# 1948 Giro d'Italia

The 1948 Giro d'Italia was the 31st edition of the Giro d'Italia, organized and sponsored by the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. The race began on 15 May in Milan with a stage that stretched 190 km (118 mi) to Turin, finishing back in Milan on 6 June after a 231 km (144 mi) stage and a total distance covered of 4,164 km (2,587 mi). The race was won by the Italian rider Fiorenzo Magni of the Wilier Triestina team, with fellow Italians Ezio Cecchi and Giordano Cottur coming in second and third respectively.

## Teams

A total of eleven teams entered the 1948 Giro d'Italia. Each team sent a squad of seven riders, so the Giro began with a peloton of 77 cyclists. Out of the 77 riders that started this edition of the Giro d'Italia, a total of 44 riders made it to the finish in Milan.
The teams entering the race were:
* Atala
* Arbos
* Benotto
* Bianchi
* Cimatti
* Legnano
* Lygie
* Peugeot
* Viani-C.R.A.L. Imperia
* Viscontea
* Wilier Triestina

## Route and stages

Race organizer and newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport released the preliminary route for the Giro d'Italia on 27 October 1947. The race was originally planned to start on 22 May and finish on 13 June, while covering 3,715 km (2,308 mi) over nineteen stages.
Stage results :
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Type | Winner |
| 1 | 15 May | Milan to Turin | 190 km (118 mi) | | Plain stage | Giordano Cottur (ITA) |
| 2 | 16 May | Turin to Genoa | 226 km (140 mi) | | Plain stage | Mario Ricci (ITA) |
| 3 | 17 May | Genoa to Parma | 243 km (151 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Luciano Maggini (ITA) |
| 4 | 18 May | Parma to Viareggio | 266 km (165 mi) | | Plain stage | Luigi Casola (ITA) |
| | 19 May | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day |
| 5 | 20 May | Viareggio to Siena | 165 km (103 mi) | | Plain stage | Adolfo Leoni (ITA) |
| 6 | 21 May | Siena to Rome | 256 km (159 mi) | | Plain stage | Luigi Casola (ITA) |
| 7 | 22 May | Rome to Pescara | 230 km (143 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Antonio Bevilacqua (ITA) |
| 8 | 23 May | Pescara to Bari | 347 km (216 mi) | | Plain stage | Adolfo Leoni (ITA) |
| | 24 May | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day |
| 9 | 25 May | Bari to Naples | 306 km (190 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Nedo Logli (ITA) |
| 10 | 26 May | Naples to Fiuggi | 184 km (114 mi) | | Plain stage | Italo De Zan (ITA) |
| 11 | 27 May | Fiuggi to Perugia | 265 km (165 mi) | | Plain stage | Désiré Keteleer (BEL) |
| | 28 May | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day |
| 12 | 29 May | Perugia to Florence | 169 km (105 mi) | | Plain stage | Oreste Conte (ITA) |
| 13 | 30 May | Florence to Bologna | 194 km (121 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Bruno Pasquini (ITA) |
| 14 | 31 May | Bologna to Udine | 278 km (173 mi) | | Plain stage | Oreste Conte (ITA) |
| 15 | 1 June | Udine to Auronzo di Cadore | 125 km (78 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Vincenzo Rossello (ITA) |
| | 2 June | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day | Rest day |
| 16 | 3 June | Auronzo di Cadore to Cortina d'Ampezzo | 90 km (56 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Fausto Coppi (ITA) |
| 17 | 4 June | Cortina d'Ampezzo to Trento | 160 km (99 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Fausto Coppi (ITA) |
| 18 | 5 June | Trento to Brescia | 239 km (149 mi) | | Plain stage | Elio Bertocchi (ITA) |
| 19 | 6 June | Brescia to Milan | 231 km (144 mi) | | Plain stage | Fiorenzo Magni (ITA) |
| | Total | Total | 4,164 km (2,587 mi) | 4,164 km (2,587 mi) | 4,164 km (2,587 mi) | 4,164 km (2,587 mi) | 4,164 km (2,587 mi) |

## Race overview

During stage 9 from Bari to Naples, Magni –who was down nine minutes at the time– joined the day's breakaway.
During the Giro, the French and Belgian teams left the race because they thought it was made impossible for foreign riders to ride the Giro. When the leader Magni was punished with only two minutes after being pushed up a mountain, Fausto Coppi and his Bianchi team also left the race out of protest. As a result, only forty riders finished the Giro. Stage seventeen featured several climbs including the Pordoi Pass. Coppi won the stage, but Magni–who had a reputation for struggling on big climbs–finished in time to retain the lead. It was discovered that Magni had been helped up the Pordoi, while some state he was pushed by spectators others say he was pulled by a car. Coppi and Bianchi requested Magni to be thrown out. As there were no photos, the race jury had to go based on testimonies. It was officially declared that the pushing Magni received was planned. The punishment was a two-minute penalty in the general classification, which still allowed him to remain in the lead. Coppi and his team decided to withdraw after that decision.

## Classification leadership

The leader of the general classification – calculated by adding the stage finish times of each rider – wore a pink jersey. This classification is the most important of the race, and its winner is considered as the winner of the Giro.
In the mountains classification, the race organizers selected different mountains that the route crossed and awarded points to the riders who crossed them first. The winner of the team classification was determined by adding the finish times of the best three cyclists per team together and the team with the lowest total time was the winner. If a team had fewer than three riders finish, they were not eligible for the classification.
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.
The prize money for the winner of the race was one million lire. The prize money increased to one million this year because Totip, a horse race betting company, sponsored the race.
The rows in the following table correspond to the jerseys awarded after that stage was run.
| Stage | Winner | General classification | Mountains classification | Last in General classification | Team classification |
| 1 | Giordano Cottur | Giordano Cottur | not awarded | ? | ? |
| 2 | Mario Ricci | Giordano Cottur | not awarded | Antonio Covolo | ? |
| 3 | Luciano Maggini | Giordano Cottur | Ezio Cecchi | Enzo Bellini | Wilier-Triestina |
| 4 | Luigi Casola | Giordano Cottur | Ezio Cecchi | Antonio Covolo | Wilier-Triestina |
| 5 | Adolfo Leoni | Giordano Cottur | Ezio Cecchi | Antonio Covolo | Wilier-Triestina |
| 6 | Luigi Casola | Giordano Cottur | Ezio Cecchi | Antonio Covolo | Wilier-Triestina |
| 7 | Antonio Bevilacqua | Giordano Cottur | Fausto Coppi | ? | Wilier-Triestina |
| 8 | Adolfo Leoni | Giordano Cottur | Fausto Coppi | ? | Wilier-Triestina |
| 9 | Nedo Logli | Vito Ortelli | Ezio Cecchi | Aldo Bini | Wilier-Triestina |
| 10 | Italo De Zan | Vito Ortelli | Ezio Cecchi | Aldo Bini | Arbos |
| 11 | Désiré Keteleer | Vito Ortelli | Ezio Cecchi | Valeriano Zanazzi | Arbos |
| 12 | Oreste Conte | Vito Ortelli | Ezio Cecchi | Valeriano Zanazzi | Arbos |
| 13 | Bruno Pasquini | Vito Ortelli | Ezio Cecchi & Fausto Coppi | Prosper Depredomme | Arbos |
| 14 | Oreste Conte | Fiorenzo Magni | Ezio Cecchi & Fausto Coppi | ? | Arbos |
| 15 | Vincenzo Rossello | Ezio Cecchi | Ezio Cecchi | ? |
| 16 | Fausto Coppi | Ezio Cecchi | Fausto Coppi | ? |
| 17 | Fausto Coppi | Fiorenzo Magni | Fausto Coppi | Aldo Bini | Wilier-Triestina |
| 18 | Elio Bertocchi | Fiorenzo Magni | Fausto Coppi | Aldo Bini | Wilier-Triestina |
| 19 | Fiorenzo Magni | Fiorenzo Magni | Fausto Coppi | Aldo Bini | Wilier-Triestina |
| Final | Final | Fiorenzo Magni | Fausto Coppi | Aldo Bini | Wilier Triestina |

## Final standings

Legend :
* Denotes the winner of the General classification

### General classification

Final general classification (1–10) :
| Rank | Name | Team | Time |
| 1 | Fiorenzo Magni (ITA) | Wilier Triestina | 125h 51' 52" |
| 2 | Ezio Cecchi (ITA) | Cimatti | + 11" |
| 3 | Giordano Cottur (ITA) | Wilier Triestina | + 2' 37" |
| 4 | Vito Ortelli (ITA) | Atala | s.t. |
| 5 | Primo Volpi (ITA) | Arbos | + 8' 24" |
| 6 | Angelo Brignole (ITA) | Arbos | + 9' 14" |
| 7 | Giulio Bresci (ITA) | Wilier Triestina | + 9' 17" |
| 8 | Gino Bartali (ITA) | Legnano | + 11' 52" |
| 9 | Serafino Biagioni (ITA) | Viani Cral Imperia | + 15' 05" |
| 10 | Alfredo Martini (ITA) | Wilier Triestina | + 18' 22" |

### Mountains classification

Final mountains classification (1–9) :
| | Name | Team | Points |
| 1 | Fausto Coppi (ITA) | Bianchi | 25 |
| 2 | Ezio Cecchi (ITA) | Cimatti | 16 |
| 3 | Gino Bartali (ITA) | Legnano | 14 |
| 4 | Vito Ortelli (ITA) | Atala | 12 |
| 5 | Giordano Cottur (ITA) | Wilier-Triestina | 9 |
| 6 | Serafino Biagioni (ITA) | Viani-C.R.A.L. Imperia | 8 |
| 7 | Primo Volpi (ITA) | Arbos | 6 |
| 8 | Vincenzo Rossello (ITA) | Legnano | 5 |
| 9 | Aldo Baito (ITA) | Viscontea | 4 |
| 9 | Luigi Casola (ITA) | Cimatti | 4 |
| 9 | Alfredo Martini (ITA) | Wilier-Triestina | 4 |

### Team classification

Final team classification (1-8) :
| | Team | Time |
| 1 | Wilier Triestina | 374h 47' 30" |
| 2 | Arbos | + 28' 30" |
| 3 | Legnano | + 1h 40' 07" |
| 4 | Viani-C.R.A.L. Imperia | + 2h 04' 25" |
| 5 | Benotto | + 2h 56' 36" |
| 6 | Atala | + 3h 02' 43" |
| 7 | Viscontea | + 4h 40' 14" |
| 8 | Cimatti | + 5h 40' 45" |

## Aftermath

The Italian cycling federation gave Coppi a suspension of one month because he refused to finish the Giro. After being caught cheating, Magni was the subject of the tifosi's animosity, he was frequently booed and writing on the road included the phrase Abbasso Magni (English: Down with Magni). After winning the final stage into Milan's Vignorelli Velodrome, the crowd's behavior (whistles, boos, and anti–Magni banners) reduced him to tears. The Communist Mayor of Prato sent Magni a telegram congratulating him on the victory, stating that his victory brought "honor to [their] city." Later in his life, Magni said that the telegram pleased him greatly.