Plates

Huge crowds gathered at the Arena Civica in Milan for the finish of the first Giro d’Italia in 1909.

Five-time winner Alfredo Binda was so dominant that the Giro organisers paid him to stay away in 1930. © Offside/Farabolafoto

Alfonsina Strada, still the only woman to complete a Grand Tour. © Offside/Farabolafoto

Gino Bartali and his younger brother Guilio, whose death in 1936 affected Gino profoundly. © Offside/Farabolafoto

What glories awaited the coltish Fausto Coppi, pictured here on the eve of the 1940 Giro. © Offside/Farabolafoto

After a distinguished war, Bartali tastes victory again in the 1946 Giro. © Keystone/Stringer/Getty Images

Three Corsa Rosa legends and the Pope: Bartali, Costante Girardengo and Fausto Coppi meet His Eminence ahead of the 1950 race. © Offside/Farabolafoto

Coppi in his pomp on the Stelvio in 1953. © Offside/Farabolafoto

1950 winner Hugo Koblet alone in the mountains. © Keystone-France/Getty Images

Coppi and Giulia Occhini – the ‘Dama Bianca’ – go public with their romance in 1954. © Mondadori Portfolio/Getty Images

Domestique Carlo Clerici was a surprise winner in 1954. He is seen here with his friend and compatriot Koblet, with Rolf Graf in the background. © Offside/L’Equipe

The extraordinary Fiorenzo Magni completed the 1956 Giro through gritted teeth. Literally. © Offside/L’Equipe

Nothing left: Charly Gaul is helped off his bike after his epic win on Monte Bondone in 1956. © Keystone-France/Getty Images

A penny for their thoughts: Bartali and Coppi mellowed a little in their later years. © Offside/Farabolafoto

Giuseppe Fallarini and Pierino Baffi attend mass before a stage in 1959. © Offside/L’Equipe

Hanging tough on the wintry mountain climbs was always the key for Jacques Anquetil. © Offside/L’Equipe

Arnaldo Pambianco was the surprise but popular winner in 1961. © Keystone Features/Stringer/Getty Images

Not even a small avalanche stopped the race on the Stelvio in 1965. Here, Egidio Cornale picks his way to the finishing line. © Mondadori Portfolio/Getty Images

Vin Denson after claiming Britain’s first ever Giro stage win, at Campobasso in 1966. © Offside/L’Equipe

An army marches on its stomach, as do Grand Tour riders. Felice Gimondi is pictured here with his daily intake on a typical Giro day. © Mondadori Portfolio/Getty Images

Eddy Merckx wrapped in a blanket atop Tre Cime di Lavaredo. This was his best ever day on a mountain according to the man himself. © Offside/Pressesports

On the attack, as always: Merckx in 1973. © Offside/L’Equipe

The Pope has the honour of meeting Merckx in 1974. © Keystone/Stringer/Getty Images

Catania 1976: Kas riders in a state of shock after hearing of the death of their colleague Juan Manuel Santisteban in a crash earlier that day. © Bride Lane Library/Popperfoto/Getty Images

Untouchable: Bernard Hinault on the attack on the Stelvio in 1980. © Offside/L’Equipe

The Badger bares his teeth: Hinault en route to another Giro win in 1985. © Offside/L’Equipe

Where did it all go wrong? A dejected Laurent Fignon ponders the possible chicanery that thwarted his best efforts in 1984. © Offside/L’Equipe

You can feel the tension: Roberto Visentini and Stephen Roche eye each other as Robert Millar looks on in 1987. © Offside/L’Equipe

Last hurrah: Marco Pantani in stage-winning form the day before being kicked off the 1999 race. © Pascal Pavani/Getty Images

Supermario – Mario Cipollini – was a serial winner of the sprints, and holds a Giro record of 42 stage wins. © Tim de Waele/Getty Images

Number 108: fans hold up Wouter Weylandt’s race number the day after his death from a crash at the 2011 Giro. © Offside/IPP

Winter can strike at any time on the Stelvio: Ryder Hesjedal, Michele Scarponi and Alberto Rodríguez Oliver riding into the storm. © Tim de Waele/Getty Images

Cruising, on a lazy Sunday afternoon: winner Nairo Quintana leads the peloton home on the final stage in 2014. © Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Alberto Contador pointedly insists his 2015 Giro triumph was his third, not second, GC win. © Luk Benies/Stringer/Getty Images

No, not a scene from the trenches but a heavy crash on the Colle dell’Agnello for Ilnur Zakarin at the 2015 Giro. Happily, despite appearances, he suffered no serious injuries. © Luk Benies/Stringer/Getty Images

Day of redemption: Vincenzo Nibali roared back into contention in the 2016 Giro with a memorable win on stage 19. © Luk Benies/Stringer/Getty Images