The 1972 Giro d'Italia was the 55th running of the Giro, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started in Venice on 21 May, with a 5.2 km (3.2 mi) prologue and concluded with a 197 km (122 mi) mass-start stage, on 11 June. A total of 100 riders from ten teams entered the 20-stage race, that was won by Belgian Eddy Merckx of the Molteni team. The second and third places were taken by Spaniards José Manuel Fuente and Francisco Galdós, respectively.[1]
^"Detras de Merckx... ¡Solo Los Españoles!" [Behind Merckx... Only the Spanish!] (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 12 June 1972. p. 25. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2012.