Races and great moments · Giro d’Italia · 1956
When the snow broke the Giro peloton
Rain turned to snow on the 242-kilometre stage from Merano to Monte Bondone. Charly Gaul attacked early and finished the day as stage winner and new man in pink.
Rain turned to snow on the 242-kilometre stage from Merano to Monte Bondone. Charly Gaul attacked early and finished the day as stage winner and new man in pink.
Four passes before the finish
The stage crossed Costalunga, Rolle, Gobbera and Brocon before finishing on Monte Bondone. Cold, rain and wind turned the opening hours into an elimination race.
Gaul attacks
Charly Gaul began the day in eleventh place, more than sixteen minutes behind Pasquale Fornara. He attacked as the weather worsened and riders disappeared from the field.
Snow on Bondone
On the final climb, rain became a snowstorm. Fornara’s directeur sportif withdrew him out of concern for his health. Gaul continued through the cold and won the stage by almost eight minutes.
Close to hypothermia
At the finish, Gaul was so badly affected that helpers had to get him off the bicycle and into warmth. The hypothermia should not be treated as decoration: the stage showed how little safety margin separated racing from serious harm.
From eleventh to victory
The stage gave Gaul the pink jersey, which he kept to Milan. Bondone endured as one of the Giro’s clearest images of a person pushed to the limit.
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