The Cycling Podcast / Our Giro stage 9: Magic Nights

Italy was full of confidence in 1990. The country was alive, at the cutting edge of sport and fashion and with a booming economy. About to host the World Cup, the nation’s cyclists were on the cusp of a resurgence too.

After three years of foreign victors at the Giro, an Italian led from start to finish. Gianni Bugno took the pink jersey in the opening time trial in Bari and defended it all the way to Milan – only the fourth man to lead the race all the way through, and only the second after Eddy Merckx in 1973 to actually do it in the maglia rosa.

Richard Moore, Lionel Birnie and Daniel Friebe look back at those heady days of 1990 and remember the song that defined the summer. No, not Nessun Dorma, the BBC’s World Cup theme, Notte Magiche, or Magic Nights.

We break down Bugno’s victory, compare and contrast him to football’s poster boy Roberto Baggio, assess the state of the Giro at the time, look at Italian cycling’s re-emergence and ask how important a role the discovery of EPO as a performance-enhancing drug played in Italy’s early Nineties renaissance.

 We hear from author, historian and expert on all things Italian, John Foot, and from Bugno himself. There’s another delve into The Cycling Podcast’s back catalogue to discuss the so-called ‘Zoncolan of the South’, wine of the day, plus musical contributions from Amaraterra (who perform our Giro theme song, Cozze), and François Thomazeau.

The Cycling Podcast is supported by iwoca and Science In Sport.

COMING TOMORROW…
A rest day at a grand tour usually means a trip to the launderette and a round of press conferences for The Cycling Podcast but tomorrow we look back to an incredible day in 2010 when almost a third of the peloton got in a big break to L’Aquila and Richie Porte announced his arrival as a stage race contender.

WATCH OUR FIRST FILM

Our first film, And So We Rode… is available for Friends of the Podcast to watch now. This is the story of Larry Warbasse and Conor Dunne packing their bags and going on a bikepacking trip in the French and Italian Alps after their pro team Aqua Blue Sport folded mid-season. It costs £15 to sign up as a Friend of the Podcast and you will be able to watch the film as well as listen to all our special episodes. thecyclingpodcast.com/join

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