1928 Giro d'Italia
Cycling race
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1928 Giro d'Italia was the 16th edition of the Giro d'Italia, organized and sponsored by the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. The race began on 12 May in Milan with a stage that stretched 233.1 km (145 mi) to Trento, finishing back in Milan on 3 June after a 251 km (156 mi) stage and a total distance covered of 3,044.6 km (1,892 mi). The race was won by Alfredo Binda of the Legnano team. Second and third respectively were the Italian riders Giuseppe Pancera and Bartolomeo Aymo.
Race Route | |||||||||||||
| Race details | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 12 May â 3 June 1928 | ||||||||||||
| Stages | 12 | ||||||||||||
| Distance | 3,044.6 km (1,891.8 mi) | ||||||||||||
| Winning time | 114h 15' 19" | ||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
It was the edition with the highest number of participants (298), with 126 riders completing the race.
Once again Binda dominated the Giro, also winning 6 stages. Five stages were won by Domenico Piemontesi, who still didn't succeed in challenging Binda for the lead in the general classification.
The eighth stage was won by Albino Binda (Alfredo's brother and team-mate). Alfredo himself later admitted that he advised his brother to escape from the group the moment he stopped to change a tire (common operation before the introduction of derailleur gears).
Participants
The 1928 Giro d'Italia had 365 entrants, of which 298 showed up at the start on 12 May,[1] and 126 of them made it to the finish in Milan on 3 June. Riders were allowed to ride on their own or as a member of a team. There were seven teams that competed in the race: Alcyon-Hutchinson, Aliprandi-Pirelli, Atala-Pirelli, Bianchi-Pirelli, Diamant Continental, Touring Pirelli, and Wolsit Pirelli.[2] In addition there were five groups that entered the race: Legione Ciclisti, U.S. Legnanese, Varese Sportiva, U.S. Viareggio, and U.S. Abbiatense.[2]
The peloton was primarily composed of Italians.[2] The field featured three former Giro d'Italia champions in three-time winner Giovanni Brunero, twice a winner and reigning champion Alfredo Binda, and single-time winner Giuseppe Enrici.[2] Other notable Italian riders that started the race included Bartolomeo Aymo and Domenico Piemontesi.[2]
Race details
In the first stage, Piemontesi won with a small gap on Binda, and thus became the first race leader. Binda won the sprint of the second stage ahead of Piemontesi,[3] and similarly in the third stage,[4] but Piemontesi stayed leader.[2]
In the fourth stage, Binda escaped and finished solo, minutes ahead of all other riders. Binda became the new race leader, with second-placed Giuseppe Pancera already more than ten minutes behind.[2]
From then on, it was an easy race for Binda. He won four more stages, and his brother Albino Binda was also able to win stage. The remaining four stages were won by Piemontesi, but he was no threat for Binda in the general classification.[2]
Binda and Piemontesi were dominant stage results: together they won 11 out of 12 stages, and they took the first two spots eight times. Piemontesi finished the 1928 Giro in the 20th place in the general classification, more than two hours behind Binda; most of his time was lost in the eighth stage.
Final standings
Stage results
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type[Notes 1] | Winner | Race Leader | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 May | Milan to Trento | 233.1 km (145 mi) |  |
Stage with mountain(s) |  Domenico Piemontesi (ITA) |
Domenico Piemontesi (ITA) |
| 2 | 14 May | Trento to Forlì | 312.6 km (194 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Alfredo Binda (ITA) |
Domenico Piemontesi (ITA) |
| 3 | 16 May | Predappio to Arezzo | 148 km (92 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Alfredo Binda (ITA) |
Domenico Piemontesi (ITA) |
| 4 | 18 May | Arezzo to Sulmona | 327.9 km (204 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Alfredo Binda (ITA) |
Alfredo Binda (ITA) |
| 5 | 20 May | Sulmona to Foggia | 254.6 km (158 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Alfredo Binda (ITA) |
Alfredo Binda (ITA) |
| 6 | 22 May | Foggia to Naples | 248.3 km (154 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Domenico Piemontesi (ITA) |
Alfredo Binda (ITA) |
| 7 | 24 May | Naples to Rome | 275 km (171 mi) |  |
Plain stage | Domenico Piemontesi (ITA) |
Alfredo Binda (ITA) |
| 8 | 26 May | Rome to Pistoia | 323 km (201 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Albino Binda (ITA) |
Alfredo Binda (ITA) |
| 9 | 28 May | Pistoia to Modena | 206 km (128 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Domenico Piemontesi (ITA) |
Alfredo Binda (ITA) |
| 10 | 30 May | Modena to Genoa | 270 km (168 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Alfredo Binda (ITA) |
Alfredo Binda (ITA) |
| 11 | 1 June | Genoa to Turin | 195.1 km (121 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Alfredo Binda (ITA) |
Alfredo Binda (ITA) |
| 12 | 3 June | Turin to Milan | 251 km (156 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Domenico Piemontesi (ITA) |
Alfredo Binda (ITA) |
| Total | 3,044.6 km (1,892 mi) | ||||||
General classification
There were 126 cyclists who had completed all twelve stages. For these cyclists, the times they had needed in each stage was added up for the general classification. The cyclist with the least accumulated time was the winner. Alessandro Catalani won the prize for best ranked independent rider in the general classification.[9]
| Rank | Name | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alfredo Binda (ITA) |
Wolsit | 114h 15' 19" |
| 2 | Giuseppe Pancera (ITA) |
Touring | + 18' 13" |
| 3 | Bartolomeo Aymo (ITA) |
Alcyon | + 27' 25" |
| 4 |  Victor Fontan (FRA) |
Wolsit | + 31' 30" |
| 5 | Egidio Picchiottino (ITA) |
Alcyon | + 36' 23" |
| 6 | Aristide Cavallini (ITA) |
Bianchi | + 40' 34" |
| 7 | Amulio Viarengo (ITA) |
Bianchi | + 52' 19" |
| 8 | Albino Binda (ITA) |
Wolsit | + 54' 53" |
| 9 | Giovanni Brunero (ITA) |
Wolsit | + 1h 13' 00" |
| 10 | Pietro Chesi (ITA) |
Bianchi | + 1h 14' 07" |