| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dates | 24 May - 13 June 1950 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 18 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 3,981 km (2,474 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 117h 28' 03" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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← 1949 1951 → | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The1950 Giro d'Italia was the 33rd edition of theGiro d'Italia, one of cycling'sGrand Tours. The Giro started inMilan on 24 May with a 225 km (139.8 mi)individual time trial and concluded inSalsomaggiore Terme with a 230 km (142.9 mi) relatively flat mass-start stage on 13 June. Fifteen teams entered the race, which was won by SwissHugo Koblet of the Guerra team. Second and third respectively were ItaliansGino Bartali andAlfredo Martini.[1]
It was announced in January 1950 that there would not be more than 100 riders starting the race.[2] However, fifteen teams of seven were granted entry for the race.[3][4] This meant the starting peloton consisted of 105 cyclists,[3][5] the same amount that started the 1949 edition.[6] Italians comprised the majority of the entrants (88), while the remaining 17 foreign riders were from France (9), Switzerland (5), Belgium (2), and Luxembourg (1).[3] Of the starting riders, 75 completed the course.[7]
The teams entering the race were:[3][8]
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The race featured three previous winners of the Giro d'Italia that later became known as the "Big Three" or "Italian Tripod":Gino Bartali (Bartali),Fausto Coppi (Bianchi–Ursus), andFiorenzo Magni (Wilier Triestina).[7][5][9] That season the three of them had success in theclassics as Bartali wonMilan–San Remo, Coppi wonParis–Roubaix andLa Flèche Wallonne, and Magni won his secondTour of Flanders.[7] Despite this, many writers and fellow riders like Magni,Jean Robic, andGiulio Bresci still viewed it as a competition between Coppi and Bartali,[10][11] with Coppi was regarded as the favorite entering the race.[12][13] When asked who was his toughest opponent in the race, Coppi answered Bartali and Robic.[10]
ANouvelliste valaisan writer commented that this was the first Giro to feature foreigners as team captains.[13]1947 Tour de France winner Robic (Viscontea),Fritz Schär (Arbos), andFerdinand Kübler (Fréjus–Superga) entered as sole leaders of their respective squads.[13]Guerra–Ursus's leader upon entry was BelgianMarcel Dupont, while teammateHugo Koblet's recent form made some believe he may end up leading the team during the race.[13][14]El Mundo Deportivo's Luis Bettonica felt that for either Bartali or Coppi to not win they will have to face a large amount of difficulties.[15] Vito Ortelli (Atala) was not viewed as a serious challenger following a poor performance at theTour de Romandie and due to his general inconsistent finishes.[5][11] Ortelli when asked about his intentions at the Giro, replied "I will be running it."[10] Kübler was seen as a threat to challenge Bartali and Coppi because his team was strong and had openly stated he would be in good form when the race hitsLocarno.[5] The French team (Helyett–Hutchinson) featuredApo Lazaridès andLucien Teisseire, who placed second and third at the1948 world championships, respectively.[7]Legnano–Pirelli brought sprinterAdolfo Leoni who won several stages and wore the race leader's pink jersey late into thelast year's race before Coppi took the race lead with two stages left and young riderPasquale Fornara.[11]Taurea'sLuciano Maggini was seen as a contender for the sprint finishes, whileAlfredo Martini andGiancarlo Astrua were expected to achieve high final rankings in the general classification.[11]l'Unità writer Attilio Camoriano expected Martini to be the "big surprise of the race."[11]
Before being released, it was rumored the race would go from 24 May to 11 June.[16] The route was revealed on 26 January 1950.[17][18][19] The route was thought to be easier than in previous years,[13][14] with the first several stages being fairly easy before the seventh stage introduced climbs over 1,100 m (3,609 ft).[13] The ninth stage in particular featured the three major climbs ofPasso Rolle (1,970 m (6,463 ft)),Passo Pordoi (2,239 m (7,346 ft)),Gardena Pass (2,120 m (6,955 ft)).[13] In total the route was thought to be very flat as it contained 15,000 m (49,213 ft) of climbing.[14]
In a break from tradition the race started inMilan rather than finishing in .[12] This change was precipitated because 1950 was declared aJubilee byPope Pius XII.[14] Due to the route changes, this meant theDolomites would be visited during the middle of the race, while theApennines would be traversed near the race's conclusion.[12] Following the Milan opening in thePiazza del Duomo square,[5] the race route veered west passing throughFlorence andGenoa on its way into the Dolomites and passing through finishing inLocarno, a Swiss town.[14][5][20] Then the route turned south and traveled down along the Adriatic coast and traversed the Apennines before returning north to finish inRome.[14]
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 May | Milan toSalsomaggiore Terme | 225 km (140 mi) |  | Plain stage |  Oreste Conte (ITA) | |
| 2 | 25 May | Salsomaggiore Terme toFlorence | 245 km (152 mi) |  | Stage with mountain(s) | Alfredo Martini (ITA) | |
| 3 | 26 May | Florence toLivorno | 148 km (92 mi) | | Plain stage | Olimpio Bizzi (ITA) | |
| 4 | 27 May | Livorno toGenoa | 216 km (134 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Antonio Bevilacqua (ITA) | |
| 5 | 28 May | Genoa toTurin | 245 km (152 mi) | | Plain stage | Franco Franchi (ITA) | |
| 6 | 29 May | Turin toLocarno (Switzerland) | 220 km (137 mi) | | Plain stage |  Hugo Koblet (SUI) | |
| 7 | 31 May | Locarno (Switzerland) toBrescia | 293 km (182 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Luciano Maggini (ITA) | |
| 8 | 1 June | Brescia toVicenza | 214 km (133 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Hugo Koblet (SUI) | |
| 9 | 2 June | Vicenza toBolzano | 272 km (169 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Gino Bartali (ITA) | |
| 3 June | Rest day | ||||||
| 10 | 4 June | Bolzano toMilan | 294 km (183 mi) | | Plain stage | Mario Fazio (ITA) | |
| 11 | 5 June | Milan toFerrara | 251 km (156 mi) | | Plain stage | Adolfo Leoni (ITA) | |
| 12 | 6 June | Ferrara toRimini | 144 km (89 mi) | | Plain stage | Antonio Bevilacqua (ITA) | |
| 13 | 7 June | Rimini toArezzo | 244 km (152 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Luciano Maggini (ITA) | |
| 14 | 8 June | Arezzo toPerugia | 185 km (115 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Fritz Schär (SUI) | |
| 9 June | Rest day | ||||||
| 15 | 10 June | Perugia toL'Aquila | 185 km (115 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Giancarlo Astrua (ITA) | |
| 16 | 11 June | L'Aquila toCampobasso | 203 km (126 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Fiorenzo Magni (ITA) | |
| 17 | 12 June | Campobasso toNaples | 167 km (104 mi) | | Plain stage | Annibale Brasola (ITA) | |
| 18 | 13 June | Naples toRome | 230 km (143 mi) | | Plain stage | Oreste Conte (ITA) | |
| Total | 3,981 km (2,474 mi) | ||||||
The leader of thegeneral classification – calculated by adding the stage finish times of each rider, and subtracting time bonuses[26] – wore a pink jersey. This classification is the most important of the race, and its winner is considered as the winner of the Giro.[27] A one-minute bonus was given to the winner of each stage, the intermediate sprint in the twelve stages containing a sprint, and the winner of a mountain classification climb.[28] Second place in those same categories awarded a 30 s time bonus.[28]
Two additional jerseys were awarded. The green jersey was given to the highest ranked non-Italian cyclist in the general classification, and the white jersey was given to the highest ranked independent[29] cyclist in the general classification.[28][30] Another green jersey was awarded to the best placed foreign rider in the general classification.[28][30]
There were also some classifications without associated jerseys. There was the mountains classification, for which the race organizers selected different mountains that the route crossed and awarded points to the five riders who crossed them first.[27][31]
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.
Secondly, there was an intermediate sprints classification. In twelve stages, there were intermediate sprints midway of the stage, where points for this classification could be won.[32]
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.[7][33][34] If a team had fewer than three riders finish, they were not eligible for the classification.[7][33]
The rows in the following table correspond to the jerseys awarded after that stage was run.[28]
| Legend[36] | |
|---|---|
 | Denotes the winner of theGeneral classification |
 | Denotes the winner of the Independent rider |
 | Denotes the winner of the Foreign rider classification |
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hugo Koblet (SUI) | Guerra–Ursus | 117h 28' 03" |
| 2 | Gino Bartali (ITA) | Bartali | + 5' 12" |
| 3 | Alfredo Martini (ITA) | Taurea | + 8' 41" |
| 4 | Ferdinand Kübler (SUI) | Fréjus–Superga | + 8' 45" |
| 5 | Luciano Maggini (ITA) | Taurea | + 10' 49" |
| 6 | Fiorenzo Magni (ITA) | Wilier Triestina | + 12' 14" |
| 7 | Silvio Pedroni (ITA) | Fréjus–Superga | + 13' 07" |
| 8 | Luciano Pezzi (ITA) | Atala | + 14' 34" |
| 9 | Giulio Bresci (ITA) | Bottecchia | + 18' 08" |
| 10 | Pietro Giudici (ITA) | Cimatti | + 20' 05" |
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hugo Koblet (SUI) | Guerra–Ursus | 117h 28' 03" |
| 2 | Ferdinand Kübler (SUI) | Fréjus–Superga | + 8' 43" |
| 3 | Fritz Schär (SUI) | Arbos | + 23' 53" |
| 4 |  Nello Lauredi (FRA) | Helyett–Hutchinson | + 26' 39" |
| 5 | André Brule (FRA) | Viscontea | + 1h 25' 54" |
| 6 | Apo Lazaridès (FRA) | Helyett–Hutchinson | + 1h 27' 50" |
| 7 |  Jean Goldschmit (LUX) | Fréjus–Superga | + 1h 43' 17" |
| 8 |  Désiré Keteleer (BEL) | Bianchi–Ursus | + 1h 46' 29" |
| 9 | Gottfried Weilenmann (SUI) | Guerra–Ursus | + 1h 58' 22" |
| 10 | José Beyaert (FRA) | Helyett–Hutchinson | + 2h 00' 12" |
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Silvio Pedroni (ITA) | Fréjus–Superga | 117h 41' 10" |
| 2 | Pietro Giudici (ITA) | Cimatti | + 6' 58" |
| 3 | Donato Zampini (ITA) | Ganna–Superga | + 13' 29" |
| 4 | Armando Barducci (ITA) | Fréjus–Superga | + 15' 27" |
| 5 | Giacomo Zampieri (ITA) | Bottecchia | + 21' 31" |
| 6 | Franco Franchi (ITA) | Taurea | + 39' 10" |
| 7 | Valerio Bonini (ITA) | Benotto | + 54' 14" |
| 8 | Sergio Pagliazzi (ITA) | Arbos | + 1h 02' 42" |
| 9 | Leo Castellucci (ITA) | Arbos | + 1h 07' 12" |
| 10 | Renzo Soldani (ITA) | Legnano–Pirelli | + 1h 10' 31" |
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hugo Koblet (SUI) | Guerra–Ursus | 43 |
| 2 | Gino Bartali (ITA) | Bartali | 29 |
| 3 | Jean Robic (FRA) | Viscontea | 21 |
| 4 | Vittorio Rossello (ITA) | Taurea | 11 |
| Fritz Schär (SUI) | Arbos | ||
| 6 | Pasquale Fornara (ITA) | Legnano–Pirelli | 10 |
| 7 | Fausto Coppi (ITA) | Bianchi–Ursus | 9 |
| 8 | Serse Coppi (ITA) | Bianchi–Ursus | 8 |
| 9 | Valerio Bonini (ITA) | Benotto | 6 |
| Alfredo Martini (ITA) | Taurea | ||
| Ferdinand Kübler (SUI) | Legnano–Pirelli | ||
| Aldo Ronconi (ITA) | Benotto |
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annibale Brasola (ITA) | Benotto | 27 |
| 2 | Oreste Conte (ITA) | Bianchi–Ursus | 20 |
| 3 | Hugo Koblet (SUI) | Guerra–Ursus | 15 |
| 4 | Giovanni Corrieri (ITA) | Bartali | 10 |
| Renzo Zanazzi (ITA) | Arbos | ||
| 6 | Ferdinand Kübler (SUI) | Fréjus–Superga | 9 |
| 7 | Serse Coppi (ITA) | Bianchi–Ursus | 8 |
| Antonio Bevilacqua (ITA) | Wilier Triestina | 8 | |
| 9 | Primo Volpi (ITA) | Viscontea | 7 |
| Rank | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fréjus–Superga | 353h 14' 35" |
| 2 | Taurea | + 21' 21" |
| 3 | Cimatti | + 41' 19" |
| 4 | Bottecchia | + 46' 10" |
| 5 | Legnano–Pirelli | + 1h 53' 15" |
| 6 | Arbos | + 2h 00' 35" |
| 7 | Benotto | + 2h 37' 08" |
| 8 | Atala | + 2h 42' 23" |
| 9 | Viscontea | + 2h 46' 44" |
| 10 | Guerra–Ursus | + 2h 52' 58" |
Two blue bracelets were awarded for winning a stage with the greatest time gap between the second placed rider.[39] Koblet won the first bracelet for winning the sixth stage intoLocarno by 1' 48s, while the second bracelet was given to Astrua for his victory on the fifteenth leg that finished inL'Aquila.[39] He won that stage by five minutes and six seconds.[39] A classification was kept regarding the amount of stage victories per rider.[39] The classification was split by four riders who each won two stages: Conte (stages 1 and 18), Bevilacqua (stages 4 and 12), Koblet (stages, and 8), and Luciano Maggini (stages 7 and 13).[39]
Following the race, the entire peloton that finished the race traveled toSt. Peter's Basilica to hear a Wednesday service by Pope Pius XII on 14 June.[41] In particular, Koblet and Bartali spoke with the Pope personally and the Pope asked of Coppi's health.[41] Previous winner Fausto Coppi, who was recovering in a Trento hospital, commented "Koblet deserved to win the Tour of Italy and he is worthy of all praise."[41] Following the race, Guerra announced Koblet renewed his contract with the team.[41] A Swiss newspaper writerNouvelliste Valaisan wrote that the Swiss riders dominated the race, holding the race lead for all but two days, and all five Swiss riders that started, finished the race.[42] The writer commented that Koblet was not seen as the initial leader for Guerra, asMarcel Dupont entered as their leader.[42] The writer also felt that Koblet's victory earned Swiss cycling respect within the cycling community and may lead to an invitation for a ten-man team to a futureTour de France – which at the time was contested by national teams rather than trade teams.[42] Ferdinand Kübler was viewed to have a great race relative when compared to his last Grand Tour, the1949 Tour de France.[42] Based on his high finish Kübler was expected to seriously contend at the upcomingTour de France.[42][43] Had the race been run without time bonuses factored into the general classification, Bartali would have won the race by 18 seconds over Koblet.[39]
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*In 1912, Giro was contested solely by teams, with no individual classification |
