Banana Belt #2 Canceled Because of Snow

A late-winter storm that dumped a layer of snow in and around the Portland area Sunday morning prompted promoter Jeff Mitchem to cancel the second race of the Banana Belt series scheduled for Henry Hagg Lake.

Instead, we have this classic video from the 1988 Giro's legendary Stage 14 slog over the snow-covered Gavia Pass.

Andy Hampsten, riding for the 7-Eleven squad, topped the pass with Dutchman Erik Breukink and survived the bone-chilling 25k descent that followed. Hampsten finished second on the stage behind Breukink, but his heroic effort pushed him to the top of the overall standings on his way to becoming the first (and only) American to win the Giro d' Italia.

Classic Video: 1988 Giro's Gavia Pass Nightmare

The video quality isn't so great, and the fuzzy foreigner doing the commentary didn't have the decency to speak American, but this rare footage of the 1988 Giro d'Italia's Stage 14 provides a glimpse of the brutally numbing conditions riders faced that day on the Gavia Pass.

Andy Hampsten, riding for the 7-Eleven squad, topped the pass with Dutchman Erik Breukink and survived the bone-chilling 25k descent that followed. Hampsten finished second that day behind Breukink, but his heroic effort pushed him to the top of the overall standings on his way to becoming the first (and only) American to win the Giro.