He defeated multi-time Tour de France stage winner Peter Winnen by +0:01 and Fabio Parra by +0:07.

Attacking on the climb Hampsten overcame a severe snowstorm to take the Maglia Rosa, becoming the first American to do so; although he finished second on the stage to Dutchman Erik Breukink, who was considered a main favorite to win the Giro.

[2] During and following this stage numerous cyclists abandoned and several had to be loaded into ambulances and taken to the hospital due to hypothermia like symptoms.

During the 1989 Giro d'Italia Hampsten performed at an elite level among the general classification riders finishing on the podium in 3rd place overall.

Hampsten's final highlight came in the 1992 Tour de France when he dropped his breakaway companions to win the stage to Alpe d'Huez.