Alessandro Petacchi (LPR Brakes-Farnese Vini) wins Giro d'Italia stage two ahead of Mark Cavendish (Columbia-Highroad). (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Italy has set a record you probably won’t find it boasting about at this year’s Giro d’Italia: nine stages without a single individual stage win to one of its riders. The new win-less run replaces the previous streak from 1973, when Gianni Motta gave Italians something to cheer about on stage six after Belgians Eddy Merckx, Roger de Vlaeminck, Gustaaf Van Roosbroeck and Dutch rider Gerben Karstens shared the spoils from the first five stages.
The difference in 2010 is that Italian fans have at least already had reason to celebrate, thanks to Liquigas-Doimo’s team time trial victory and Vincenzo Nibali’s time in the maglia rosa. That success would make it unfair – and frankly downright disrespectful – to describe the Italians’ performance as unsuccessful at their home Grand Tour, yet the lack of individual success is no less of a notable turn of events.
A decade ago, as Stefano Garzelli rode towards his overall Giro d’Italia win, he shared with his compatriots 13 of the possible 21 stage victories. It’s ironic that in that edition Dave McKenzie became just the fourth Australian to win a Giro stage behind Phil Anderson, Michael Wilson and Alan Peiper, yet this year alone three Australians have joined the list of Giro stage winners: Cadel Evans, Matthew Lloyd and Matthew Goss.
Victories by riders from Great Britain, Denmark, Australia, Belgium and the United States of America could be attributed to many different factors, including the sport’s globalisation. Whatever the case, Italian fans may have to wait for the return to mountain stages before seeing an individual stage win by one of its riders, with top sprinter Alessandro Petacchi having withdrawn from the event due to bronchitis.
While he’s certainly not the only Italian sprinter in the Giro field, Petacchi is the man who has given the nation its first individual stage win in no fewer than fourth editions of the race. He was the first Italian stage winner in both 2003 and 2004, a feat he repeated again in 2007 and last year’s edition.
Should the race return to the mountain stages before the nation’s riders notch up an individual stage victory, it could be someone like Ivan Basso, Damiano Cunego or Michele Scarponi to secure Italy its first individual stage win. Regardless of who gets its first win and when it comes, it will be the one record Italians will hope to never better at the Giro.
Below is a list of the first Italian to win a stage of each Giro d'Italia, with the stage number in brackets after the rider's name.
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