| Controversial Finish Overshadows the French Sweep of the Podium
The 9th edition of the Giro di Lombardia was held on November 2, 1913. The 235 km race started from Corso Sempione in Milan and finished at the racetrack Trotter di Turro in Milan.
1911 Lombardia winner Henri Pelissier (Fra) returned to Italy in 1913 with a strong French team.
Race Status:
The group remained compact climbing through Brinzio (80 km into the race / 235 km), when Constante Girardengo (Maino) attacked with only Henri Pelissier (Alcyon), Luigi Lucotti (Maino), Augusto Aberger (Isolati), and Pierino Albini (Legnano) able to hold the wheels. The five rode over the summit with a minute lead on an elite chase group.
In Como (125 km / 235 km), fifteen riders caught the early breakaway.
On the climb of the Cappelletta, Ugo Agostoni (Griffon) and Marcel Godivier (La Francaise) thinned out the group by setting a high tempo pace. Girardengo sprinted over the top of the climb as Pelissier suffered a puncture. The Frenchman recovered and reconnected when he punctured AGAIN!
A discouraged Pelissier lost valuable time while making the repair when fellow Frenchman Louis Trousselier arrived and encouraged Henri not to give up. With Trousselier’s a reinvigorated Pelissier launched a hard chase of the leaders.
At the Bergamo checkpoint (190 km / 235 km), the 24-rider leading group met a huge assemble of tifosi (Italian fans) causing riders to crash and others to ride slowly to the control station.
The confusion became so disruptive, race officials declared the lead group “neutralized.” The hard chasing Pelissier arrived at the checkpoint, signed the control sheet in chaos, and rolled off with the restarted first group. Race officials missed the restart error. The Frenchman continued calmly.
More controversy marred the finish. The now 50-rider peloton increased their speed returning to Milan. On the Corso Padova confusion erupted again! An aggressive fan on his bicycle tried to enter the “flying” peloton, fifteen riders fall. Delayed by the crash, Pelissier and Brocco reconnected with the leaders at the entrance of the velodrome.
Ugo Agostoni (Griffon) entered first followed closely followed by Girardengo (Maino), Lucotti (Maino), Romolo Verde (Isolati), and Emilio Chironi (Stucchi). The Maino team, working for Girardengo, was firmly in control of the front.
A large number of fans in the velodrome pushed on the barriers and confusion reigned… AGAIN!?!? When the sprint opened halfway down the final straight a car from the race’s entourage made an abrupt move, trying to cross the track to get onto the infield grass. The car clearly cut off the charging riders.
In the lead Agostoni was forced to hit the brakes abruptly, taking down the leaders. Agostoni's front wheel touched Pelissier's rear wheel causing additional riders to hit the ground, including Borgarello, Gremo and above all Girardengo. *
The French take advantage of the crash and launch the sprint. Brocco jumped followed by Pelissier and Dario Beni (Ita-Peugeot).
Pelissier, a superior sprinter, quickly moved around Brocco and sprinted to a 2 second victory.
Frenchmen swept the podium with Maurice Brocco (Fra) and Marcel Godivier (Fra) finishing second and third, respectively.
SPECIAL NOTE: * A huge result for the French, but the tifosi (emotional Italian fans) were furious. Rumors abounded that Girardengo had been targeted and deliberately hindered by Pelissier in the final sprint.
The angry tifosi rushed to the track where Henri Pelissier had been awarded the victory. The Frenchman was surrounded, insulted, pushed, kicked… and punched. The Frenchman managed to escape, bloodied and with his shirt torn, ran towards the safety of the timekeepers' booth, where two carabinieri (Italian police) arrived to defuse the crowd’s anger.
But the tifosi did not stop, they began lighting newspapers on fire trying to burn the stands down. After a time, additional carabinieri arrived and with great difficulty, calmed the crowd.
After two hours trying not to be recognized, Pelissier was able to leave his refuge wrapped in a coat and a large hat hiding his face.
GdL November 2, 1913 |
235 Km, Milan-Milan (Trotter di Turro) |
1.
Henri PELISSIER (Fra) 7h43'48" |
2.
Maurice Brocco (Fra) +2" |
3.
Marcel Godivier (Fra) |
Starters: 63 / Finishers: 42 Average Speed: 30.401 km/h |
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Lomb 1912
Lomb 1914
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