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By Barry Boyce
CyclingRevealed Historian
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Gino “the Pious” Climbs to Victory
Competing in the 1937 Tour de France (TdF), the very talented Italian Gino “the Pious” Bartali showed flashes of brilliance, but an extremely bad crash cost him the glory of a Tour victory. During his early season preparation in 1938, Bartali was force by the Italian Cycling Federation to bypass his native Giro d'Italia to focus on the TdF. This year he returned to the Tour with great purpose and unfinished business.
Aging, two-time Tour champion (1930 and 1932) Andre Leducq applied his talents early in the Tour, taking the Maillot Jaune (race leader's Yellow Jersey) on stage 6b. His lead was short lived, when the race reached the Pyrenees Mountains and the “circle of death”, Gino Bartali attacked on the Col d'Aspin, dropping all challengers. After winning the climbs of the first three tough climbs of the stage, the Col d'Aspin, Col d'Aubisque, and Col du Tourmalet, Bartali was struck by bad luck for a second year in a row. Descending the Tourmalet, a wheel collapse and he crashed heavily. Unlike the previous year his injuries were not serious, Bartali remounted and chased back to the peloton. Belgian climber Felicien Vervaecke was gone. Vervaecke won the stage and took a 53 second lead over Bartali. The racing was just getting started.
Bartali deficit had grew to 1 minute 35 seconds by the time the Tour reached the Alps. Stage 14 from Digne to Briancon featured the classic climbs of the Col d'Allos, Col du Vars, and Col d'Izoard. Bartali wasted little time and attacked early on the Allos. Riding solo he gained a 5'18" minute victory over second place Vicini and 17'22" margin over Tour leader Vervaecke.
There were still 10 stages to go and Bartali, despite a few punctures and mishaps along the way, had little trouble covering all attacks. Gino Bartali held the lead all the way to the finish at Parc des Princes Velodrome in Paris.
SPECIAL NOTE: Bartali's superbe climbing effort in 1938 also gave the Italian the "Best Climber" prize.
Stage and Distance |
Stage Winner |
Race Leader |
Stage 1 PARIS-CAEN, 215 km |
Willi Oberbeck (Ger) |
Willi Oberbeck (Bel) |
Stage 2 CAEN-ST BRIEUC, 237 km |
Jean Majerus (Lux) |
Jean Majerus (Lux) |
Stage 3 ST BRIEUC-NANTES, 238 km |
Gerrit Schulte (Ned) |
Jean Majerus (Lux) |
Stage 4a NANTES-LA ROCHE SUR YON, 62 km |
Eloi Meulenberg (Bel) |
Jean Majerus (Lux) |
Stage 4b LA ROCHE SUR YON-LA ROCHELLE, 83 km |
Eloi Meulenberg (Bel) |
Jean Majerus (Lux) |
Stage 4c LA ROCHELLE-ROYAN, 83 km |
Felicien Vervaecke (Bel) |
Jean Majerus (Lux) |
Stage 5 ROYAN-BORDEAUX, 198 km |
Eloi Meulenberg (Bel) |
Jean Majerus (Lux) |
Stage 6a BORDEAUX-ARCACHON, 52.5 km |
Jules Rossi (Ita) |
Jean Majerus (Lux) |
Stage 6b ARCACHON-BAYONNE, 171 km |
Glauco Servadei (Ita) |
Andre Leducq (Fra) |
Stage 7 BAYONNE-PAU, 115 km |
Theo Middelkamp (Ned) |
Andre Leducq (Fra) |
Stage 8 PAU-LUCHON, 193 km |
Felicien Vervaecke (Bel) |
Felicien Vervaecke (Bel) |
Stage 9 LUCHON-PERPIGNAN, 260 km |
Jean Frechaut (Fra) |
Felicien Vervaecke (Bel) |
Stage 10a PERPIGNAN-NARBONNE, 63 km |
Antoon Van Schendel (Bel) |
Felicien Vervaecke (Bel) |
Stage 10b NARBONNE-BEZIERS, 27 km ITT |
Felicien Vervaecke (Bel) |
Felicien Vervaecke (Bel) |
Stage 10c BEZIERS-MONTPELLIER, 73 km |
Antonin Magne (Fra) |
Felicien Vervaecke (Bel) |
Stage 11 MONTPELLIER-MARSEILLE, 223 km |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Felicien Vervaecke (Bel) |
Stage 12 MARSEILLE-CANNES, 199 km |
Jean Frechaut (Fra) |
Felicien Vervaecke (Bel) |
Stage 13 CANNES-DIGNE, 284 km |
Dante Gianello (Fra) |
Felicien Vervaecke (Bel) |
Stage 14 DIGNE-BRIANCON, 219 km |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 15 BRIANCON- AIX LES BAINS, 311 km |
Marcel Kint (Bel) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 16 AIX LES BAINS-BESANCON, 284 km |
Marcel Kint (Bel) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 17a BESANCON-BELFORT, 89.5 km |
Emile Masson jr (Bel) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 17b BELFORT-STRASBOURG, 143 km |
Jean Frechaut (Fra) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 18 STRASBOURG-METZ, 186 km |
Marcel Kint (Bel) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 19 METZ-REIMS, 196 km |
Fabien Galateau (Fra) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 20a REIMS-LAON, 48 km |
Glauco Servadei (Ita) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 20b LAON-ST QUENTIN, 42 km ITT |
Felicien Vervaecke (Bel) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 20c ST QUENTIN-LILLE, 107 km |
Francois Neuville (Bel) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 21 LILLE-PARIS/Parc des Princes, 279 km |
Antonin Magne (Fra) |
 Gino Bartali (Ita)
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BEST CLIMBER PRIZE |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
| TdF July 5-July 25, 1938 |
| 4,687 Km |
1.
Gino BARTALI (Ita) 148h29'12" |
2.
Felicien Vervaecke (Bel) +18'27" |
3.
Victor Cosson (Fra) +29'26" |
Starters: 96 |
Finishers: 55 |
Average Speed: 31.565 km/h |
TdF 1937
TdF 1939
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Return to the Race Snippets ToC |
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32nd Tour de France 1938
