xx 42nd Giro d'Italia 1959 (Italy)

Gaul Conquers the Snow and Anquetil

The 1959 Giro d'Italia was the 42nd running of Italy’s Grand Tour.

The Giro started in Milan on May 16, 1959, and proceeded around Italy for 3,657 Km over twenty-two stages. The race route included four (4) Individual Time Trials (ITT) stages with one being a "climbing time trial" up to Mount Vesuvius. The mountain stages had a total of fifteen categorized climbs.

Luxembourger Charly Gaul, Giro champion in 1956, steadfastly battled a young Frenchman named Jacques Anquetil into the late stage in 1959. Stage 21 gave the Giro history books one of the greatest individual efforts of all time.

Teams:

The thirteen teams that took part in the race were:

Classification Leadership:

There was one special jersey awarded during the 1957 Giro d'Italia. The race leader wore the Maglia Rosa (Pink Jersey).

The Points Classification, used in the 1958 Giro was discontinued in 1959. The competition on Points would be reintroduced in 1966.

The Mountains Classification: The climbs were ranked as first and second category. Points were awarded by crossing the summit of a climb first:

The category 1 climbs awarded 5 places (80, 60, 40, 30, and 20 points),

The second category climbs got 3 places (60, 40, and 20 points).

There was no jersey awarded.

Pre-Race Notes:

Reporters projected Jacques Anquetil and Charly Gaul to battle for the Giro victory. Anquetil entered the Giro with a formidable Helyett-Leroux-Fynsec-Hutchinson team. His team included:

Anquetil stated, when asked about his chances victory: "I know that I am in good shape. If I am beaten, it will mean there are better riders than myself in the race."

Reigning World Champion and defending Giro winner Ercole Baldini could not be competitive due to an operation earlier in cycling season. He entered the race heavier than normal and at a weight less than optimal.

Charly Gaul entered this year as a previous winner, Giro d'Italia in 1956. He also was the winner of the 1958Tour de France.

Faema-Guerra's Rik Van Looy had huge desires to win a Grand Tour during his career. He had previously raced the Giro in 1955 and Vuelta a Espana in 1958, not finishing either race. However, during the 1959 campaign Van Looy had wins at the Giro di Sardegna and Vuelta a Levante, as well as finishing third in the Vuelta a Espana. Van Looy came with his Faema-Guerra team. Because of their red jerseys they had been given the nickname "Red Guard", the team was well known for getting Van Looy into great position for stage victories.

Race Summary:

Stage 1: The first stage finished at the famed spa town Salsomaggiore Terme. The race had multiple attacks through the early kilometers with only one breakaway group able to sustain a gap. A solo attack by sprinter Andre Darrigade came 76 km into the race. His escape was joined by six riders and later another twenty. From the peloton a strong chase from the “Red Guard” and caught the breakaway with 8 km to go. The stage ended with a bunch sprint with the “Red Guard’s” Rik Van Looy taking the stage win.

Stage 2: The first Individual Time Trial (ITT) of the race came on the second stage with Frenchman Jacques Anquetil favored to win. He did not disappoint the fans and won the ITT by 25 seconds ahead of Rolf Graf. He assumed the race lead.

Stage 3: The first summit-finish came on the third stage. It ended on the Abetone. A twelve-man group containing Van Looy and Jos Hoevenaers reached the base of the climb first, while a second major group containing Anquetil and Charlie Gaul chased hard. Gaul attacked at the beginning of the climb dropping a struggling Anquetil. He reached the breakaway group alone. He rode with them for a short distance before attacking again. He went solo to win the stage. He distanced race leader Anquetil by over 2 minutes and took the Maglia Rosa away from the Frenchman.

Stage 7: The stage was an 8 km climbing Time Trial on the volcano, Mount Vesuvius. The riders began the time trial in reverse of the standings for the GC, contenders Anquetil and Gaul were the final two to start. Again, riding large gear (45x20) Anquetil was faster over the initial stretch of the course, which covered a section of cobblestones. Gaul chose a smaller gear (45 x 23) for a faster cadence and when the incline increased began to close the gap on Anquetil. Gaul won the stage by 37 seconds over Guido Boni and gained 52 seconds on Anquetil.

Stage 8: The very next day a 31km Individual Time Trial raced around the Island of Ischia. Antonino Catalano won the hilly ITT stage. An expert in the time trial Anquetil finished second on the stage but gained 22 seconds on main rival Gaul.

Stage 12: San Marino was the destination of the twelfth stage. The course featured two and a half circuits of San Marino before it concluded on a steep uphill. Anquetil attacked on the flat roads before the final climb and distanced Gaul. Nino Defilippis won the stage with Anquetil in 3rd place, gaining 1’23” on the race leader. He now trailed Gaul by 34 seconds.

Stage 15: The Frenchman slowly chipped away at Gaul’s GC lead and broke clear of Gaul on the fifteenth stage to Bolzano.

After the leading group had crossed the Costalunga, Gaul descended with an advantage on a group containing Poblet, Anquetil, and Van Looy. The group chased, caught, and passed Gaul, when the race leader suffered a puncture on the descent. The trio took the opportunity and opened a large gap. In Bolzano Poblet won the stage, while Gaul crossed 2’33” behind the Anquetil group. Gaul’s time loss gave Anquetil the race lead.

Stage 19: On the 51 km Individual Time Trial to Susa, Anquetil caught Gaul (his two-minute man) 22 km into the stage. The Angel of the Mountains grabbed Anquetil's wheel and rode in his slipstream into the finish of the stage. Anquetil gained +2’01” on Gaul.

Stage 21: *** With two stages remaining to the finish in Milan Anquetil held a 3’36” lead over Gaul. The twenty-first stage was a mountainous 296 km from Aosta to Courmayeur. Little Charly Gaul climbed away from everyone through the three, snow covered mountain passes (Grand St. Bernard, Forclaz, Petit St. Bernard) for the stage win. He beat a bonking Anquetil, who forgot to eat during the stage, by 9’48” and took back the Maglia Rosa.

Stage 22: A jubilant Charly Gaul rode into Milan one stage later for the huge comeback victory in the 1959 Giro d’Italia.

SPECIAL NOTE: For the first time in Giro history an Italian did not wear the Maglia Rosa during any stage.

General Classification:

GdI 1958

GdI 1960

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