The unforgettable Franco Ballerini was a rider who especially loved the Northern Classics, or rather, the Hell of the North, Paris–Roubaix, which he won twice, becoming a hero to local fans and an honorary citizen of Roubaix. A little less did he love the climbs and the Grand Tours; they simply weren’t his terrain. But at the Giro d’Italia he still managed to leave his mark in 1991, during Stage 14 from Turin to Morbegno, covering 239 km. Practically a classic, just the way he liked it.

The victory came after a long breakaway: “When they ride along Lake Como, the fugitives start to believe they can make it,” reported La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Not all of them do, though. The breakaway group falls apart – but Ballerini remains. Four riders are left, and Ballerini is among them. The finale, as always in these cases, is fratricidal. Because the four haven’t even finished helping each other before they start to turn on each other. The finale is on a slight incline, but after nearly six hours at over a 42 km/h average, that 2% gradient feels like 12. Ballerini triumphs!”

In second place was the Franco-Maghrebi rider Philippe Casado, and it’s sadly worth noting that both men met unfair fates: Ballerini died in 2010 after a crash during a rally race – his great passion – while Casado passed away in 1995 from an aneurysm during a charity rugby match.

Ballerini, immediately after retiring in 2001, became the coach of the Italian national team, leading the Azzurri to win four World Championship titles (none have been won since), and an Olympic gold in Athens 2004 with Paolo Bettini. Gifted with great human and moral depth, his passing left a major void in Italian cycling.