Another of those riders spoken in reverential terms south of the Dolomites, Francesco Moser’s dominance didn’t just stop with one-day racing as his wins at the Giro d’Italia and Tirreno-Adriatico testify.

But it was in the Classics where he was truly dominant, racking up three consecutive wins at Paris-Roubaix between 1978-1980, and finishing on the podium four more times, earning himself the nickname Lo Sceriffo (The Sheriff).

Moser’s style on the bike and prolific winning made him a darling of the Italian public, and one of those figures in sport that have cast a large shadow over those who have come after him – at least partly because he’s one of the go-to figures for the media whenever Italian cycling is perceived to be in poor health.

As a large, powerful rider with a fluid pedal stroke he was perfectly suited to the Classics, and he cut an intimidating figure on the bike, perfectly happy to simply overpower those around him. He was an incredibly strong time trialist as well and in stage races used his ability against the clock to make up for his comparative lack of ability as a climber.

Moser was also progressive as a rider, employing training methods that were ahead of his era. For example, while training for the hour record, he started to ride long hill intervals on a steady incline in 53×11, turning the cranks between 5-60rpm. This, combined with keeping his upper body still, built leg and core strength and helped him to break Eddy Merckx’s record in 1984, the same year he won the Giro and Milan-San Remo. Moser included those intervals in his training from then until retirement in 1987.