the Giro in Orfeo Ponsin who died from complications after crashing into a tree on the descent of the Merluzza. Fausto Coppi took the race lead upon the tenth stage's finish, but the following day he attacked on the Passo Pordoi and rode the rest of the stage by himself to increase his lead. Coppi won two stages after gaining the overall lead, which further cemented his lead in the race. The Swiss rider Hugo Koblet gained the lead of the 1953 Giro d'Italia after the race's stage eight individual time trial. Koblet defended the successfully lead from Fausto Coppi up until the twentieth stage that contained the Stelvio Pass. The night before the twentieth stage, Koblet overused amphetamines, which made him uneasy throughout the stage. Kolbet marked an attack on the ascent of the Stelvio while showing signs of weakness. Coppi heard of Koblet's drug use and attacked. Koblet was unable to match Coppi's move and Coppi went on to win the stage and take the race lead. The time gap proved to be enough and Coppi won a record tying five Giro d'Italia. 1954–1967: Italian supremacy challenged The tensions at the start of the race in 1954 were high because the organizers paid Fausto Coppi a large sum to participate in the race The transaction angered the peloton and led to the race being not highly contested; this was extremely evident on the twenty-first stage when the riders took over nine hours to complete the stage. Eventual winner Carlo Clerici attacked during the sixth leg and gained enough of a time advantage over the rest of the peloton and win the Giro d'Italia. Fiorenzo Magni led the majority of the first half of the 1955 Giro d'Italia before losing the lead to another rider. During the twentieth leg, Magni attacked with Fausto Coppi when his fellow competitors had stopped to change their tires. Magni's efforts gave him the race lead and ultimately his third Giro d'Italia victory. The 1956 edition of the Giro was without much drama until the twenty-first stage that stretched from Merano to the summit finish on Monte Bondone, a mountain in the Dolomites. The stage was bitterly cold with temperatures near that forced over sixty riders to abandon the race including the race leader Pasquale Fornara. Charly Gaul attacked during the stage and won the stage, while also gaining enough time to take the