This is Vin Denson at the precise moment he became the first British winner of a stage in the Giro d’Italia. It happened at Campobasso in 1966 when Vin was riding for the Ford France team of the five-time Tour de France winner Jacques Anquetil.
Campobasso is in southern Italy, and it was hot, which presented extra problems for 1960s professionals, as Vin relates in this story from his remarkable racing career.
“We were doing a race in Spain with a stage across the plateau in the middle of the country. Not many people live there, the roads are long and straight and it’s hot in summer.
“In those days race organisers didn’t allow you to get drinks handed up anytime, you were limited to the feed-zone. I say feed-zone because there’d only be one, so if we got thirsty, we’d have to look for village fountains, or raid cafes.
“Anyway, there were no cafes on this stage, no people by the road, no houses, and it was hot. I was so thirsty I pulled out my bottle hoping to squeeze a drop out and there were just feathers, then we saw a tiny house.
“A few guys stopped, the door was open, so we went in. It was dark but there was a stone sink and one tap. We lined up, but there wasn’t much flow out of the tap, so it was ages before I got my turn. When I did, just a dribble of water.
“I don’t know how long I was in there, but when I came out everyone had gone. No following cars left; nothing. Then it dawned on me, which way were we going before we stopped? Both directions looked the same.
“The only thing I could do was look at the direction my front wheel was pointing in and hope I hadn’t turned my bike around to lean it against the house. I got on and pedalled like mad with my hear in my mouth.
“I’ve never been so glad to see the back of a race when I caught up. I mean, how would I have explained it to the DS if I’d have ended up back in the town we started at?”
