A tifoso perhaps tells Merckx he has a two-minute lead as he climbs the Stelvio during the 1972 Giro(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Eddy Merckx in the 1976 Giro d'Italia. (Image credit: Sirotti)
Merckx looking poised and powerful in pink at the 1969 Giro(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Merckx gets mobbed by the crowd at the start of a Giro stage in 1976(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Merckx in pink on the dirt roads of the 1970 Giro(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Eddy Merckx leads Felice Gimondi in the 1974 Giro d'Italia(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
A young Eddy Merckx on the Giro podium in 1970 (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
To relive our history, to celebrate our past, to pay homage to the heroes who for over a century have raced, won and brought emotions to the roads of the Giro: for all of these reasons, the Giro d’Italia Hall of Fame is born.
From listening to our fans, we realised how much desire there was among them to relive the emotions and the personalities who have made the corsa rosa so great.
The public of the Giro is growing before our eyes, and every day new fans begin to follow us. But how many of them know our history? And us? Even if we grew up with our father holding us by the hand and pointing out Saronni and Moser, or with a grandfather who told us about Coppi and Merckx in front of the television, how much do we really know about our glorious past?
For some time, we have been thinking of an absorbing way to recall the most unforgettable moments from over a century of the Giro, until we eventually came up with a wonderful concept – presenting the splendid Trofeo Senza Fine to those who have never received it (the Trofeo Senza Fine has only been awarded to the winner of the Giro since 1999).
While every other Hall of Fame “takes” something (usually a foot print or hand print), we really like the idea of giving a token of our sincere gratitude to those who have made our history.
We took a long time asking ourselves whether we should choose the inductees with a panel of experts or through a vote from our fans. We still haven’t decided, but it was soon clear to us that anybody who had to choose the first legend to be honoured would have chosen Eddy Merckx anyway: his five Giro wins would really have had everyone in agreement.
This year, we have slotted the Hall of Fame ceremony into the three days devoted to the build-up to Milano-Sanremo. What’s more, the Cannibal won La Classicissima on no fewer than seven occasions, so what better moment to celebrate him?
But how can we give a chance to all of our fans, wherever they are in the world, to relive the Cannibal’s greatest feats on Italian soil? We’re going to give them three videos, which we will publish in the coming days on www.giroditalia.it and promote on twitter, facebook and youtube.
The first video will recap Merckx’s five Giro victories, year by year. The second will tell of his seven wins at Milano-Sanremo. The third is a real treat, in which Eddy himself will tell of his memories and emotions, of all that Italy gave to him, and the impression that his feats left on cycling in Italy.
It only remains for our loyal fans to immerse themselves in some of the most beautiful pages of sport of the last century. Pink pages, of course – the colour of the paper La Gazzetta dello Sport is printed on…
Marco Gobbi Pansana is Marketing and Communication Manager at RCS Sport
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