1992, the first Rominger’s Vuelta opens the doors to the future domination of Mapei
In 1992, moving to the Spanish team Clas-Cajastur (already sponsored by Colnago), Rominger finished second in the Paris-Nice and won the Vuelta al País Vasco, obtaining two partial wins in both races. Presenting himself at the Vuelta a España, which at the time began in late April, he surprisingly conquered the general classification of the race after winning the time trial on the third to last day and snatching the leader's jersey from home rider Jesús Montoya. This success was followed by two more at the Vuelta: in 1993, always with the Clas jersey, followed by second place in the Tour de France behind Miguel Indurain and in 1994, wearing the top ranking jersey from the first to the last stage, with the new partnership Mapei Clas, the first rider in the history of the Iberian stage race to put together three successes in a row.
The historic moment is important, because the team that would dominate the next ten seasons is taking shape. Giorgio Squinzi is the main protagonist in the choice of his company to invest in the world of cycling. Friend of Ernesto Colnago, former technical sponsor of the Clas, he is helped by the latter to find the right line-up. Rominger, who passed from the role of domestique / cyclist for the short stage races to star of international cycling, is the point man of the new team which also eleven of his teammates joined. The first season ends with the retirement of the Swiss champion from the Tour due to stomach problems, who, however, will redeem himself by setting the new hour record at 55.291 km at the end of the season.
But it was in 1995 that Rominger proved to be a complete rider, making him the Giro d 'Italia by beating Evgenij Berzin and Pëtr Ugryumov. In that edition of the Giro, Rominger also conquered four stages, including all three scheduled time trials (the second in Assisi, the tenth in Maddaloni and the seventeenth in Selvino) as well as the fourth stage in Loreto, wearing for twenty-one days, from second to the last fraction, the pink jersey.
