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 passo dello stelvio. 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.