Coppi Starts His Giro/Tour Double
The 1949 Giro d'Italia was the 32nd edition of Italy’s Grand Tour.
Fausto Coppi executed one of the most famous rides in cycling history. He attacked early and rode solo over five major Alpine passes in stage 17.
Teams:
The teams entering the race were:
- Atala-Pirelli
- Bianchi-Ursus
- Legnano-Pirelli
- Cimatti
- Arbos
- Bartali-Gardiol
- Benotto-Superga
- Bottecchia-Pirelli
|
- Viscontea
- Edelweiss
- Wilier Triestina
- Frejus-Pirelli
- Stucchi
- Fiorelli
- Ganna-Ursus
|
Classification Leadership:
The 1949 Giro d'Italia had two major classifications:
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.”
A new Jersey awarded in 1949:
The White Jersey given to the highest ranked independent cyclist in the General Classification.
Race Route and Stages in Sicily:
The race schedule began at 8 am at Villa Giulia in Palermo, Sicily. The start of the Giro came to Palermo after the Sicilian government offered Giro organizers ten million lire to host the Grande Partenza (Great Start).
Reporter Attilio Camoriano of l'Unita warned that the riders were likely to use their heavier, thicker tires because the race route after the Santo Stefano junction contained lava rocks from the active volcano Mount Etna.
SPECIAL NOTE: Prior to the start of the race in Palermo an elusive bandit named Salvatore Giuliano, who had avoided police near Montelepre (Sicily), was the subject of a police search. A state of emergency had been in place for several weeks. Rumors said that Giuliano threatened to shoot at the riders with machine guns if the police did not call off their search for him. Due to these threats, there were discussions to cancel the two planned stages in Sicily. An agreement proposal put the normal police escort for the Giro caravan from 6 to 10 cars. Also, tifosi cars would not be allowed to stop along the route throughout the two stages in Sicily.
Race Summary:
Stage 9: Through the first nine almost flat stages Coppi slowly lost time to Adolfo Leoni. By the end of stage 9 Fausto Coppi was almost ten minutes behind the race leader Leoni.
GC after stage 9 |
1. Adolfo Leoni |
10. Fausto Coppi +9'41" |
Stage 11: With three major climbs on the stage (Rolle, Pordoi, Gardena), Fausto Coppi dominated and won the stage. He moved up the GC to only +28” behind Leoni.
GC after stage 11 |
1. Adolfo Leoni |
2. Fausto Coppi +28" |
Stage 17:Adolfo Leoni was the race leader with one final mountain stage remaining. The tough stage 17 featured an excursion through the French Alps and a finishing climb to the ski station at Sestriere. Coppi attacked on the Col du Vars climb and broke away. His relentless pressure over the brutal Col du Izoard, and Montgenevre gained major time on his chasing rivals..
Coppi flew up the climb to Sestriere to the cheers of Italian fans. He finished the stage 11'52” ahead of Gino Bartali and 23'37” in front of race leader Leoni. The Maglia Rosa was his as he rode the final two stages into Milan with over a 23-minute margin on the second place Gino Bartali.
SPECIAL NOTE: In July Fausto Coppi completed his Giro/Tour Double in grand style by winning the 1949 Tour de France.
Stage and Distance |
Stage Winner |
Race Leader |
Stage 1 Palermo-Catania, 261 km |
Mario Fazio (Ita) |
Mario Fazio (Ita) |
Stage 2 Catania-Messina, 263 km |
Sergio Maggini (Ita) |
Giordano Cottur (Ita) |
Stg 3 Villa San Giovanni-Cos, 214 km |
Guido De Santi (Ita) |
Giordano Cottur (Ita) |
Stage 4 Cosenza-Salerno, 292 km |
Fausto Coppi (Ita) |
Giordano Cottur (Ita) |
Stage 5 Salerno-Napoli, 161 km |
Serafino Biagioni (Ita) |
Giordano Cottur (Ita) |
Stage 6 Napoli-Rome, 233 km |
Mario Ricci (Ita) |
Giordano Cottur (Ita) |
Stage 7 Rome-Pesaro, 298 km |
Adolfo Leoni (Ita) |
Mario Fazio (Ita) |
Stage 8 Pesaro-Venezia, 273 km |
Luigi Casola (Ita) |
Mario Fazio (Ita) |
Stage 9 Venezia-Udine, 249 km |
Adolfo Leoni (Ita) |
Adolfo Leoni (Ita) |
Stage 10 Udine-Bassano, 154 km |
Giovanni Corrieri (Ita) |
Adolfo Leoni (Ita) |
Stage 11 Bassano-Bolzano, 237 km |
Fausto Coppi (Ita) |
Adolfo Leoni (Ita) |
Stage 12 Bolzano-Modena, 253 km |
Oreste Conte (Ita) |
Adolfo Leoni (Ita) |
Stage 13 Modena-Montecatini, 160 km |
Adolfo Leoni (Ita) |
Adolfo Leoni (Ita) |
Stage 14 Montecatini-Genova, 228 km |
Vincenzo Rossello (Ita) |
Adolfo Leoni (Ita) |
Stage 15 Genova-San Remo, 136 km |
Luciano Maggini (Ita) |
Adolfo Leoni (Ita) |
Stage 16 San Remo-Cuneo, 190 km |
Oreste Conte (Ita) |
Adolfo Leoni (Ita) |
Stage 17 Cuneo-Pinerolo, 254 km |
Fausto Coppi (Ita) |
Fausto Coppi (Ita) |
Stage 18 Pinerolo-Torino, 65 km ITT |
Antonio Bevilacqua (Ita) |
Fausto Coppi (Ita) |
Stage 19 Torino-Monza, 267 km |
Giovanni Corrieri (Ita) |
 Fausto Coppi (Ita)
|
|
Mountain Classification |
Fausto Coppi (Ita) |
General Classification:
Final General Classification |
Rank |
Rider |
Team |
Points |
1 |
Fausto COPPI (Ita)  |
Bianchi-Ursus |
125h25'50" |
2 |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Bartali-Gardiol |
+23'47" |
3 |
Giordano Cottur (Ita) |
Willier-Triestina |
+38'27" |
4 |
Adolfo Leoni (Ita) |
Legnano-Pirelli |
+39'01" |
5 |
Giancarlo Astrua (Ita)  |
Benotto-Superga |
+39'50" |
6 |
Alfredo Martini (Ita) |
Willier-Triestina |
+48'48" |
7 |
Giulio Bresci (Ita) |
Willier-Triestina |
+49'14" |
8 |
Serafino Biagioni (Ita) |
Viscontea |
+53'14" |
9 |
Nedo Logli (Ita) |
Arbos |
+56'59" |
10 |
Sylvio Pedroni (Ita) |
Frejus-Pirelli |
+1h02'10" |
11 |
Mario Fazio (Ita) |
Bottecchia-Pirelli |
+1h06'10" |
12 |
Luciano Maggini (Ita) |
Willier-Triestina |
+1h12'38" |
13 |
Settimo Simonini (Ita) |
Frejus-Pirelli |
+1h14'13" |
14 |
Fritz Schaer (Sui) |
Stucchi |
+1h15'39" |
15 |
Franco Franchi (Ita) |
Frejus-Pirelli |
+1h17'54" |
16 |
Jean Goldschmidt (Lux) |
Fiorelli |
+1h20'35" |
17 |
Primo Volpi (Ita) |
Arbos |
+1h21'42" |
18 |
Vincenzo Rossello (Ita) |
Legnano-Pirelli |
+1h22'43" |
19 |
Vittorio Rossello (Ita) |
Legnano-Pirelli |
+1h24'13" |
20 |
Leon Jomaux (Bel) |
Bartali-Gardiol |
+1h25'26" |
21 |
Luciano Pezzi (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
+1h25'44" |
22 |
Renzo Soldani (Ita) |
Legnano-Pirelli |
+1h27'49" |
23 |
Andrea Carrea (Ita) |
Bianchi-Ursus |
+1h28'07" |
24 |
Pino Cerami (Bel) |
Ganna–Ursus |
+1h29'26" |
25 |
Andrea Pasotti (Ita) |
Benotto-Superga |
+1h33'37" |
26 |
Bruno Pasquini (Ita) |
Bianchi-Ursus |
+1h38'22" |
27 |
Ettore Milano (Ita) |
Bianchi-Ursus |
+1h39'46" |
28 |
Pasquale Fornara (Ita) |
Legnano-Pirelli |
+1h47'49" |
29 |
Angelo Brignole (Ita) |
Bartali-Gardiol |
+1h50'07" |
30 |
Umberto Drei (Ita) |
Benotto-Superga |
+1h52'02" |
31 |
Dino Rossi (Ita) |
Cimatti |
+1h52'17" |
32 |
Giovanni Corrieri (Ita) |
Bartali-Gardiol |
+1h55'37" |
33 |
Vittorio Seghezzi (Ita) |
Edelweiss |
+1h57'52" |
34 |
Ezio Cecchi (Ita) |
Cimatti |
+1h58'03" |
35 |
Vittorio Magni (Ita) |
Bottecchia-Pirelli |
+2h10'47" |
36 |
Giuseppe Doni (Ita) |
Frejus-Pirelli |
+2h12'06" |
37 |
Oliviero Tonini (Ita) |
Cimatti |
+2h15'56" |
38 |
Attilio Lambertini (Ita) |
Viscontea |
+2h16'17" |
39 |
Giuseppe "Tino" Ausenda (Ita) |
Willier-Triestina |
+2h17'34" |
40 |
Antonio Bevilacqua (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
+2h23'52" |
41 |
Emilio Croci-Torti (Sui) |
Stucchi |
+2h43'02" |
42 |
Guido De Santi (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
+2h50'07" |
43 |
Dino Ottusi (Ita) |
Legnano-Pirelli |
+2h51'14" |
44 |
Enzo Bellini (Ita) |
Bartali-Gardiol |
+3h06'08" |
45 |
Armando Barducci (Ita) |
Frejus-Pirelli |
+3h09'16" |
46 |
Enzo Coppini (Ita) |
Bottecchia-Pirelli |
+3h28'22" |
47 |
Marcello Paolieri (Ita) |
Arbos |
+3h36'33" |
48 |
Glauco Servadei (Ita) |
Viscontea |
+3h39'50" |
49 |
Mario Ricci (Ita) |
Viscontea |
+3h40'27" |
50 |
Valerio Bonini (Ita) |
Benotto-Superga |
+3h42'40" |
51 |
Valeriano Zanazzi (Ita) |
Arbos |
+3h51'09" |
52 |
Roger Missine (Bel) |
Ganna–Ursus |
+3h52'42" |
53 |
Luciano Frosini (Ita) |
Legnano-Pirelli |
+3h53'26" |
54 |
Ferdinando Della Giustina (Ita) |
Stucchi |
+3h56'07" |
55 |
Serse Coppi (Ita) |
Bianchi-Ursus |
+4h26'04" |
56 |
Giovanni Pinarello (Ita) |
Stucchi |
+4h42'20" |
57 |
Alfio Fazio (Ita) |
Bottecchia-Pirelli |
+4h57'04" |
58 |
Fiorenzo Crippa (Ita) |
Bianchi-Ursus |
+4h59'50" |
59 |
Annibale Brasola (Ita) |
Bottecchia-Pirelli |
+5h01'17" |
60 |
Pietro Fulcheri (Ita) |
Edelweiss |
+5h10'28" |
61 |
Oreste Conte (Ita) |
Bianchi-Ursus |
+5h51'37" |
62 |
Primo Zuccotti (Ita) |
Fiorelli |
+6h18'39" |
63 |
Mario Benso (Ita) |
Bartali-Gardiol |
+7h41'58" |
64 |
Luigi Malabrocca (Ita) |
Stucchi |
+7h47'26" |
65 |
Sante Carollo (Ita)  |
Willier-Triestina |
+9h57'07" |
Final Mountains Classification |
Rank |
Name |
Team |
Points |
1 |
Fausto Coppi (Ita) |
Bianchi-Ursus |
46 |
2 |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Bartali-Gardiol |
41 |
3 |
Alfredo Pasotti (Ita) |
Benotto-Superga |
23 |
4 |
Giancarlo Astrua (Ita) |
Benotto-Superga |
14 |
5 |
Leon Jomaux (Fra) |
Bartali-Gardiol |
12 |
GdI 1950
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