The early excitement of the day came from Pavia’s Carlo Mellera. He generated the initial solo breakaway and rode through his hometown (33 km into the race) to a huge hometown ovation. The main peloton expressed little interest and allowed the gap to increase. Mellera gained a 5-minute lead between Voghera (60 km / 287 km) and Tortona (73 km).
The solo ‘fugitive’ was caught in Pozzolo Formigaro (108 km / 287 km), his mission accomplished he abandoned the race shortly afterwards.
The pace of the race was slow, and the large peloton seemed afraid of Constante ‘Gira’ Girardengo (Maino). No one dared to attack the “Campionissimo.”
In Ovada (113 km / 287 km), when ‘Gira’ stopped with a puncture, Giovanni Brunero (Legnano) almost by obligation, used his teammates to attack the mishap. Team Maino waited for their team leader to get repairs and chased hard. ‘Gira’ regained the leaders late on the Passo Turchino climb (131 km / 287 km).
The Italian enthusiastic tifosi at the summit of the climb seemed disappointed because Girardengo was beaten at Grand Prix of the Mountains (mountain cash preme), by an unknown Ottavio Bottecchia (an independent from Friuli).
On the Ligurian Coast in Arenzano (167 km / 287 km), the peloton grew to thirty riders with all the pre-race favorites in the group.
Bottecchia broke away on the climb in Piani d'Invrea (175 km / 287 km), and crossed onto the Varazze seafront (193 km / 287 km) solo. Vigilantly Girardengo's Maino team shutdown breakaway.
The pace slowed again until a series of attacks and counterattacks generated a select group of eleven riders. Camillo Arduino(Maino), Giuseppe Azzini (Maino), Angelo Gremo (Maino), and Luigi Lucotti (Maino) controlled the group for Girardengo. Giovanni Trentarossi (Berettini-Monza), Pietro Bestetti (Berettini-Monza), Bottecchia (Individual), Bartolomeo Aimo (Atala), Giovanni Brunero (Legnano-Pirelli), and Gaetano ‘Tano’ Belloni (Legnano-Pirelli) were all driving an aggressive pace into San Remo.
In the final kilometer Team Maino controlled the pack into the last 200 meters. Girardengo used a perfectly timed his jump and came off Azzini’s wheel, the last Maino lead out man, and launched his sprint. The “Campionissimo” easily rolled across the finish line to gain his third Milan-San Remo victory.
