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Giro d’Italia: 1981 Giro stands out for many reasons

The city of Bologna, in Emilia Romagna, has hosted the Giro on numerous occasions but the 1981 Giro stands out for many reasons. The 1981 Giro d’Italia was a purely Italian affair with no trips into the islands or neighboring countries. The riders faced four-time trials (including one for teams) and ten mountain stages, two of which featured summit finishes. The 3,896-kilometer course covered nearly the entire length of Italy from North to South, beginning in the Veneto region then reaching Reggio Calabria on the Southern tip after eleven days of racing and then making an air transfer North to Roma on the first of two rest days. The 24-day journey then wound northward towards the 35-kilometer time trial in Tuscany on stage 13. The mountains began in earnest when the race then left Milan on Stage 16 and headed east to the only true Dolomite stage. But what a stage it was, climbing the Tre Croce pass to Misurina and then finishing atop the mighty Tre Cime di Lavaredo just two days prior to the final time trial that would bring the race into Verona. Following Frenchman Bernard Hinault’s victory in 1980, this edition was expected to be an all ...

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