 With the absence of Italian Francesco Moser from this edition, the race organizers included many famous and difficult climbs, such as the Gavia Pass.Moser himself stated that the route contained many difficult climbs and was not helping Italian cycling to prosper at a time when he believed it to be ailing.When asked about the route for the 1988 edition, rider Bob Roll said "Those sons of bitches put every mountain they could find in the race that year."