Crazy bikes, questionable helmets, and plenty of pink jerseys
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Francesco Moser, wearing pink having won the 1984 Giro, gets the 1985 edition underway in the very same town of Verona(Image credit: Sirotti)
Marco Pantani taking a bend on the opening day of his victorious 1998 Giro in Nice(Image credit: Sirotti)
Brett Lancaster is greeted by Mario Cipollini after winning the 2005 prologue, which took place over just 1.1km(Image credit: Sirotti)
Jean-Francois Bernard in pink after winning the 1998 opening ITT in Urbino(Image credit: Sirotti)
Fabian Cancellara took several minutes to recover from his 9.8km effort in Apeldoorn in 2016. The Swiss specialist could only manage 8th place in what was his final season(Image credit: Sirotti)
Jorg Muller approaches the line on the opening day of the 1987 Giro in Urbino(Image credit: Sirotti)
Greg LeMond and Bernard Hinault riding for La Vie Claire in 1985(Image credit: Sirotti)
Bradley Wiggins sprays the bubbly after winning the 2011 opening time trial in Amsterdam(Image credit: Sirotti)
Stephen Roche clips in on the start line in 1987, an edition he'll win after a fractious internal team rivalry with Roberto Visentini(Image credit: Sirotti)
Visentini himself about to pip Steve Bauer to the 1987 4km prologue victory(Image credit: Sirotti)
Tour de France champion Miguel Indurain signs on at the start of the 1992 Giro, where he'd win the second in a remarkable streak of five straight Grand Tours (Image credit: Sirotti)
A 21-year-old Taylor Phinney attacks a corner in Herning, Denmark, on the opening day in 2012. He beat a 25-year-old Geraint Thomas by 9 seconds over 8.7km(Image credit: Sirotti)
With victory in 2012, Taylor Phinney seemed destined for greatness but his career wouldn't be so straightforward(Image credit: Sirotti)
The finish line in Genova in 1992(Image credit: Sirotti)
Italian themed disc wheels front and rear for Gianbattista Baronchelli in 1987(Image credit: Sirotti)
Mario Cipollini being Mario Cipollini at the 2002 opener in Gronigen. He placed 13th(Image credit: Sirotti)
Mario Cipollini still being Mario Cipollini in Genova in 2005(Image credit: Sirotti)
Chris Froome's rollercoaster 2018 Giro got off to a shaky start when he crashed in the warm up of this opening day TT in Jerusalem. He placed 21st on the stage and shipped 37 seconds to Dumoulin but would of course go on to recover that in dramatic fashion(Image credit: Sirotti)
Pantani crosses the line in Pescara in 128th place. His race would end early and on a sour note, as an insulin syringe was found in his hotel room(Image credit: Sirotti)
The Giro started in Groenigen, Netherlands, in 2002(Image credit: Sirotti)
1985 vintage disc wheels in fair Verona(Image credit: Sirotti)
Geraint Thomas places second in 2012, the year he'd go on to win Olympic pursuit gold(Image credit: Sirotti)
A young Damiano Cunego gets underway at the 2004 Giro. He'd go on to win what was only his second Grand Tour(Image credit: Sirotti)
Gianni Bugno ready to ride this mad machine to victory in 1990, laying the foundations for his overall win(Image credit: Sirotti)
Tom Dumoulin pulls on the pink jersey on home Dutch soil in 2016 after beating Primoz Roglic by a fraction of a second in Apeldoorn(Image credit: Sirotti)
Stormtroopers rode the Giro in 2001(Image credit: Sirotti)
In 2000, the Giro started with a time trial in Rome, finishing in front of St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City(Image credit: Sirotti)
Jean-Francois Bernard goes deep to win the 1988 prologue(Image credit: Sirotti)
Primoz Roglic hits the steep ramps of the San Luca climb in Bologna on the opening day in 2019(Image credit: Sirotti)
Pantani only had a handful of race days under his belt by the time he reached the start line of the 2001 Giro in Pescara(Image credit: Sirotti)
Roberto Visentini in pink in San Remo after the 1987 prologue(Image credit: Sirotti)
Marco Giovanetti gets underway at the 1990 Giro start in Bari (Image credit: Sirotti)
Gianni Bugno in pink above his winning time over 13km in 1990(Image credit: Sirotti)
Miguel Indurain watches on as Thierry Marie celebrates victory in 1992(Image credit: Sirotti)
Armand de las Cuevas with an enviable Mavic disc wheel in 1992(Image credit: Sirotti)
Pavel Tonkov would go on to battle with Marco Pantani in 1998(Image credit: Sirotti)
Genova was the setting for the 2004 prologue(Image credit: Sirotti)
Tom Dumoulin haring through Jerusalem in the world champion's skinsuit on the opening day of the 2018 Giro(Image credit: Sirotti)
Brad McGee was the big favourite ahead of the 2004 prologue in Genova, and he delivered(Image credit: Sirotti)
Bradley Wiggins, wearing the British national champion's skinsuit, gets up to speed down the ramp at the 2010 Giro(Image credit: Sirotti)
Team support at the 1987 Giro(Image credit: Sirotti)
Paolo Savoldelli in pink after beating Bradley McGee to the 6.2km prologue victory in Seraing in 2006(Image credit: Sirotti)
Axel Merckx riding for Mapei-QuickStep in Rome in 2000(Image credit: Sirotti)
This is how aero helmets looked in 1998(Image credit: Sirotti)
Marco Pantani gets underway at the 1998 Giro, which he'll go on to win(Image credit: Sirotti)
Primoz Roglic storms into the lead on the opening day of the 2019 Giro, although he'd have to settle for third overall after some harsh lessons in Grand Tour racing(Image credit: Sirotti)
Ivan Basso lays the foundations of his 2008 overall victory(Image credit: Sirotti)
Alex Zulle wins the 1998 prologue but can only manage 14th by the end of the race in Milan(Image credit: Sirotti)
Tony Rominger places second in Urbino on the opening day of the 1988 Giro(Image credit: Sirotti)
Giuseppe Saronni at the 1987 Giro prologue in San Remo(Image credit: Sirotti)
Ryder Hesjedal on the opening day of his Giro-winning year in 2012(Image credit: Sirotti)
The 2020 Giro d'Italia was meant to begin today, on Saturday May 9, before COVID-19 pushed it back to October, a date that still seems shaky given the current grip of the pandemic.
With no racing through Italy over the next three weeks, here on Cyclingnews we're going to be providing a taste of racing from the corsa rosa on each of the 21 would-be stages.
We'll be delving into the race's rich history to revisit some of the most memorable storylines, as they correspond to this year's route, either in terms of stage number, location, or any other factor we deem relevant.
Given the 2020 Giro should have begun with an 8.6km individual time trial in Budapest, we're starting by looking at opening-day time trials of the past, including their shorter cousins, prologues.
Delving right back into Sirotti's photographic archives, we start back at the 1985 Giro, where Francesco Moser was victorious over 6.7km in Verona, and where Bernard Hinault's third overall title began.
In between then and Primoz Roglic's resounding uphill win in Bologna last year, there have been a number of memorable moments, not to mention significant changes in bikes and kit.
Click or swipe through the gallery above for the full selection of images.
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Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.
