Brendan Gallagher

Corsa Rosa (eBook, ePUB)

A history of the Giro d'Italia

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

The Giro d'Italia is the cooler, tougher brother of the Tour de France. First staged in 1909, and only pausing for two World Wars, its hundredth edition takes place in 2017.

Inspired by L'Auto's improved circulation figures after establishing France's Grand Tour, the Gazzetta dello Sport saw an opportunity to outdo its rival paper, the Corriere della Sera, by organising its own race. From its first years the Giro pushed riders to their limits with brutal climbs, treacherous road conditions, appalling weather and epic distances. Time has changed the Giro to a degree, but it remains as ferociously testing - and as beloved of cycling's romantics - as ever.

All the winners are covered: from the first victors Luigi Ganna and Carlo Galetti, to the likes of Alfredo Binda, Costante Girardengo and Gino Bartali, past the legends of Fausto Coppi and Eddy Merckx, on to Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain and Marco Pantani, and then right up to today's champions Vincenzo Nibali, Nairo Quintana and Alberto Contador. The history of the Giro is the history of cycling's superstars.

The battles for supremacy, the controversies and skulduggery, the fame and the glory, and the iconic stages all feature. In Corsa Rosa, Gallagher skillfully combines history, anecdote and analysis to bring this ultimate test of endurance vividly to life.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury UK eBooks
• Seitenzahl: 304
• Erscheinungstermin: 20. April 2017
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781472918819
• Artikelnr.: 47985507

Autorenporträt

Brendan Gallagher was a reporter, columnist and feature writer for the Daily Telegraph, specialising in rugby, cycling, athletics, basketball and cricket. He co-authored the autobiography of Ireland and Lions captain Brian O'Driscoll and, most recently, the autobiography of three-time Olympic gold medal winner, Bradley Wiggins, In Pursuit of Glory.

Inhaltsangabe

Introduction
1 'Necessity', The Mother of Invention. Origins of the Giro d'Italia
2 An Evolving Race Makes its Mark (1909-13)
3 1914: The Toughest Bike Race in History?
4 Constante Girardengo and the Giro's First Golden Age (1919-25)
5 The Despotic Reign of Alfredo Binda (1925-33)
6 Gino Bartali Dominance is Challenged by Fausto Coppi (1934-40)
7 Fausto Coppi Takes on All Corners (1946-53)
8 A Race for All Shapes, Sizes and Nationalities (1954-66)
9 Eddy Merckx Rewrites the Record Books (1967-76)
10 Nothing and Nobody Can Outfox 'the Badger' (1977-86)
11 Stephen Roche Survives 'Civil War' to Win the Tour and Giro (1987-91)
12 'Big Mig' and the Rise of the Marco Pantani (1992-8)
13 Pantani Expulsion Heralds Dark Days (1999-2007)
14 Still Crazy After All Those Years. The Modern-Day Giro (2008-15)
15 Giro d'Italia - Bringing Up the Century
Appendix
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Index