1940 Giro d'Italia
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| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dates | 17 May – 9 June 1940 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 3,574 km (2,221 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 107h 31' 10" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1940 Giro d'Italia was the 28th edition of the Giro d'Italia, organized and sponsored by the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. The race began on 17 May 1940 in Milan with a stage that stretched 180 km (112 mi) to Turin, finishing back in Milan on 9 June 1940 after a 180 km (112 mi) stage and a total distance covered of 3,574 km (2,221 mi).
The race was won by Fausto Coppi (at his first participation) of the Legnano team, with fellow Italians Enrico Mollo and Giordano Cottur coming in second and third respectively.
Coppi, who was 20 years old at the time, is the youngest winner of the Giro.
Of the 91 riders that began the Giro d'Italia on 17 May 1940,[1] 47 of them made it to the finish in Milan on 9 June May.[2] Riders were allowed to ride as a member of a team or group; 41 riders competed as part of a team, while the remaining 50 competed as a part of a group.[1] The eight teams that partook in the race were: Bianchi, Legnano, Gloria, Olympia, Lygie, Gerbi.[1][2] Each team started with either six or seven riders.[1] The Ganna team did not start the race due to the team's Belgian riders not being cleared to enter the country.[2] There were also seven groups, made up of three to five riders each, that participated in the race.[1] Those groups were: S. C. Binda, G. S. Battisti-Aquilano, U. S. Azzini-Universal, Cicli Viscontea,[Notes 1] Dopolavoro Az. Bemberg, U. C. Modenese, Il Littoriale, Dopolavoro Az. Vismara, S. S. Parioli, and G. S. Mater.[1][2]
The peloton was composed primarily of Italian riders.[2] The field featured two former Giro d'Italia winners with two-time winners Gino Bartali and Giovanni Valetti, who was the reigning champion.[1][2] Bartali studied the route for the Giro intensely during the winter before the race and during reconnaissance rides, he befriended local business owners with the hopes of contacting for local road and weather conditions during the race.[3] Other notable Italian riders included Olimpio Bizzi, Ezio Cecchi, and Fausto Coppi.[1][2] The only non-Italian riders to compete in the race were Luxembourgian Christophe Didier and Swiss rider Walter Diggelmann.[2] Bartali and Valetti were both seen a strong contenders for the overall title.[2]
Originally, a team sponsored by Ganna would have joined, formed by mostly Belgian riders. After the German invasion of Belgium, travel became difficult, and these Belgian riders were unable to reach Italy; from this team only Christophe Didier from Luxembourg was able to reach Italy. Didier was then allowed to race as member of the Olympia team, which was short three riders because three Swiss riders were also not able to reach Italy.[4]
Route and stages
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type[Notes 2] | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 May | Milan to Turin | 180 km (112 mi) |  |
Plain stage |  Olimpio Bizzi (ITA) | |
| 2 | 18 May | Turin to Genoa | 226 km (140 mi) | |
Plain stage | Pierino Favalli (ITA) | |
| 3 | 19 May | Genoa to Pisa | 188 km (117 mi) | |
Plain stage | Diego Marabelli (ITA) | |
| 4 | 20 May | Pisa to Grosseto | 154 km (96 mi) | |
Plain stage | Adolfo Leoni (ITA) | |
| 5 | 21 May | Grosseto to Rome | 224 km (139 mi) | |
Plain stage | Adolfo Leoni (ITA) | |
| 22 May | Rest day | ||||||
| 6 | 23 May | Rome to Naples | 238 km (148 mi) | |
Plain stage | Glauco Servadei (ITA) | |
| 7 | 24 May | Naples to Fiuggi | 178 km (111 mi) | |
Plain stage | Walter Generati (ITA) | |
| 8 | 25 May | Fiuggi to Terni | 183 km (114 mi) | |
Plain stage | Olimpio Bizzi (ITA) | |
| 9 | 26 May | Terni to Arezzo | 183 km (114 mi) | |
Plain stage | Primo Volpi (ITA) | |
| 10 | 27 May | Arezzo to Florence | 91 km (57 mi) |  |
Stage with mountain(s) | Olimpio Bizzi (ITA) | |
| 28 May | Rest day | ||||||
| 11 | 29 May | Florence to Modena | 184 km (114 mi) | |
Plain stage | Fausto Coppi (ITA) | |
| 12 | 30 May | Modena to Ferrara | 199 km (124 mi) | |
Plain stage | Adolfo Leoni (ITA) | |
| 13 | 31 May | Ferrara to Treviso | 125 km (78 mi) | |
Plain stage | Olimpio Bizzi (ITA) | |
| 14 | 1 June | Treviso to Abbazia (Yugoslavia) | 215 km (134 mi) | |
Plain stage | Glauco Servadei (ITA) | |
| 15 | 2 June | Abbazia (Yugoslavia) to Trieste | 179 km (111 mi) | |
Plain stage | Mario Vicini (ITA) | |
| 3 June | Rest day | ||||||
| 16 | 4 June | Trieste to Pieve di Cadore | 202 km (126 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Mario Vicini (ITA) | |
| 17 | 5 June | Pieve di Cadore to Ortisei | 110 km (68 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Gino Bartali (ITA) | |
| 6 June | Rest day | ||||||
| 18 | 7 June | Ortisei to Trento | 186 km (116 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Glauco Servadei (ITA) | |
| 19 | 8 June | Trento to Verona | 149 km (93 mi) | |
Stage with mountain(s) | Gino Bartali (ITA) | |
| 20 | 9 June | Verona to Milan | 180 km (112 mi) | |
Plain stage | Adolfo Leoni (ITA) | |
| Total | 3,574 km (2,221 mi) | ||||||
Race overview
During the second stage, Bartali crashed into a dog that ran onto the road, throwing him from the bike.[3] He returned to his bike, but a doctor examination after finishing the stage, led the diagnosis of a strained muscle and a recommendation to withdraw from the race.[3] Bartali elected to remain the race, but knew he could not win.[3] Bartali's team mate Fausto Coppi, originally selected to help Bartali, finished this stage in second place, and climbed to the second place in the general classification.[2]
Coppi stayed in the top of general classification in the first half of the Giro, although not without problems. In the eighth stage, he had an accident with a car, and his bike was broken. He only lost three minutes, because his team mate Mario Ricci was told to give his bike to Coppi.[2]
After the tenth stage, Coppi was in third place, with only Enrico Mollo and Severino Canavesi in front of him. In the eleventh stage, Coppi attacked on the Abetone, and rode a solo to the finish, winning the stage by almost four minutes, becoming the new race leader. From then on, the Legnano team fully worked for Coppi.[2][5]
Bartali was fifteen minutes behind in the general classification, and considered abandoning the race. His team director Eberardo Pavesi requested him to stay in the race, to work for the team in case Coppi was unable to stay in the lead. In the sixteenth stage, Coppi was not feeling well, and when the climbing started, had to stop on the side of the road to vomit. When Bartali reached Coppi, Bartali was able to convince Coppi to get back on his bike and ride on. Coppi reached the finish, losing only a few seconds to his closest rival Mollo.[2][5]
On the seventeenth stage, Coppi was feeling better, and together with Bartali he rode away from all other riders. Coppi had a flat tire twice, and Bartali waited for him both times. When Bartali had a flat tire, Coppi did not wait until he was told to wait by his team director Eberardo Pavesi. Coppi listened and waited for Bartali; they rode to the finish together and Bartali won the stage, while Coppi cemented his lead.[2]
In the final stages, there were no big changes in the general classification, so Coppi became the winner of the 1940 Giro in his first participation, only twenty years old.[5]
