Gianni Bugno gets a hamper for his troubles in Paglieta at the 1988 Tirreno-Adriatico.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Riccardo Riccò promised much when he won at Offagna in 2007.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Stefano Allocchio signs an autograph in 1986. (Image credit: Sirotti)
Davide Cassani at the 1986 Tirreno-Adriatico.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Bernard Hinault rode Tirreno-Adriatico in his final professional season in 1986.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Pedro Delgado samples the cuisine at Montegiorgio in 1986.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Francesco Moser, a man in demand at the 1986 Tirreno-Adriatico.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Roberto Visentini gets ready for the San Benedetto del Tronto time trial in 1986.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Lech Piasecki checks out the Latina time trial route in 1987, the year he wore yellow at the Tour de France.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Some last words of advice from Giancarlo Ferretti for his Ariostea riders in Recanati in 1987.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Moreno Argentina with the spoils in 1987.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Giuseppe Saronni at the 1987 Tirreno-Adriatico.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Moreno Argentin in his distinctive faded world champion's bands.(Image credit: Sirotti)
A youthful Tony Rominger enjoyed his best early results on Italian roads.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Guido Bontempi already has Milan-San Remo in mind on the final day of the 1987 Tirreno-Adriatico.(Image credit: Sirotti)
A veteran Francesco Moser after the Latina prologue of 1987.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Oscar Freire beats Filippo Pozzato at Castelfidardo in 2008.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Now a DS at Sky, Servais Knaven soloed to Tirreno-Adriatico stage victory at Saltara in 2005.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Italian champion Paolo Bettini wins at Paglieta in 2004.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Alessandro Petacchi wins at San Benedetto del Tronto in 2004. The Gentleman Sprinter was overwhelming favourite for that year's Milan-San Remo, but would ultimately have to wait another twelve months to land La Primavera.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Mario Cipollini wins as world champion in Sabaudia in 2003.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Giancarlo Ferretti with some of his MG-Technogym riders in 1995: Davide Rebellin, Max Sciandri, Luca Scinto and Davide Cassani.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Maurizio Fondriest and Lance Armstrong at the 1994 Tirreno-Adriatico.(Image credit: Sirotti)
A Motorola team featuring Lance Armstrong, Phil Anderson, Raul Alcala and Stephen Swart lines up at Assisi in 1994.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Erik Zabel and Mario Cipollini share a joke at the 2003 Tirreno-Adriatico.(Image credit: Sirotti)
A youthful Daniele Bennati was part of Mario Cipollini's sprint train at the 2003 Tirreno-Adriatico.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Filippo Pozzato sparkled en route to overall victory in Tirreno-Adriatico in 2003.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Ceramiche Panaria teammates Brett Lancaster and Scott Davis at the 2003 Tirreno-Adriatico.(Image credit: Sirotti)
A young Yaroslav Popovych climbs through the snow in 2003.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Danilo Di Luca pictured alongside Stefano Diciatteo of RCS Sport at a post-stage press conference in Toricella, 2003.(Image credit: Sirotti)
The peloton en route to Monte Urano in the 1989 Tirreno-Adriatico.(Image credit: Sirotti)
As the curtain comes down on the 2012 Tirreno-Adriatico, we take a look back at some classic images from the Race Between the Two Seas from the past twenty-five years.
From Giuseppe Saronni to Oscar Freire, Gianni Bugno to Mario Cipollini, Tirreno-Adriatico has long been the test site of choice for those riders preparing for Milan-San Remo, as our gallery demonstrates.
To pigeonhole the race as mere opening act for Milan-San Remo would be to do it a grave injustice, however. As our gallery shows, we have been treated to some fantastic racing in central Italy over the years, and the biggest names of every era have come to test themselves in Tirreno-Adriatico.
