The Maiella, particularly the Blockhaus peak, is a popular ride for amateur cyclists and is also sometimes used for a stage of the Giro d'Italia. The first use by the race was in 1967, when Eddy Merckx won the stage. Merckx subsequently went on to establish a cycle manufacturing company and named one of his cycles after the Blockhaus. Subsequent Blockhaus stage victors were Franco Bitossi (1968), José Manuel Fuente (1972), Moreno Argentin (1984), Ivan Basso (2006), and Franco Pellizotti (2009, subsequently disqualified).The most recent inclusion of the Blockhaus on the Giro d'Italia was on 14 May 2017, when the stage was won by the Colombian rider Nairo Quintana.