One of the key landmarks of the Giro d’Italia 2023 will be the all-Emilian-Romagna time trial from Savignano sul Rubicone to Cesena of 33.6 km. And to think that exactly 90 years ago another all-Emilian time trial was held, from Bologna to Ferrara, Stage 13 of the 1933 Giro d’Italia. Small detail, that was the very first time trial ever tackled at the Giro d’Italia.
The anticipation, excitement and doubts ahead of this new experiment destined to change cycling forever was no different to what we might expect today when a new race format or a new race is announced. Riders, industry insiders and journalists were talking of nothing else: is it really worth launching riders into a 62-kilometre solo effort?
At the end of that ITT, the hierarchies that had already become clear in that Giro were confirmed: Alfredo Binda won the Maglia Rosa (introduced two years earlier). He had already taken home four stages and, on that historical day, he beat Belgian Jef Demuysere by 1’02” and Ambrogio Morelli by 3’17”. “L’Imbattibile” closed his trial in 1 hour, 34 minutes and 51 seconds, with an average speed of 39.235 km/h. He put the exclamation mark on his 5th and last Giro d’Italia, following which Binda began his decline, so much so that he would never win again.
