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By Barry Boyce, CyclingRevealed Historian
GdI May 18 - June 9, 1957 |
3,926 Km |
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Finishers: 79 |
Average Speed: 37.488 km/h |
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Nencini in Front of Bobet, Baldini, and Gaul
The 1957 Giro d'Italia was the 40th running of this great Grand Tour.
SPECIAL NOTE: Grand Champion Fausto Coppi crashed on Sardinia before the race started and broke his femur. He could not recover in time for the Giro.
Defending champion Charly Gaul came to the Giro as a favorite for victory. But a specific part of this year’s story should be noted: Gaul detested Frenchman Louison Bobet. The Frenchman shared the feeling. This hatred will fuel the drama of the late stages in 1957.
Teams:
The teams entering the race were:
- Atala
- Bianchi-Pirelli
- Legnano
- Spain-Ignis-Doniselli
- Arbos-Bif-Welter-Clement
- Belgium-Cora-Elve
- Leo-Chlorodont
- France-Mercier
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- Carpano-Coppi *
- Nederland-ERG-Girardengo
- International-Faema-Guerra
- San Pellegrino Sport
- Bottecchia-Gripo
- GS Asborno-Frejus
- Torpado-Girardengo
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Teams sent a squad of eight riders (* Carpano-Coppi sent only seven riders)
Classification Leadership:
There was one special jersey awarded during the 1957 Giro d'Italia. The race leader wore the Maglia Rosa (Pink Jersey).
The Mountains Classification: The climbs were ranked as first and second category. Points were awarded by crossing the summit of a climb first:
| The first category awarded 5 places (10, 7, 5, 3, and 1 points), |
| The second category got 3 places (5, 3, and 1 point). |
| There was no jersey awarded. |
Race Summary:
Stage 2: French superstar Louison Bobet grabbed the Maglia Rosa (race leader’s Pink Jersey) on the stage 2 Individual Time Trial. The Bobet/Gaul hostilities started early in the race. Charly Gaul lost 1’52” to Bobet on the stage 1 sprint finish. During the ITT an inspired Gaul won the stage beating Bobet by 1’15”.
Stages 3 to 15: Bobet controlled the race until he faltered on stage 16’s finish at Campo dei Fiori.
Stage 15: Today was to be the first day in the high Alps, the race went over the Gran San Bernardo and into Sion, Switzerland.
Superior climber Gaul went over the San Bernardo first, but Bobet chased him down on the decent. The Frenchman led Nencini and Gaul to the finish line in Sion. With the time gain Bobet was again in the Maglia Rosa, Nencini was 15 seconds behind and Gaul third, 38 seconds further back.
Stage 16: The Giro returned to Italy with the hilltop finish at Campo dei Fiori. The race experienced freezing rain, the weather in which Gaul thrived. On the finishing climb Gaul made a move and sprinted up the steep incline. The Luxembourger rode away and gained 1’16” on Nencini and 2’11” on Bobet. He gained the race lead.
SPECIAL NOTE: Stages eighteen and nineteen were in the Dolomite mountains. A year earlier Gaul defeated everyone on the climb of stage eighteen’s Monte Bondone. Gaul himself could not have picked out a more favorable route to defend his GC lead.
Stage 18: The stage’s pace had covered a third of the distance, Bobet decided he needed to answer the call of nature. Nencini also needing a stop and thought this would be a suitable time to have a “nature break.” Gaul seized the opportunity and rode away aggressively. He quickly opened a gap between the dismounted riders. A furious Frenchman had his team put down the hammer. When Gaul needed a “nature break” Bobet and Nencini flew past the busy race leader. Gaul could not close the resulting gap as the Italians and French roared over the summit of the Bondone. Defending champion Charly Gaul’s short-lived race lead was gone. The power of Gaston Nencini took the Maglia Rosa away from Gaul after stage 18 with only three stages to the finish in Milan.
Stage 19: The stage would settle this close Giro battle with its three major climbs:
1. the San Lugano,
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2. the Rolle,
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3. the Brocon.
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Bobet had put Nencini on the ropes on the climb of the Bondone on Stage 18. The three-time Tour winner felt he could take the needed time out of Nencini’s race lead. From the start teammates Bobet and Geminiani drove an incredible pace. The lead group was down to six riders, including Bobet and Gaul.
They stayed together until the descent of the Rolle, when Nencini punctured. The group rode on… except Gaul. Waiting for Nencini he said, “if I couldn’t have the Maglia Rosa, Bobet was not going to have it either.”
Bobet and Geminiani drove the group up the final climb, the Brocon. On the descent Bobet noticed Gaul with Nencini on his wheel was closing the gap. Into the finish in Levico Terme Gaul managed to win the stage and help Nencini preserve his GC lead. With this effort, the Giro was effectively over.
Stage 21: The powerful Italian rode into Milan for the 1957 Giro d’Italia victory. Louison Bobet finished second only 19 seconds behind Nencini.
Stage and Distance |
Stage Winner |
Race Leader |
Stage 1 Milan-Verona, 191 km |
Rik Van Steenbergen (Bel) |
Rik Van Steenbergen (Bel) |
Stg 2 Verona-Boscochiesa Nuova, 28 km ITT |
Charly Gaul (Lux) |
Louison Bobet (Fra) |
Stage 3 Verona-Ferrara, 169 km |
Miguel Poblet (Spa) |
Louison Bobet (Fra) |
Stage 4 Ferrare-Cattolica, 190 km |
Andre Vlayen (Bel) |
Louison Bobet (Fra) |
Stage 5 Cattolica-Loretto, 235 km |
Alessandro Fantini (Ita) |
Louison Bobet (Fra) |
Stage 6 Loretto-Terni, 175 km |
Wout Wagtmans (Ned) |
Louison Bobet (Fra) |
Stage 7 Terni-Pescara, 221 km |
Antonin Rolland (Fra) |
Louison Bobet (Fra) |
Stage 8 Pescara-Napoli, 250 km |
Vito Favero (Ita) |
Nino Defilippis (Ita) |
Stage 9 Napoli-Frascati, 220 km |
Miguel Poblet (Spa) |
Nino Defilippis (Ita) |
Stage 10 Rome-Siena, 227 km |
Miguel Poblet (Spa) |
Nino Defilippis (Ita) |
Stage 11 Siena-Montecatini Terme, 230 km |
Rik Van Steenbergen (Bel) |
Nino Defilippis (Ita) |
Stg 12 Montecatini-Forte Marmi, 58 km ITT |
Ercole Baldini (Ita) |
Louison Bobet (Fra) |
Stage 13 Forte dei Marmi-Genova, 163 km |
Bruno Monti (Ita) |
Louison Bobet (Fra) |
Stage 14 Genova-Saint Vincent, 235 km |
Mario Baroni (Ita) |
Antonin Rolland (Fra) |
Stage 15 Saint Vincent-Sion, 134.2 km |
Louison Bobet (Fra) |
Louison Bobet (Fra) |
Stage 16 Sion-Campo dei Fiori, 229 km |
Alfredo Sabbadin (Ita) |
Charly Gaul (Lux) |
Stage 17a Varese-Como, 82 km |
Alessandro Fantini (Ita) |
Charly Gaul (Lux) |
Stage 17b Circuito Como, 34 km |
Rik Van Steenbergen (Bel) |
Charly Gaul (Lux) |
Stage 18 Como-Trento, 242 km |
Miguel Poblet (Spa) |
Gastone Nencini (Ita) |
Stage 19 Trento-Levico Terme, 199 km |
Charly Gaul (Lux) |
Gastone Nencini (Ita) |
Stage 20 Lev. Terme-Abano Terme, 157 km |
Rik Van Steenbergen (Bel) |
Gastone Nencini (Ita) |
Stage 21 Abano-Milan, 257 km |
Rik Van Steenbergen (Bel) |
 Gastone Nencini (Ita)
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Mountain Classification |
Raphael Geminiani (Fra) |
General Classification:
Final General Classification |
Rank |
Rider |
Team |
Points |
1 |
Gastone NENCINI (Ita)  |
Leo-Chlorodont |
104h45'06" |
2 |
Louison Bobet (Fra) |
France-Mercier |
+19" |
3 |
Ercole Baldini (Ita) |
Legnano |
+5'59" |
4 |
Charly Gaul (Lux) |
Internat-Faema-Guerra |
+7'31" |
5 |
Raphael Geminiani (Fra) |
France-Mercier |
+17'28" |
6 |
Miguel Poblet (Spa) |
Spain-Ignis-Doniselli |
+19'49" |
7 |
Raymond Impanis (Bel) |
Belgium-Cora-Elve |
+21'06" |
8 |
Pasquale Fornara (Ita) |
Arbos-Bif-Welter-Clem |
+24'16" |
9 |
Wout Wagtmans (Ned) |
Ned-ERG-Girardengo |
+24'29" |
10 |
Antonin Rolland (Fra) |
France-Mercier |
+27'29" |
11 |
Nello Fabbri (Ita) |
Legnano |
+28'23" |
12 |
Aldo Moser (Ita) |
Leo-Chlorodont |
+28'45" |
13 |
Nino Defilippis (Ita) |
Bianchi-Pirelli |
+29'39" |
14 |
Giuseppe Fallarini (Ita) |
Asborno-Frejus |
+30'26" |
15 |
Giancarlo Astrua (Ita) |
Atala |
+32'38" |
16 |
Wim Van Est (Ned) |
Ned-ERG-Girardengo |
+34'32" |
17 |
Cleto Maule (Ita) |
Torpado-Girardengo |
+35'22" |
18 |
Alfredo Sabbadin (Ita) |
San Pellegrino Sport |
+38'22" |
19 |
Guido Boni (Ita) |
Bottecchia-Gripo |
+39'53" |
20 |
Marcel Janssens (Bel) |
Ned-ERG-Girardengo |
+44'44" |
21 |
Alessandro Fantini (Ita) |
Atala |
+51'00" |
22 |
Giuseppe “Vito” Favero (Ita) |
Bianchi-Pirelli |
+53'10" |
23 |
Guido Carlesi (Ita) |
Bottecchia-Gripo |
+58'08" |
24 |
Gerrit Voorting (Ned) |
Ned-ERG-Girardengo |
+59'10" |
25 |
Jean Bobet (Fra) |
France-Mercier |
+59'11" |
26 |
Adriano Zamboni (Ita) |
Torpado-Girardengo |
+1h00'31" |
27 |
Mario Tosato (Ita) |
Torpado-Girardengo |
+1h05'53" |
28 |
Lino Grassi (Ita) |
Legnano |
+1h07'59" |
29 |
Pierino Baffi (Ita) |
Arbos-Bif-Welter-Clem |
+1h08'59" |
30 |
Pierre Barbotin (Fra) |
France-Mercier |
+1h09'56" |
31 |
Gabriel Company (Spa) |
Spain-Ignis-Doniselli |
+1h10'28" |
32 |
Vincenzo Rossello (Ita) |
Asborno-Frejus |
+1h10'52" |
33 |
Rik Van Steenbergen (Bel) |
Belgium-Cora-Elve |
+1h12'48" |
34 |
Jan Nolten (Ned) |
Ned-ERG-Girardengo |
+1h19'21" |
35 |
Daan De Groot (Ned) |
Ned-ERG-Girardengo |
+1h21'06" |
36 |
Aurelio Cestari (Ita) |
Atala |
+1h23'07" |
37 |
Waldemaro Bartolozzi (Ita) |
Legnano |
+1h23'00" |
38 |
Armando Pellegrini (Ita) |
Internat-Faema-Guerra |
+1h23'31" |
39 |
Bruno Monti (Ita) |
Atala |
+1h24'35" |
40 |
Gilberto Dall’Agata (Ita) |
Torpado-Girardengo |
+1h25'44" |
41 |
Arrigo Padovan (Ita) |
Atala |
+1h28'14" |
42 |
Giuseppe Pintarelli (Ita) |
Leo-Chlorodont |
+1h30'38" |
43 |
Benito Romagnoli (Ita) |
Torpado-Girardengo |
+1h31'08" |
44 |
Edgard Sorgeloos (Bel) |
Belgium-Cora-Elve |
+1h33'52" |
45 |
Marcel Ernzer (Lux) |
Internat-Faema-Guerra |
+1h34'28" |
46 |
Max Schellenberg (Sui) |
Internat-Faema-Guerra |
+1h38'08" |
47 |
Hilaire Couvreur (Bel) |
Belgium-Cora-Elve |
+1h39'28" |
48 |
Rino Bagnara (Ita) |
Torpado-Girardengo |
+1h40'09" |
49 |
Antonio Uliana (Ita) |
Bottecchia-Gripo |
+1h42'26" |
50 |
Remo Bartalini (Ita) |
Torpado-Girardengo |
+1h42'42" |
51 |
André Vlayen (Bel) |
Belgium-Cora-Elve |
+1h43'10" |
52 |
Gianni Ferlenghi (Ita) |
Arbos-Bif Welter |
+1h43'23" |
53 |
Giorgio Albani (Ita) |
Legnano |
+1h44'02" |
54 |
Emilio Bottecchia (Ita) |
Bottecchia-Gripo |
+1h48'28" |
55 |
Bernardo Ruiz (Spa) |
Spain-Ignis-Doniselli |
+1h49'01" |
56 |
Ab Donker (Ned) |
Ned-ERG-Girardengo |
+1h51'05" |
57 |
Jaap Kersten (Ned) |
Nederland-ERG-Girardengo |
+1h52'12" |
58 |
Nino Assirelli (Ita) |
Arbos-Bif-Welter-Clem |
+1h53'57" |
59 |
Attilio Moresi (Ita) |
Internat-Faema-Guerra |
+1h54'46" |
60 |
Pietro Nascimbene (Ita) |
Carpano-Coppi |
+1h55'10" |
61 |
Pietro Giudici (Ita) |
Bianchi-Pirelli |
+1h55'28" |
62 |
Gino Guerrini (Ita) |
Asborno-Fréjus |
+1h56'45" |
63 |
Jesus Galdeano (Spa) |
Spain-Ignis-Doniselli |
+1h57'25" |
64 |
Giuliano Michelon (Ita) |
Asborno-Frejus |
+2h05'14" |
65 |
Bruno Tognaccini (Ita) |
Leo-Chlorodont |
+2h06'43" |
66 |
Giuseppe Mauso (Ita) |
Bottecchia-Gripo |
+2h09'23" |
67 |
Angelo Miserocchi (Ita) |
Bianchi-Pirelli |
+2h12'09" |
68 |
Jose Serra (Spa) |
Spain-Ignis-Doniselli |
+2h13'59" |
69 |
Colombo Cassano (Ita) |
Carpano-Coppi |
+2h16'47" |
70 |
Giacomo Fini (Ita) |
Internat-Faema-Guerra |
+2h21'20" |
71 |
Ugo Massocco (Ita) |
Legnano |
+2h24'39" |
72 |
Charles Coste (Fra) |
France-Mercier |
+2h28'21" |
73 |
Claude Le Ber (Fra) |
France-Mercier |
+2h34'14" |
74 |
Mario Baroni (Ita) |
Leo-Chlorodont |
+2h34'16" |
75 |
Giuseppe Barale (Ita) |
San Pellegrino Sport |
+2h35'24" |
76 |
Vasco Modena (Ita) |
Arbos-Bif-Welter-Clem |
+2h38'54" |
77 |
Max Cohen (Fra) |
Velo Club Bustese |
+2h49'02" |
78 |
Mario Mori (Ita) |
Arbos-Bif-Welter-Clem |
+3h14'40" |
79 |
Angiolino Piscaglia (Ita) |
San Pellegrino Sport |
+3h32'27" |
Final Mountains Classification |
Rank |
Name |
Team |
Points |
1 |
Raphael Geminiani (Fra) |
France-Mercier |
56 |
2 |
Charly Gaul (Lux) |
Internat-Faema-Guerra |
38 |
3 |
Louison Bobet (Fra) |
France-Mercier |
36 |
4 |
Miguel Poblet (Spa) |
Spain-Ignis-Doniselli |
25 |
5 |
Gastone Nencini (Ita) |
Leo-Chlorodont |
20 |
6 |
Ercole Baldini (Ita) |
Legnano |
19 |
7 |
Guido Carlesi (Ita) |
Bottecchia-Gripo |
13 |
8t |
Emilio Bottecchia (Spa) |
Bottecchia-Gripo |
10 |
Alfredo Sabbadin (Ita) |
San Pellegrino Sport |
10 |
Antonin Rolland (Fra) |
France-Mercier |
7 |
GdI 1958
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