Another Great Italian Champion Emerges
The 1948 Giro d'Italia was the 31st edition of Italy’s Grand Tour.
Fiorenzo Magni won the first of his three Giro d'Italia victories in 1948, but not without controversy.
Teams:
A total of eleven trade teams entered the 1948 Giro. Each team sent a squad of seven riders.
The teams entering the race were:
- Atala-Pirelli
- Bianchi
- Legnano-Pirelli
- Cimatti
- Arbos-Talbot
- Benotto-Superga
|
- Viscontea
- Peugeot-Dunlop
- Wilier Triestina
- Lygie
- Viani-C.R.A.L. Imperia
|
Classification Leadership:
The leader of the General Classification wore the Maglia Rosa (Pink Jersey).
The Mountains Classification was contested on various mountain climbs to the riders who crossed them first accumulated “climbing points.”
There was a new Maglia Nera  (Black Jersey) awarded to the rider placed last in the GC.
SPECIAL NOTE: The prize money for the winner of the race was one million lire. The prize increased this year because a horse race betting company named Totip (short for Totalizzatore ippico), sponsorship of the race.
Race Summary:
Stage 9: 306 km from Bari to Napoli, at the start of stage 9 Fiorenzo Magni trailed Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali by 1’34”. Magni escaped the peloton and drove a 6-rider breakaway. At the finish in Naples, he was second on the stage but gained more than thirteen minutes on race favorites Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali, and race leader Giordano Cottur. The large “time gain” set him up to win the 1948 Giro.
Stage 10 to 16: Slowly Coppi chipped away at Magni’s lead and trailed by 6’11” going into the brutal climbing stage 17.
Stage 17: Controversy- The stage featured the tough ascents of the Falzarego and Pordoi. Coppi’s problem saw Magni riding brilliantly into the Dolomite Mountains, but under Fausto’s relentless pressure Magni began to falter again and slowly dropped from the group of the leaders. At this point he was ‘relayed’ up the climb with pushes by the tifosi (Italian fans). At the finish in Trento Magni managed to limit his time loss to 2’31”. When officials discovered Magni had been helped up the Pordoi, they issued a 2-minute time penalty for the infraction. The penalty was not enough to prevent Magni from taking the Maglia Rosa.
Fausto Coppi and his Bianchi teammates were furious at the light penalty. Team Bianchi withdrew from the Giro in protest of the rule’s infraction.
SPCIAL NOTE: the Italian Cycling Federation gave Coppi a one-month suspension because he refused to finish the Giro.
Stage 19: Over the final two stages Fiorenzo Magni maintained his slim eleven second race lead over Ezio Cecchi and rode into Milan for the Giro victory.
SPECIAL NOTE: The 11 second gap between winner Magni and second-place Ezio Cecchi remains the closest in Giro history.
SPECIAL NOTE: Fausto Coppi won the Mountain Classification despite abandoning stage 17 in protest. The Giro rules of 1948 allowed the prize to be awarded without finishing the race.
POST-GIRO NOTES:
After being caught cheating Magni was the subject to the anger of the tifosi (Italian fans). Frequently booing greeted him and had to view writing on the road included the phrase Abbasso Magni (Down with Magni). After winning the final stage in Milan's Vigorelli Velodrome, the crowd's behavior (whistles, boos, and displays of anti-Magni banners) reduced him to tears.
The Communist Mayor of Prato (near Magni’s home) sent Magni a telegram congratulating him on the victory, stating that his victory brought "honor to [their] city." Later in his life, Magni said that the telegram brought him “great pleasure”.
Stage and Distance |
Stage Winner |
Race Leader |
Stage 1 Milan-Torino, 190 km |
Giordano Cottur (Ita) |
Giordano Cottur (Ita) |
Stage 2 Torino-Genova, 226 km |
Mario Ricci (Ita) |
Giordano Cottur (Ita) |
Stage 3 Genova-Parma, 243 km |
Luciano Maggini (Ita) |
Giordano Cottur (Ita) |
Stage 4 Parma-Viareggio, 166 km |
Luigi Casola (Ita) |
Giordano Cottur (Ita) |
Stage 5 Viareggio-Siena, 165 km |
Adolfo Leoni (Ita) |
Giordano Cottur (Ita) |
Stage 6 Siena-Rome, 256 km |
Luigi Casola (Ita) |
Giordano Cottur (Ita) |
Stage 7 Rome-Pescara, 230 km |
Antonio Bevilacqua (Ita) |
Giordano Cottur (Ita) |
Stage 8 Pescara-Bari, 347 km |
Adolfo Leoni (Ita) |
Giordano Cottur (Ita) |
Stage 9 Bari-Napoli, 306 km |
Nedo Logli (Ita) |
Vito Ortelli (Ita) |
Stage 10 Napoli-Fiuggi, 184 km |
Italo De Zan (Ita) |
Vito Ortelli (Ita) |
Stage 11 Fiuggi-Perugia, 265 km |
Desire Keteleer (Bel) |
Vito Ortelli (Ita) |
Stage 12 Perugia-Firenze, 164 km |
Oreste Conte (Ita) |
Vito Ortelli (Ita) |
Stage 13 Firenze-Bologna, 194 km |
Bruno Pasquini (Ita) |
Vito Ortelli (Ita) |
Stage 14 Bologna-Udine, 278 km |
Oreste Conte (Ita) |
Fiorenzo Magni (Ita) |
Stage 15 Udine-Auronzo, 125 km |
Vincenzo Rossello (Ita) |
Ezio Cecchi (Ita) |
Stg 16 Auronzo-Cortina d'Ampezzo, 90 km |
Fausto Coppi (Ita) |
Ezio Cecchi (Ita) |
Stg 17 Cortina d'Ampezzo-Trento, 160 km |
Fausto Coppi (Ita) |
Fiorenzo Magni (Ita) |
Stage 18 Trento-Brescia, 239 km |
Elio Bertocchi (Ita) |
Fiorenzo Magni (Ita) |
Stage 19 Brescia-Milan, 231 km |
Fiorenzo Magni (Ita) |
 Fiorenzo Magni (Ita)
|
|
Mountain Classification |
Fausto Coppi (Ita) |
General Classification:
Final General Classification |
Rank |
Rider |
Team |
Points |
1 |
Fiorenzo MAGNI (Ita)  |
Wilier-Triestina |
124h51'52" |
2 |
Ezio Cecchi (Ita) |
Cimatti |
+11" |
3 |
Giordano Cottur (Ita) |
Wilier-Triestina |
+2'37" |
4 |
Vito Ortelli (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
S.T. |
5 |
Primo Volpi (Ita) |
Arbos-Talbot |
+8'24" |
6 |
Angelo Brignole (Ita) |
Arbos-Talbot |
+9'14" |
7 |
Giulio Bresci (Ita) |
Wilier-Triestina |
+9'17" |
8 |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Legnano-Pirelli |
+11'52" |
9 |
Serafino Biagioni (Ita) |
Viani-C.R.A.L.-Imperia |
+15'05" |
10 |
Alfredo Martini (Ita) |
Wilier-Triestina |
+18'22" |
11 |
Nedo Logli (Ita) |
Arbos-Talbot |
+22'47" |
12 |
Angelo Menon (Ita) |
Benotto-Superga |
+23'48" |
13 |
Alfredo Pasotti (Ita) |
Benotto-Superga |
+26'24" |
14 |
Virgilio Salimbeni (Ita) |
Legnano-Pirelli |
+41'13" |
15 |
Giovanni Ronco (Ita) |
Viscontea |
+52'37" |
16 |
Egidio Feruglio (Ita) |
Wilier-Triestina |
+54'22" |
17 |
Vittorio Magni (Ita) |
Viani-C.R.A.L.-Imperia |
+55'05" |
18 |
Vincenzo Rossello (Ita) |
Legnano-Pirelli |
+58'56" |
19 |
Settimo Simonini (Ita) |
Viani-C.R.A.L.-Imperia |
+1h06'09" |
20 |
Giuseppe “Tino” Ausenda (Ita) |
Viani-C.R.A.L.-Imperia |
+1h14'28" |
21 |
Armando Peverelli (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
+1h29'42" |
22 |
Elio Bertocchi (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
+1h42'18" |
23 |
Egidio Marangoni (Ita) |
Viani-C.R.A.L.-Imperia |
+1h49'22" |
24 |
Amadeo Maricanola (Ita) |
Viani-C.R.A.L.-Imperia |
+1h50'06" |
25 |
Quirino Toccacelli (Ita) |
Viscontea |
+1h57'32" |
26 |
Ugo Fondelli (Ita) |
Viscontea |
+2h00'59" |
27 |
Gildo Monari (Ita) |
Cimatti |
+2h04'22" |
28 |
Italo De Zan (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
+2h11'47" |
29 |
Leo Castelucci (Ita) |
Legnano-Pirelli |
+2h13'10" |
30 |
Giorgio Cargioli (Ita) |
Benotto-Superga |
+2h18'11" |
31 |
Guido De Santi (Ita) |
Wilier-Triestina |
+2h20'13" |
32 |
Bartolomeo Bof (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
+2h20'58" |
33 |
Mario Ricci (Ita) |
Legnano-Pirelli |
+2h32'19" |
34 |
Attilio Lambertini (Ita) |
Arbos-Talbot |
+2h38'10" |
35 |
Italiano Lazzarini (Ita) |
Arbos-Talbot |
+3h11'53" |
36 |
Sergio Pagliazzi (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
+3h22'50" |
37 |
Enzo Bellini (Ita) |
Cimatti |
+3h28'22" |
38 |
Ubaldo Pugnaloni (Ita) |
Viscontea |
+3h39'51" |
39 |
Carlo Moscardini (Ita) |
Cimatti |
+3h46'53" |
40 |
Valeriano Zanazzi (Ita) |
Cimatti |
+3h59'59" |
41 |
Aldo Bini (Ita) |
Benotto-Superga |
+4h07'51" |
Final Mountains Classification |
Rank |
Name |
Team |
Points |
1 |
Fausto Coppi (Ita) |
Bianchi |
25 |
2 |
Ezio Cecchi (Ita) |
Cimatti |
16 |
3 |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Legnano-Pirelli |
14 |
4 |
Vito Ortelli (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
12 |
5 |
Giordano Cottur (Ita) |
Wilier-Triestina |
9 |
6 |
Serafino Biagioni (Ita) |
Viani-C.R.A.L.-Imperia |
8 |
7 |
Primo Volpi (Ita) |
Arbos-Talbot |
6 |
8 |
Vincenzo Rossello (Ita) |
Legnano-Pirelli |
5 |
9t |
Aldo Baito (Ita) |
Viscontea |
4 |
9t |
Luigi Casola (Ita) |
Cimatti |
4 |
9t |
Alfredo Martini (Ita) |
Wilier-Triestina |
4 |
GdI 1949
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