The fair weather at the start turned miserable with rain and cold temperatures after the race reached the Ligurian Coast.
The race rolled off from Milan quickly on poor road conditions with numerous crashes and multiple punctures. The peloton’s progress crossing the plain of Lombardia slowed considerably.
In Ovada (113 km into the race / 289.3 km), a peloton of more than fifty riders arrived in tacked.
Just before the climb in Masone (128 km / 289.3 km), the lead group had eighteen breakaway riders
Climbing the Passo Turchino (133 km / 289.3 km), the breakaway was down to nine riders.
Over the summit Henri Lignon (Fra) sprinted to win the Mountain Preme, ahead of Luigi Ganna (Ita), Carlo Galetti (Ita), Gustave Garrigou (Fra), Jules Masselis (Bel), Andre Blaise (Bel), Louis Tousselier (Fra), Francois Faber (Lux), and Marcel Godivier (Fra).
In Mele (145 km / 289.3 km), at the end of a reckless decline on the slippery roads, two Frenchmen Garrigou and Trousselier passed the check point first with a minute lead on the chasers. The two work well together and their pace remained high. Further back, the chasing group could not find an alliance to work together, no one wanted to help Ganna.
In Savona (202 km / 289.3 km), the breakaway had an advantage of more than five minutes.
8 km later, climbing the Bergeggi-Torre del Mare, Trousselier struggled and lost his teammate’s wheel for a moment. Garrigou, sensing an opportunity, launched an attack and rode away.
In Noli (72 km to the finish), quickly he gained a 2’00” lead on Trousselier, while Ganna's group passed at 6’30” behind.
With time running out Ganna, a Varese native, launched an impressive series of attacks and broke up the chasing group. Alcyon's Andre Blaise (Bel) was the only one who managed to hold his wheel, but the Belgian continued not helping with the pace.
Alcyon teammate Louis Trousselier finished in second place 6’00” behind.
