In this post, we'll attempt to compile a top five of the best stages from that rather confusing era that transported us from old-school cycling to the modern cycling of today. In an effort to follow up on our previous post, in which we discussed the best stages of the last six or seven years, we now look at those races held up to twenty years ago.

We talk about the era of Pantani, Ullrich, Escartín, Museew and company, as well as the next generation, which today forms part of the last vestiges of an almost extinct generation, such as Garzelli, Nieve, Contador or Cadel Evans, among others.

Pantani on the road to glory in the 1998 Tour

Stage 15 of the 1998 Tour de France. Marco Pantani arrives at the start of Grenoble, 3:01 behind the leader, Jan Ullrich, the reigning Tour winner. Fourth overall, with 188 kilometers to go and the Croix de Fer, Telegraphe, Galibier, and Les Deux Alps in between, the Pirate knew his terrain was coming to achieve the elusive Giro-Tour double. This stage was decisive for Pantani to take the yellow jersey back to his hometown of Cesena.

That July 27th, on a hellish day in the Alps, Marco Pantani delivered a dramatic blow to the Tour de France with a ride from the legendary Galibier, attacking about 50 kilometers from the finish. Seeing the Pirate fly on this colossus is one of the things that will remain etched in the memory of all cycling fans. All of us who saw him race can say: I saw the Pirate race!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq_JxQeqXKg

Vandenbroucke's butcher shop in Navalmoral

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On the penultimate stage of the 1999 Vuelta a España, heading to Ávila, with Jan Ullrich wearing the " gold jersey ," we witnessed one of the greatest displays of modern cycling history. The ill-fated Frank Vandenbroucke turned the race upside down on the climb to Navalmoral, picking off all his opponents one by one with a blistering pace that he imposed from the foot of the climb.

Navalmoral, however, wasn't the only performance of the day. On the classic climb up the walls of Ávila, we saw a VDB literally fly, capping off a memorable season, in which they won Liège, Omloop, and two stages in La Vuelta, among other achievements, as well as finishing second in Flanders and seventh in Roubaix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXWIVLbW_5Q

The epic Roubaix of 2001

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There's one Paris-Roubaix that every cycling fan has etched in their memory. Johan Museeuw and his team , the Domo Farm-Frites, went into that 2001 Roubaix as the big favorites, and boy did they prove it! Domo's illustrious rivals included Andrea Tafi (he wants to race Roubaix again this year at 52!), Ludo Dierckxens (who doesn't remember his Lampre helmet-bump?), and Andrei Tchmil, among others.

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Domo's domestique, Servais Knaven, took advantage of the Belgian team's superiority and took his cobblestone home in a classic that lived up to its nickname of " Hell of the North ," offering us a historic spectacle of water and mud. In this scenario, Domo Farm-Frites managed the race as he pleased, putting three riders on the podium: Johan Museeuw was 2nd and Romāns Vainšteins 3rd, in addition to Wilfried Peeters 5th.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRQtz-yI59E

Dolomites, Giro, Pájaras: genuine flavor in a mix of old and new cycling

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We look back in time and there aren't many classic stages or moments that come to mind that we remember in detail, especially if we go back almost 20 years.

When we think of Cadel Evans, who was on fire in the pink jersey, what comes to mind? In our case, at least, it's a monumental failure by the then-young Aussie , but also other spectacular performances like that of Dario Frigo, who was second overall in the Giro d'Italia at the time.

But if anything makes this stage special, it's that on the dreaded Dolomite tappone , Evans and Frigo were the strongest among the GC contenders, which made what happened even more unexpected. We invite you to also enjoy that previous stage, which saw Marmolada and Pordoi, among others, climb and which explains the turbulent extra-sporting situation that the 2002 Giro experienced, with Casagrande's expulsions, Belli's non-partinza , and Pantani's retirements (the following day the Guardia di Finanza searched Saeco, Mapei, Panaria, and Mecatone): https://youtu.be/LotDovSu3yg

Source: www.sbs.com.au

But the stage we want to include in this coveted top 5 is the stage of explosions. We know you're curious, so just hit play and enjoy a historic stage in the Dolomites, which, while not initially challenging, took its toll on the riders.

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If you add to the list of main players, I think you won't be able to resist watching it: Pavel Tonkov, Dario Frigo, Ivan Gotti, Fernando Escartín, Tyler Hamilton, Paolo Savoldelli, Cadel Evans (Maglia Rosa), Juanma Garate, Pérez Cuapio (late Green Jersey for best climber), and a long etcetera. The result? Attacks, counterattacks, and utter madness in the 2002 Giro d'Italia on the way to Folgaria-Passo Coe.

RAI (almost 3-hour broadcast): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc1U7hqBu6Y

Broadcast with Antonio Alix and Peio Ruiz Cabestany, from 35 to the finish line: https://youtu.be/SOn6RQI87-A

Mikel Nieve won the toughest stage in modern cycling?

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Conegliano – Gardeccia/Val di Fassa.

2011 Giro.

229 kilometers and the climbs of Piancavallo, Forcella Cibiana, Passo Giau, Passo Fedaia (Marmolada), and the grueling finale in Gardeccia/Val di Fassa are on the menu. Over 6,000 meters of cumulative elevation gain.

With these "Made in Giro d'Italia" ingredients, it's no surprise that this stage sneaks into our top five memorable races in modern cycling. Add to that the fact that we had Contador in pink and a certain Mikel Nieve writing his name in the history of the Giro and cycling, wearing orange, and the script is perfect.

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The broadcast begins with Vincenzo Nibali's attack on the descent of Passo Giau, in case we didn't convince you yet. Sit back and enjoy. Stages like this are worth the effort.

Greetings, and remember, the wheels are turning soon. If these posts have helped mitigate the lack of road cycling, all the better!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ9q0Xx6U_k

Article by Mikel Ilundain for Baggicase.