# 1949 Giro d'Italia

The 1949 Giro d'Italia was the 32nd Giro d'Italia, organized and sponsored by the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. The race began on 21 May in Palermo with a stage that stretched 261 km (162 mi) to Catania, finishing in Monza on 12 June after a 267 km (166 mi) stage and a total distance covered of 4,088 km (2,540 mi). The race was won by Fausto Coppi of the Bianchi team, with fellow Italians Gino Bartali and Giordano Cottur coming in second and third respectively.
Coppi won the overall by way of the memorable 17th stage (from Cuneo to Pinerolo), in which he escaped from the group and climbed alone the Maddalena Pass, the Col de Vars, the Col d'Izoard, the Col de Montgenèvre and the Sestriere Pass, arriving in Pinerolo 11'52" ahead of Bartali, his tenacious antagonist during those years.

## Teams

A total of 15 teams were invited to participate in the 1949 Giro d'Italia. Each team sent a squad of seven riders, so the Giro began with a peloton of 105 cyclists. Out of the 105 riders that started this edition of the Giro d'Italia, a total of 65 riders made it to the finish in Monza.
The teams entering the race were:
* Arbos
* Atala
* Bartali
* Benotto
* Bianchi
* Bottecchia
* Cimatti
* Edelweiss
* Fiorelli
* Fréjus
* Ganna
* Legnano
* Stucchi
* Viscontea
* Wilier Triestina

## Pre-race favorites

The main favorites entering the race were Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi. Vito Ortelli, who placed fourth the year prior did not participate as he was suffering from an illness and stayed home. l'Unità's Attilio Camoriano wrote that Coppi's form entering the race could allow him to gain the lead early on and hold it from Bartali, who was known to take several stages to warm up and adjust to the race. Camoriano added that Bartali would likely not let that happen as he was known to find strength and referenced previous Tours de France. He further stated that Coppi's Bianchi team was stronger and better organized than Bartali's eponymous team. Aside from the aforementioned contenders, Fiorelli's Jean Goldschmit was thought to be the team's best contender as Ganna–Ursus's Albert Dubuisson was known to fade on climbs.

## Route and stages

The route for this edition of the Giro d'Italia was announced on 7 February 1949. The stages involving the Piedmont region were finalized on 24 March. The race was scheduled to begin at 8 am at the Villa Giulia in Palermo. Attilio Camoriano of l'Unità stated that the riders were likely to use their heavy, thicker tires because after the Santo Stefano junction, the roads contained lava rocks from Mount Etna throughout and those were known to cut tires easily. The Sicilian government offered race organizers ten million lire to host the start of the Giro.
Prior to the start of the race, bandit Salvatore Giuliano who had been on the run near Sicily's Montelepre was being searched for by police as the area was in a state of emergency for several weeks. It was rumored that Giuliano threatened to line the race route in the mountains and shoot at the participants with machine guns if the police did not call off their search for him. Specifically Giuliano threatened to interrupt the first stage along its route from Palermo to Catania. Due to these threats, there were discussions to cancel the two planned stages in Sicily, but the stages remained. Instead, the normal police escort for the Giro d'Italia caravan that travels with the race would be increased from 6 to 10 cars and cars would not be allowed to stop along the route throughout the two stages on the island except in cases of "force majeure." The added police were not due to the rumors of the attack, but allegedly to prevent a potential escape by Giuliano.
Stage characteristics and results :
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Type | Winner |
| 1 | 21 May | Palermo to Catania | 261 km (162 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Mario Fazio (ITA) |
| 2 | 22 May | Catania to Messina | 163 km (101 mi) | | Plain stage | Sergio Maggini (ITA) |
| 3 | 23 May | Villa San Giovanni to Cosenza | 214 km (133 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Guido De Santi (ITA) |
| 4 | 24 May | Cosenza to Salerno | 292 km (181 mi) | | Plain stage | Fausto Coppi (ITA) |
| 5 | 26 May | Salerno to Naples | 161 km (100 mi) | | Plain stage | Serafino Biagioni (ITA) |
| 6 | 27 May | Naples to Rome | 233 km (145 mi) | | Plain stage | Mario Ricci (ITA) |
| 7 | 28 May | Rome to Pesaro | 298 km (185 mi) | | Plain stage | Adolfo Leoni (ITA) |
| 8 | 29 May | Pesaro to Venezia | 273 km (170 mi) | | Plain stage | Luigi Casola (ITA) |
| 9 | 31 May | Venezia to Udine | 249 km (155 mi) | | Plain stage | Adolfo Leoni (ITA) |
| 10 | 1 June | Udine to Bassano del Grappa | 154 km (96 mi) | | Plain stage | Giovanni Corrieri (ITA) |
| 11 | 2 June | Bassano del Grappa to Bolzano | 237 km (147 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Fausto Coppi (ITA) |
| 12 | 4 June | Bolzano to Modena | 253 km (157 mi) | | Plain stage | Oreste Conte (ITA) |
| 13 | 5 June | Modena to Montecatini Terme | 160 km (99 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Adolfo Leoni (ITA) |
| 14 | 6 June | Montecatini Terme to Genoa | 228 km (142 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Vincenzo Rossello (ITA) |
| 15 | 7 June | Genoa to Sanremo | 136 km (85 mi) | | Plain stage | Luciano Maggini (ITA) |
| 16 | 9 June | Sanremo to Cuneo | 190 km (118 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Oreste Conte (ITA) |
| 17 | 10 June | Cuneo to Pinerolo | 254 km (158 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Fausto Coppi (ITA) |
| 18 | 11 June | Pinerolo to Turin | 65 km (40 mi) | | Individual time trial | Antonio Bevilacqua (ITA) |
| 19 | 12 June | Turin to Monza | 267 km (166 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Giovanni Corrieri (ITA) |
| | Total | Total | 4,088 km (2,540 mi) | 4,088 km (2,540 mi) | 4,088 km (2,540 mi) | 4,088 km (2,540 mi) | 4,088 km (2,540 mi) |

## Classification leadership

In the 1949 Giro d'Italia there were two major classifications. For the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, and allowing time bonuses for the first three finishers on mass-start stages, the leader received a pink jersey. This classification was considered the most important of the Giro d'Italia, and the winner was considered the winner of the Giro.
In the mountains classifications, points were won by reaching the top of a climb before other cyclists. This classification did not award a jersey to the leader. The highest climb of the race was the Col d'Izoard in stage seventeen, which was 2360m. The other stages that included categorized climbs were stages: 1, 3, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, and 19.
A white jersey was awarded to the rider from a non-major "industrial" team with the lowest total time."
There was a black jersey (maglia nera) awarded to the rider placed last in the general classification. The classification was calculated in the same manner as the general classification.
There was a classification for sprints called the "Gran Premio Tappe Volanti" classification. This consisted of a sprint line that was marked in eight stages of the race, stages 2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, and 19. Specifically the eight sprints were located in the following places Taormina, Castrovillari, Terni, Ferrara, Trieste, Verona, Chiavari, and Novara, respectively.
For placing in the top three for each classification, on the final stage placings, the "Gran Premio Tappe Volanti", or crossing a categorized climb for the mountains classification, time bonuses were awarded. One minute time bonus was given to the first placed rider, thirty seconds to second place, and fifteen second to third.
Classification leadership by stage :
| Stage | Winner | General classification | Best non-industrial team rider | Mountains classification | Last in General classification | Team classification |
| 1 | Mario Fazio | Mario Fazio | Mario Fazio | Mario Fazio | ? | ? |
| 2 | Sergio Maggini | Giordano Cottur | Andrea Carrea | Mario Fazio | Sante Carollo | ? |
| 3 | Guido De Santi | Giordano Cottur | Andrea Carrea | Mario Fazio & Léon Jomaux | Sante Carollo | ? |
| 4 | Fausto Coppi | Giordano Cottur | Mario Fazio | Mario Fazio & Léon Jomaux | Vitaliano Lazzerini | Wilier Triestina |
| 5 | Serafino Biagioni | Giordano Cottur | Mario Fazio | Mario Fazio & Léon Jomaux | Vitaliano Lazzerini | Wilier Triestina |
| 6 | Mario Ricci | Giordano Cottur | Mario Fazio | Mario Fazio & Léon Jomaux | Vitaliano Lazzerini |
| 7 | Adolfo Leoni | Mario Fazio | Mario Fazio | Mario Fazio & Léon Jomaux | Vitaliano Lazzerini |
| 8 | Luigi Casola | Mario Fazio | Mario Fazio | Mario Fazio & Léon Jomaux | Marcel Buysse |
| 9 | Adolfo Leoni | Adolfo Leoni | Mario Fazio | Mario Fazio & Léon Jomaux | Sante Carollo |
| 10 | Giovanni Corrieri | Adolfo Leoni | Mario Fazio | Mario Fazio & Léon Jomaux | Marcel Buysse |
| 11 | Fausto Coppi | Adolfo Leoni | Giancarlo Astrua | Fausto Coppi | Sante Carollo |
| 12 | Oreste Conte | Adolfo Leoni | Giancarlo Astrua | Fausto Coppi | Sante Carollo |
| 13 | Adolfo Leoni | Adolfo Leoni | Giancarlo Astrua | Fausto Coppi | Sante Carollo |
| 14 | Vincenzo Rossello | Adolfo Leoni | Giancarlo Astrua | Fausto Coppi | Sante Carollo |
| 15 | Luciano Maggini | Adolfo Leoni | Giancarlo Astrua | Fausto Coppi | Sante Carollo |
| 16 | Oreste Conte | Adolfo Leoni | Giancarlo Astrua | Fausto Coppi | Sante Carollo |
| 17 | Fausto Coppi | Fausto Coppi | Giancarlo Astrua | Fausto Coppi | Sante Carollo |
| 18 | Antonio Bevilacqua | Fausto Coppi | Giancarlo Astrua | Fausto Coppi | Sante Carollo |
| 19 | Giovanni Corrieri | Fausto Coppi | Giancarlo Astrua | Fausto Coppi | Sante Carollo |
| Final | Final | Fausto Coppi | Giancarlo Astrua | Fausto Coppi | Sante Carollo | Wilier Triestina |

## Final standings
### Summary

| Classification | Winner |
| General classification  pink jersey | Fausto Coppi (ITA) |
| Last place of GC  black jersey | Sante Carollo |
| Non-industrial riders  white jersey | Giancarlo Astrua (ITA) |
| Foreign riders  green jersey | |
| Classifications without jersey ||
| Mountain classification | Fausto Coppi (ITA) |
| Intermediate sprints | Oreste Conti (ITA) |

### General classification

Final general classification (1–10) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Fausto Coppi (ITA) | Bianchi | 125h 25' 50" |
| 2 | Gino Bartali (ITA) | Bartali | + 23' 47" |
| 3 | Giordano Cottur (ITA) | Wilier-Triestina | + 38' 27" |
| 4 | Adolfo Leoni (ITA) | Legnano | + 39' 01" |
| 5 | Giancarlo Astrua (ITA) | Benotto | + 39' 50" |
| 6 | Alfredo Martini (ITA) | Wilier-Triestina | + 48' 48" |
| 7 | Giulio Bresci (ITA) | Centro Sportivo Italiano | + 49' 14" |
| 8 | Serafino Biagioni (ITA) | Viscontea | + 53' 14" |
| 9 | Nedo Logli (ITA) | Arbos | + 56' 59" |
| 10 | Silvio Pedroni (ITA) | Fréjus | + 1h 02' 10" |

### Independent rider classification

Final independent rider classification (1–5) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 1 | Giancarlo Astrua (ITA) | Benotto | 126h 05' 40" |
| 2 | Serafino Biagioni (ITA) | Viscontea | + 13' 24" |
| 3 | Silvio Pedroni (ITA) | Fréjus | + 22' 20" |
| 4 | Mario Fazio (ITA) | Bottecchia | + 26' 20" |
| 5 | Settimo Simonini (ITA) | Fréjus | + 34' 23" |

### Mountains classification

Final mountains classification (1–5) :
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
| 1 | Fausto Coppi (ITA) | Bianchi | 46 |
| 2 | Gino Bartali (ITA) | Bartali | 41 |
| 3 | Alfredo Pasotti (ITA) | Benotto | 23 |
| 4 | Giancarlo Astrua (ITA) | Benotto | 14 |
| 5 | Léon Jomaux (FRA) | Bartali | 12 |

### Team classification

Final team classification (1) :
| Rank | Team | Time |
| 1 | Wilier-Triestina | ? |

### Intermediate sprints classification

Final intermediate sprints classification (1–3) :
| Rank | Name | Team | Points |
| 1 | Oreste Conte (ITA) | Bianchi | 21 |
| 2 | Antonio Bevilacqua (ITA) | Atala | 19 |
| 3 | Adolfo Leoni (ITA) | Legnano | 13 |