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
Fulvio Lavina (3 June 1988). "Bormio, proteste al Giro"[Bormio, protests the Tour]. La Stampa (in Italian). Editrice La Stampa. p.38. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
