1952 Giro d'Italia

The 1952 Giro d'Italia was the 35th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Giro started off in Milan on 17 May with a 217 km (134.8 mi) flat stage and concluded back in Milan with a 147 km (91.3 mi) relatively flat mass-start stage on 8 June. Sixteen teams entered the race, which was won by Italian Fausto Coppi of the Bianchi team. Second and third respectively were Italian Fiorenzo Magni and Swiss rider Ferdinand Kübler.[1][2][3]

1952 Giro d'Italia
Race details
Dates17 May - 8 June
Stages20
Distance3,964 km (2,463 mi)
Winning time114h 36' 43"
Results
Winner  Fausto Coppi (ITA) (Bianchi)
  Second  Fiorenzo Magni (ITA) (Ganna)
  Third  Ferdinand Kübler (SUI) (Fiorelli)
  Mountains  Raphaël Géminiani (FRA) (Bianchi)
  Team Bianchi

Teams

Nineteen teams were invited by the race organizers to participate in the 1952 edition of the Giro d'Italia,[4] but only seventeen accepted the invitation.[5][6] The Paglianti team, assigned bib numbers 71 to 77, did not start, so the Giro started with sixteen teams.[7] Each team sent a squad of seven riders, which meant that the race started with a peloton of 112 cyclists.[7][8] From the riders that began the race, 98 made it to the finish in Milan.[9]

The teams entering the race were:[7]

  • Arbos
  • Atala
  • Bartali
  • Benotto
  • Bianchi
  • Bottecchia
  • Fiorelli
  • Fréjus
  • Ganna
  • Garin
  • Girardengo
  • Guerra
  • Legnano
  • Nilux
  • Torpado
  • Welter

Pre-race favorites

The "Big Three" of Italian cycling started the race and were all seen as strong favorites to win the race.[8] Reigning champion Fiorenzo Magni (Ganna) started the race with hopes of winning the race a third time (He also won in 1948).[6] Three-time champion (1940, 1947, & 1949) Fausto Coppi (Bianchi).[6] Gino Bartali (Bartali) made his twelfth start at the race, with a history of winning the race three times (1936, 1937, & 1946) and four second place finishes.[6]

Due to the participation of several strong riders at the time, including many non-Italian riders, at the race was thought to be very competitive and the event growing into a more international event.[9] Current Swiss road race champion and world road race champion Ferdinand Kübler (Fiorelli) started the race.[6] Kübler entered the race after having won two of the three races comprising the Ardennes classics that took place in early May (Liège–Bastogne–Liège and La Flèche Wallonne).[6][8] He was seen as a strong favorite to contend for the general classification,[6][8] along with having a strong team in support.[8] Hugo Koblet (Guerra), who won the 1950 Giro d'Italia, started the race.[6] Attilio Camoriano of l'Unità wrote that Koblet could be a threat in the race if he was not using it as preparation for the upcoming Tour de France.[10] The previous year's runner-up Rik Van Steenbergen and teammate Stan Ockers (Girardengo) were seen as the best Belgian entrants with general classification chances.[6][8] Milan–San Remo winner Loretto Petrucci (Bianchi) was known to ride for Coppi, but there were thoughts that he would be able to attack after the Dolomites.[6]

The Nilux team featured three Australian riders,[9][7][11] who may have been the first Australian riders to participate in the race. The Torpado team featured famed Spanish riders Bernardo Ruiz and Jesús Loroño.[9][7] It was noted that top French riders at the time were lacking from the race's start list, although Raphaël Géminiani (Bianchi) did participate as a support for Coppi.[8][9] Géminiani had finished second at the 1951 Tour de France and had the reputation of a climber.[9] Tour de Romandie winner Wout Wagtmans (Garin) was set to ride the Giro, but withdrew at the last moment.[8] It was speculated to be a battle between Swiss and Italian riders.[8]

Route and stages

The route was revealed on 29 February 1952.[12][13][14][15][16] The race route contained twenty stages, of which two were individual time trials, as well as three rest days.[6] There were twelve categorized climbs that awarded points for the mountains classification across seven stages.[17]

The route was thought to give chances of success to all types of riders as there were several flat stages, "mixed" stages, time trials, and mountainous stages.[6] The first time trial was flat, while the second had a final 7 km (4 mi) that was downhill.[6] The eleventh and nineteenth stages were seen as the most important.[6] The eleventh leg featured three climbs as the race traveled from Venice to Bolzano and climbed the Falzarego, Pordoi Pass, and Passo Sella.[6] Stage 19 stretched from Saint-Vincent to Verbania and featured the climbs of Great St Bernard Pass, which was the highest pass of the race at 2,473 m (8,114 ft), and Simplon Pass.[6][17] Camoriano wrote when the route was announced that the route was open and good for those that are "capable and complete."[12]

Stage characteristics and results[9][17]
Stage Date Course Distance Type Winner
1 17 May Milan to Bologna 217 km (135 mi) Plain stage  Giorgio Albani (ITA)
2 18 May Bologna to Montecatini Terme 197 km (122 mi) Stage with mountain(s)  Angelo Conterno (ITA)
3 19 May Montecatini Terme to Siena 205 km (127 mi) Plain stage  Antonio Bevilacqua (ITA)
4 20 May Siena to Rome 250 km (155 mi) Stage with mountain(s)  Désiré Keteleer (BEL)
21 May Rest day
5 22 May Rome to Rocca di Papa 35 km (22 mi) Individual time trial  Fausto Coppi (ITA)
6 23 May Rome to Naples 23 km (14 mi) Plain stage  Rik Van Steenbergen (BEL)
7 24 May Naples to Roccaraso 140 km (87 mi) Stage with mountain(s)  Giorgio Albani (ITA)
8 25 May Roccaraso to Ancona 224 km (139 mi) Plain stage  Rino Benedetti (ITA)
9 26 May Ancona to Riccione 250 km (155 mi) Plain stage  Rik Van Steenbergen (BEL)
10 27 May Riccione to Venezia 285 km (177 mi) Plain stage  Rik Van Steenbergen (BEL)
28 May Rest day
11 29 May Venezia to Bolzano 276 km (171 mi) Stage with mountain(s)  Fausto Coppi (ITA)
12 30 May Bolzano to Bergamo 226 km (140 mi) Plain stage  Oreste Conte (ITA)
13 31 May Bergamo to Como 143 km (89 mi) Plain stage  Alfredo Pasotti (ITA)
14 1 June Erba to Como 65 km (40 mi) Individual time trial  Fausto Coppi (ITA)
15 2 June Como to Genoa 247 km (153 mi) Plain stage  Giuseppe Minardi (ITA)
16 3 June Genoa to Sanremo 141 km (88 mi) Plain stage  Annibale Brasola (ITA)
4 June Rest day
17 5 June Sanremo to Cuneo 190 km (118 mi) Stage with mountain(s)  Nino Defilippis (ITA)
18 6 June Cuneo to Saint-Vincent 190 km (118 mi) Plain stage  Pasquale Fornara (ITA)
19 7 June Saint-Vincent to Verbania 298 km (185 mi) Stage with mountain(s)  Fritz Schär (SUI)
20 8 June Verbania to Milan 147 km (91 mi) Plain stage  Antonio Bevilacqua (ITA)
Total 3,964 km (2,463 mi)

Classification leadership

One jersey was worn during the 1953 Giro d'Italia. The leader of the general classification – calculated by adding the stage finish times of each rider – wore a pink jersey. This classification is the most important of the race, and its winner is considered as the winner of the Giro.[18]

Additionally, the highest ranked cyclist riding with a licence for independents was identified by the white jersey; at the end of the Giro this was Donato Zampini.[19] Another classification was calculated in the same method, but was exclusive to foreign riders and awarded a green jersey.[20] The mountains classification leader wore no leader's jersey. There was one category for mountains which awarded 6, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point to the first riders to cross.[17] Although no jersey was awarded, there was also one classification for the teams, in which the stage finish times of the best three cyclists per team were added; the leading team was the one with the lowest total time.

Classification leadership by stage
Stage Winner General classification
 Best foreign rider
 Best independent rider
 Mountains classification Team classification
1 Giorgio Albani Giorgio Albani Rik Van Steenbergen ? not awarded ?
2 Angelo Conterno Angelo Conterno Raphaël Géminiani & Alex Close Raphaël Géminiani
3 Antonio Bevilacqua Nino Defilippis
4 Désiré Keteleer Donato Zampini & Giacomo Zampieri
5 Fausto Coppi Giancarlo Astrua Raphaël Géminiani Donato Zampini
6 Rik Van Steenbergen Giacomo Zampieri Bianchi
7 Giorgio Albani ?
8 Rino Benedetti
9 Rik Van Steenbergen
10 Rik Van Steenbergen Fausto Coppi Ferdinand Kübler
11 Fausto Coppi Donato Zampini Fausto Coppi
12 Oreste Conte
13 Alfredo Pasotti
14 Fausto Coppi
15 Giuseppe Minardi
16 Annibale Brasola
17 Nino Defilippis Fausto Coppi & Raphaël Géminiani
18 Pasquale Fornara
19 Fritz Schär Raphaël Géminiani
20 Antonio Bevilacqua Bianchi
Final Fausto Coppi Ferdinand Kübler Donato Zampini Raphaël Géminiani Bianchi

Final standings
Legend
     Denotes the winner of the General classification      Denotes the winner of the Independent rider classification

General classification
Final general classification (1–10)[9][21]
Rank Name Team Time
1  Fausto Coppi (ITA) Bianchi 114h 36' 43"
2  Fiorenzo Magni (ITA) Ganna + 9' 18"
3  Ferdinand Kübler (SUI) Fiorelli + 9' 24"
4  Donato Zampini (ITA) Benotto + 10' 29"
5  Gino Bartali (ITA) Bartali + 10' 33"
6  Stan Ockers (BEL) Girardengo + 10'58"
7  Giancarlo Astrua (ITA) Atala + 14' 30"
8  Hugo Koblet (SUI) Guerra + 14' 38"
9  Raphaël Géminiani (FRA) Bianchi + 16' 44"
10  Giorgio Albani (ITA) Legnano + 18' 14"

Independent rider classification

Final Independent rider classification (1–8)[22]
Rank Name Time
1  Donato Zampini (ITA) 114h 47' 12"
2  Giacomo Zampieri (ITA) + 8' 23"
3  Giovanni Roma (ITA) + 13' 28"
4  Vittorio Rossello (ITA) + 14' 00"
5  Arrigo Padovan (ITA) + 15' 28"
6  Elio Brasola (ITA) + 17' 33"
7  Nino Defilippis (ITA) + 22' 08"
8  Carlo Clerici (SUI) + 25' 00"

Mountains classification

Final mountains classification (1–4)[23]
Name Team Points
1  Raphaël Géminiani (FRA) Bianchi 31
2  Fausto Coppi (ITA) Bianchi 28
3  Gino Bartali (ITA) Bartali 23
4  Giancarlo Astrua (ITA) Atala 16

Team classification
Final team classification (1-3)[22]
Team Time
1 Bianchi 344h 56' 35"
2 Bottecchia + 4' 25"
3 Legnano + 11' 24"

Kubler was the highest ranked non-Italian rider.[24]

Bibliography
  • Mazzi, Benito (2005). Coppi, Bartali, Carollo e Malabrocca: Le Avventure della Maglia Nera. Portogruaro (Venezia): Ediciclo. ISBN 9788888829173.
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References

Citations
  1. "Coppi Vencedor De La Vuelta A Italia" [Coppi the Winner of the Tour of Italy] (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 9 June 1952. p. 6. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  2. "Trionfo di Coppi nel Giro" [Triumph of Coppi in the Giro] (PDF). La Stampa (in Italian). Editrice La Stampa. 9 June 1952. p. 5. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  3. "Per la quarta volta Coppi trionfa nel "Giro d'Italia"" [For the fourth time Coppi triumphs in the "Giro d'Italia"]. l'Unità (in Italian). 9 June 1952. p. 4. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  4. "Diciannove squadre con corridori di nove nazioni al Giro d'Italia" [Nineteen teams with nine-nation riders at the Giro d'Italia]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 7 May 1952. p. 1 & 5. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  5. "Gli inscritti". Corriere dello Sport. 14 May 1952. p. 3. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  6. Desch. (17 May 1952). "Le Tour d'Italie debute aujourd'hui" [The Tour of Italy debuts today] (PDF). La Sentinelle (in French). p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 June 2020 – via RERO.
  7. "Lo schieramento in corsa" [The deployment in the running]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 17 May 1952. p. 6. Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  8. "Avant le 35e Tour d'Italie cycliste" [Before the Cycling Tour of Italy] (PDF). L'Impartial (in French). 16 May 1952. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 October 2019 – via RERO.
  9. Bill and Carol McGann. "1952 Giro d'Italia". Bike Race Info. Dog Ear Publishing. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
  10. Attilio Camoriano (16 May 1952). "6 nomi nel gioco del pronostico Koblet, Coppi, Bartali, Kubler, Magni, e Minardi" [6 names in the prediction game Koblet, Coppi, Bartali, Kubler, Magni, and Minardi] (PDF). l'Unità (in Italian). p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  11. Mazzi 2005, p. 136.
  12. Attilio Camoriano (1 March 1952). "Il Giro '52 ha gia pronto l'abito nuovo ma il Sud (il grande escluso) protesta …" [The Giro '52 already has the new suit ready but the South (the great excluded) protests …] (PDF). l'Unità (in Italian). p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  13. "Il Giro d'Italia" [The Giro d'Italia]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 15 May 1952. p. 1 & 5. Archived from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  14. "Il Giro d'Italia" [The Giro d'Italia]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 16 May 1952. p. 1 & 5. Archived from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  15. Attilio Camoriano (15 May 1952). "Il Giro d'Italia 1952 non e perfetto Ma puo essere perfetta una corsa?" [The 1952 Giro d'Italia is not perfect But can a race be perfect?] (PDF). l'Unità (in Italian). p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  16. Attilio Camoriano (17 May 1952). "Verso Bologna rotola veloce il Giro alla caccia della prima maglia rosa" [Towards Bologna the Giro quickly rolls to hunt for the first pink jersey] (PDF). l'Unità (in Italian). p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  17. "I 12 traguardi del G. P. della Montagna" [Here are the 12 climbs of the G. P. Mountain]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 16 May 1952. p. 6. Archived from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  18. Laura Weislo (13 May 2008). "Giro d'Italia classifications demystified". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 17 June 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  19. "La maglia bianca" [The White jersey] (in Italian). Corriere dello Sport. 9 June 1952. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  20. "La maglia verde" [The Green jersey] (in Italian). Corriere dello Sport. 9 June 1952. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  21. "Classifica Generale" [General Classification]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 9 June 1952. p. 1. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  22. "Classifica a squadre" [Team Classification]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 9 June 1952. p. 10. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  23. "Scalata in comitiva dei valichi alpini e vittoria di Schaer al traguardo di Verbania" [Climbing in a group of Alpine passes and Schaer victory at the finish line of Verbania] (PDF). La Stampa (in Italian). Editrice La Stampa. 8 June 1952. p. 4. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  24. "Classifica finale" [Final classification] (PDF). Stampa Sera (in Italian). Editrice La Stampa. 9 June 1952. p. 5. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
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