Giovanni Battaglin

Giovanni Battaglin (born 22 July 1951) is an Italian professional road racing cyclist, born in Marostica in the province of Vicenza. He won the 1972 Amateur Giro d'Italia and turned professional in 1973 with the Jollj Ceramica team. In his first Giro d'Italia, at the age of 21, he finished third overall after a spell in second place, ahead of the established riders around him. He wore the pink jersey for five days in 1975 and won the King of the Mountains jersey at the 1979 Tour de France. In 1981 he won the Vuelta a España after taking the mountain time trial to the Sierra Nevada, and three days later began the Giro d'Italia, which he won in Verona, becoming only the second rider after Eddy Merckx to take the Vuelta and Giro double. He retired after the 1984 season and in 1982 had started a bicycle manufacturing business under his own name in Marostica.