Top 10 Shocking Victories in Cycling 89-09

We all love a shock result sometimes, those moments when we are left scratching our heads thinking “How did that happen” or “Who on earth is that."

Cycling like most sports has had its share of shock results, it mostly occurs when a little known, less talented cyclist beats the top guys to win an important race. Very often, a large amount of luck is involved, other times it is linked to the darker side of the sport and occasionally its the first spark of a successful career.

However shocks are not just the preserve of the little known or upcoming cyclist, surprises also occur when a rider shows a talent in a discipline that was never previously obvious, for example a super mountain climber suddenly turning into a star sprinter.

In chronological order, I have highlighted what I consider to be the biggest shock results of the last twenty years of cycling. People might not agree with my choices but that is all part of the fun, enjoy.

Marco Giovanetti, 1990 Vuelta A Espana

Before 1995, the Vuelta A Espana was run in Springtime and even then the weakest of the three major Tours. Despite its lower status, the Vuelta was always fiercely contested, especially by the insular Spanish teams.

In 1990, Italian Marco Giovanetti got into a soft break on stage six and quietly slipped into the leaders jersey halfway through the race. Giovanetti did have some pedigree having finished in the Giro top ten for four years running. However, like most Italians at the time, rarely performed outside the boot of Italy.

The Italian hung on through the mountains of northern Italy as the big names struggled to land the killer blow. Spanish teams ONCE and Banesto were big rivals at the time, both had riders in a position to win the race but their tactics were aimed at nullifying each other, allowing Giovanetti to hang on to take a hugely surprising victory.

The Italian never finished in the top three on a single stage which perhaps best illustrates the negativity of the race.

Melchor Mauri, 1991 Vuelta A Espana

In 1991, an even lesser known Spanish rider took another hugely surprising victory. Melchor Mauri's win was based on three factors, excellent time-trialling, having the strongest team in the race, ONCE, and a huge slice of luck.

Mauri was part of the ONCE trio who won the opening prologue and then took a convincing win in the team time trial. He then took an excellent victory in the first individual time trial giving him a comfortable lead heading into the mountains.

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