1931 Giro d'Italia
Cycling race
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1931 Giro d'Italia was the 19th edition of the Giro d'Italia, organized and sponsored by the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. The race began on 10 May in Milan with a stage that stretched 206 km (128 mi) to Mantua, finishing back in Milan on 31 May after a 263 km (163 mi) stage and a total distance covered of 3,012 km (1,872 mi). The race was won by the Francesco Camusso of the Gloria team. Second and third respectively were the Italian riders Luigi Giacobbe and Luigi Marchisio.[1]
Race Route | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 10â30 May 1931 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 3,012 km (1,872 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 102h 40' 46" | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
It was the first edition in which the leader used the pink jersey (maglia rosa) for the leader of the general classification. The first cyclist to wear it was Learco Guerra.
Participants
Of the 109 riders that began the Giro d'Italia on 10 May, 65 of them made it to the finish in Milan on 31 May. Riders were allowed to ride on their own or as a member of a team. There were seven teams that competed in the race: Bianchi-Pirelli, Ganna-Dunlop, Gloria-Hutchinson, Legnano-Hutchinson, Maino-Clément, Touring-Pirelli, and Olympia-Spiga.[2]
The peloton was primarily composed of Italians.[2] The field featured three former Giro d'Italia champions in four-time winner Alfredo Binda, single-time winner Gaetano Belloni, and reigning champion Luigi Marchisio.[2] Other notable Italian riders that started the race included Learco Guerra, Michele Mara, Felice Gremo, and Domenico Piemontesi.[2] Frenchman Antonin Magne â who would go on to win the Tour de France twice â competed in the race, as well as future world champion, Belgian rider Jean Aerts.[2] This race also saw the first Spanish riders compete with Mariano Cañardo and Ricardo Montero.[2]
Race overview
The first stage was won in a sprint by Guerra, who became the leader of the general classification, and thus the first rider ever to don the pink jersey. Guerra also won the sprint in the second stage, but lost several minutes in the third stage. Binda won that third stage, and became the new leader.[3]
The sixth stage was won by Ettore Meini, who was an isolated rider without team support. This was the last time that an isolated rider won a stage in the Giro d'Italia.[4] Binda crashed during that stage and lost the lead, and would abandon before the next stage.[5]
In the next few stages, the lead changed a few times. Guerra became leader after the eighth stage. In the ninth stage, Guerra collided with another rider, and had to leave the race in the leader's jersey.[6]
Marchisio inherited the pink jersey, with Giacobbe and Mara close behind him. In the tenth stage, a group of three riders (Luigi Giacobbe, Francesco Camusso and Aristide Cavallini) beat the rest with a margin of a few minutes, and Giacobbe became the new race leader, with Camusso in second place.[2]
In the eleventh stage, Camusso attacked. Giacobbe was not able to follow him, and Camusso won solo, taking the lead in the general classification.[7] In the last stage, the standings did not change, so Camusso became the winner of the 1931 Giro d'Italia.
Final standings
Stage results
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type[Notes 1] | Winner | Race Leader | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 May | Milan to Mantua | 206 km (128 mi) |  |
Plain stage |  Learco Guerra (ITA) |
Learco Guerra (ITA) | |
| 2 | 11 May | Mantua to Ravenna | 216 km (134 mi) | |
Plain stage | Learco Guerra (ITA) |
Learco Guerra (ITA) | |
| 3 | 13 May | Ravenna to Macerata | 288 km (179 mi) |  |
Stage with mountain(s) | Alfredo Binda (ITA) |
Alfredo Binda (ITA) | |
| 4 | 15 May | Macerata to Pescara | 234 km (145 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Alfredo Binda (ITA) |
Alfredo Binda (ITA) | |
| 5 | 17 May | Pescara to Naples | 282 km (175 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Michele Mara (ITA) |
Alfredo Binda (ITA) | |
| 6 | 19 May | Naples to Rome | 256 km (159 mi) | |
Plain stage | Ettore Meini (ITA) |
Michele Mara (ITA) | |
| 7 | 21 May | Rome to Perugia | 247 km (153 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Learco Guerra (ITA) |
Luigi Marchisio (ITA) | |
| 8 | 23 May | Perugia to Montecatini Terme | 246 km (153 mi) | |
Plain stage | Learco Guerra (ITA) |
Learco Guerra (ITA) | |
| 9 | 25 May | Montecatini Terme to Genoa | 248 km (154 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Michele Mara (ITA) |
Luigi Marchisio (ITA) | |
| 10 | 27 May | Genoa to Cuneo | 263 km (163 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Luigi Giacobbe (ITA) |
Luigi Giacobbe (ITA) | |
| 11 | 29 May | Cuneo to Turin | 252 km (157 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Francesco Camusso (ITA) |
Francesco Camusso (ITA) | |
| 12 | 31 May | Turin to Milan | 263 km (163 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Ambrogio Morelli (ITA) |
Francesco Camusso (ITA) | |
| Total | 3,012 km (1,872 mi) | |||||||
General classification
There were 65 cyclists who had completed all fifteen 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. Aristide Cavallini won the prize for best ranked isolati rider in the general classification.[8]
| Rank | Name | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Francesco Camusso (ITA)  |
Gloria-Hutchinson | 102h 40' 46" |
| 2 | Luigi Giacobbe (ITA) |
Maino | + 2' 47" |
| 3 | Luigi Marchisio (ITA) |
Legnano | + 6' 15" |
| 4 | Aristide Cavallini (ITA) |
â | + 10' 15" |
| 5 | Ettore Balmamion (ITA) |
â | + 12' 15" |
| 6 | Augusto Zanzi (ITA) |
Ganna | + 12' 16" |
| 7 | Antonio Pesenti (ITA) |
â | + 13' 50" |
| 8 | Ambrogio Morelli (ITA) |
Bianchi | + 16' 59" |
| 9 | Felice Gremo (ITA) |
Legnano | + 27' 05" |
| 10 | Eugenio Gestri (ITA) |
Legnano | + 32' 25" |
Isolati
| Rank | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aristide Cavallini (ITA) | 102h 51' 01" |
| 2 | Ettore Balmamion (ITA) | + 2' 30" |
| 3 | Antonio Pesenti (ITA) | + 3' 35" |
| 4 | Renato Scorticati (ITA) | + 40' 55" |
| 5 | Casimiro Bianchin (ITA) | + 52' 20" |
Team classification
| Rank | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Legnano |
| 2 | Gloria |
| 3 | Ganna |
| 4 | Maino-Clement |
There was no team that finished with all riders,[12] while Olympia-Spina was the only team that did not have any rider finish.[13]