04 | 100 Preparing for the "Giro d'Italia" cycling race
Imgur1973: 56th Giro d'Italia cycling race
Established in 1909, the Giro d'Italia cycling race takes place every year in Italy and is considered the second most important stage race in road cycling (after the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espada. The event is held every year for three weeks in May, with alternating routes across Italy and neighboring countries. Depending on the Italian landscape, the stages alternate between flat stages, which favor the sprinters, medium-difficulty stages, which are suitable for breakaway groups, and high mountain stages, on which the tour is often decided. The first cycling race was started on May 13, 1909. It led in eight stages from Milan to Naples and back to Milan on a different route, where the finish was on May 30th. The overall winner was Luigi Ganna. In 1973, the race shown in the photos started in Verviers, Belgium. A total of 140 riders from fourteen teams took part in the 20-stage race. The following cyclists from the 56th Giro d'Italia are shown in this photo, from right to left: Giovanni Battaglin (who finished 3rd overall), Wladimiro Panizza (6th overall), Eric Wijckaert, Giacomo Bazzan and lastly G?sta Pettersson ( 13th overall and won the race 2 years earlier). They seem relaxed and balanced, which the observer might not immediately expect given their background story. You should gather your strength and thoughts before such a sporting feat... presumably! However, the athletes show the opposite, because even with the highest efforts, human needs do not fall by the wayside. This shows us that fun and passion for sport are the most important means to success - and perhaps an empty bubble.
