| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dates | 14 May - 5 June 1955 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 3,871 km (2,405 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 108h 56' 12" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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← 1954 1956 → | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The1955 Giro d'Italia was the 38th edition of theGiro d'Italia, one of cycling'sGrand Tours. The Giro started off inMilan on 14 May with a 163 km (101.3 mi) flat stage and concluded back in Milan with a 141 km (87.6 mi) relatively flat mass-start stage on 5 June. Fourteen teams entered the race, which was won by ItalianFiorenzo Magni of the Nivea-Fuchs team. Second and third respectively were Italian ridersFausto Coppi andGastone Nencini.[1]
In the 20th stage, arriving inSan Pellegrino Terme, Magni andCoppi attackedGastone Nencini (who was leading the general classification) taking advantage of a puncture he suffered in an unpaved road section. Coppi won the stage (his last victory in the Giro) and Magni took the lead in thegeneral classification.
In December 1954 when the initial plans for the 1955 edition were announced, the organization announced they would invite ten Italian based teams and six foreign teams: France, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and England whom by December had confirmed participation.[2] Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and France, after missing the previous edition, sent teams to compete in the race.[3] Fourteen teams were invited by the race organizers to participate in the 1955 edition of the Giro d'Italia.[4] The Spanish team missed the pre-race ceremony because they missed their flight into Milan and had to take a train into the city.[5] Each team sent a squad of seven riders, which meant that the race started with a peloton of 98 cyclists.[4] From the riders that began the race, 72 made it to the finish inMilan.[6]
The 1955 Giro was run with national teams and trade teams. Most national teams were sponsored by Italian companies for the duration of the Giro.[7]
The national teams entering the race were:[3][4][8]
Italian teams entering the race were:
Five-time championFausto Coppi (Bianchi) andHugo Koblet (Faema) were named by most as the primary favorites to win the race overall.[3][6][9] Coppi who was now 35 years old notably had won theGiro dell'Appennino and finished second atParis–Roubaix.[6] Serge Lang wrote that Coppi was the public's favorite to win, but most other riders did not him as much of an overall threat due his age.[10]Novelliste Valaisan also namedPasquale Fornara (Leo–Chlorodont) their favorites to win the race.[3] Fornara's best finish came in1953 when he placed third overall, while Koblet won in1950 and had three other top ten finishes.[3]1948 winnerFiorenzo Magni (Nivea–Fuchs) finished theVuelta a España on 8 May and was viewed as contender for the general classification.[3]
It was believed reigning championCarlo Clerici (Faema) would be marked heavily this race after the nature of his victory the previous year when he gained significant time through a breakaway.[3] Clerici was thought to be in good form.[10] Faema did not includeFritz Schär who had injured his knee.[10][11] Despite being a favorite to some, Koblet was not seen as a favorite by Swiss writer Serge Lang who believed he does not like climb he did when he won the race in 1950.[10]
Young Italians including the likes ofMauro Gianneschi (Arbos),Nino Defilippis (Torpado), Giuseppe Minardi (Legnano), Agostino Coletto (Fréjus) were thought to be outside contenders for the general classification and were the team's leaders.[3][9][10] Coletto was perceived by some to be the next great Italian general classification rider.[3][5] Atala's best chances were seent withGiancarlo Astrua andBruno Monti, the latter of which impressed at theTour de Romandie.[3][5] Astrua was perceived as a good climber and a rouleur.[3]Gastone Nencini (Leo–Chlorodont) was a younger rider whom many felt showed a lot of promise and was known for his descending prowess.[6][12]
ANouvelliste Valaisan writer felt the Spanish teamIgnis had riders that can climb very well, but lacked maturity and team comradery to obtain a high general classification ranking.[3] The French team was believed to be very strong and in good shape prior to start.[6][9] They were thought to have its best chances withRaphaël Géminiani and recent Vuelta a Espana winnerJean Dotto who both were in great form,[5] but it was thought Géminiani could lose several minutes in the time trial stages.[3][10]
Doniselli, the Dutch team, was thought to have great riders who could animate the race likeWout Wagtmans,Hein Van Breenen, andGerrit Voorting.[3][13] NotablyThijs Roks, van Breenen, and Wagtmans composed the podium for theDutch national road race championship.[5] Doniselli sports director Kees Pellenaars stated that Wagtmans gave the best chance for the overall victory, but instead of surrounding the whole team with him throughout the race as other Italian teams do, he would allow two to three riders to attempt attacks.[5][14] Expectations of the Belgian teamGirardengo by aNouvelliste Valaisan writer were unknown as the writer cited a previous difficulty by Belgian riders in the Giro d'Italia.[3] A notable omission from the team wasRik van Steenbergen.[6] The teams' young ridersJoseph Schils and Carl Borgmans were expected to have a good performance.[3] In addition, the team brought a new flahuteRik Van Looy.[6][3]
Other notable riders that did not participate were FrenchmanLouison Bobet and Swiss riderFerdinand Kübler.[15] In addition, this was the first Giro d'Italia without two-time winnerGino Bartali participating.[5] Bartali retired following the previous season, but returned to the Giro d'Italia to provide commentary for several newspapers.[5]
The route's general structure was announced on December 29, 1954 at the Palazzo Marino inMilan in front of local dignitaries.[2] The finalized route was revealed on 9 March 1955.[16][17][18] The route was designed in a counter-clockwise direction across twenty-one days of racing and two rest days,It contained two time trial events, oneindividual and oneteam event.[3][10][19] The team time trial rode over the cobbled roads ofGenoa.[20] This race featured the first stage finish and start inFrance.[3] The tenth stage utilized the route used in the1955 UCI World Championships men's road race that were to be held inFrascati,Italy August that year in a 20.4 km (13 mi) loop that was traversed ten times.[3][10][21] The highest climb was thePasso Pordoi.[10] In total the route had roughly 25,000 m (82,021 ft) of elevation change of which five stages contained eight categorized climbs that awarded points for themountains classification.[10][19] The nineteenth stage was deemed the queen stage as it featured the climbs of theFalzarego Pass, the Col de Rolle, the Pordoi, and the Col de Brocon.[10][19][21] Five stages ended in a velodrome.[20]
Due to complaints from the riders about the previous year's race, the organizers reduced the amount of kilometers in the race by approximately 500 km (311 mi).[6] Further, race organizers decided to reduce the length of the stages within the Giro d'Italia closer to 200 km (124 mi), similar to theTour de France at the time.[20][21] The stages had become known as "Italian stages" for their extreme length in hundreds of kilometers, only to have the racing start in the final 10 km.[20][21] Through the reduction in stage length, the organizers hoped to have more attacking done by riders.[20] The intermediate sprints or "flying checks" as they were known were well received and thought to have helped animate the race, with several stage winners coming from those that won the sprints of the day.[20] The amount of intermediate sprints has been reduced by 30 this race, leaving 30 to be taken.[20] If you win the prize you must be within the first five positions of the general classification.[20]
A writer forNouvelliste Valaisan felt arouleur could win the general classification if they could take advantage of the course before the race hits theDolomites.[3] TheGazette de Lausanne writer Serge Lang wrote that the route was the hardest sinceWorld War II and felt the general public and most newspapers felt the route was well designed.[10]
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 May | Milan toTurin | 163 km (101 mi) |  | Plain stage |  Guido Messina (ITA) | |
| 2 | 15 May | Turin toCannes (France) | 243 km (151 mi) |  | Stage with mountain(s) | Fiorenzo Magni (ITA) | |
| 3 | 16 May | Cannes (France) toSanremo | 123 km (76 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Nino Defilippis (ITA) | |
| 4 | 17 May | Sanremo toAcqui Terme | 192 km (119 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Alessandro Fantini (ITA) | |
| 5 | 18 May | Acqui Terme toGenoa | 170 km (106 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Giancarlo Astrua (ITA) | |
| 6 | 19 May | Genoa to Lido d'Albaro | 18 km (11 mi) |  | Team time trial | Torpado | |
| 7 | 20 May | Genoa toViareggio | 164 km (102 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Giovanni Corrieri (ITA) | |
| 21 May | Rest day | ||||||
| 8 | 22 May | Viareggio toPerugia | 260 km (162 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Rino Benedetti (ITA) | |
| 9 | 23 May | Perugia toRome | 174 km (108 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Gastone Nencini (ITA) | |
| 10 | 24 May | Frascati toFrascati | 207 km (129 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) |  Bernardo Ruiz (ESP) | |
| 11 | 25 May | Rome toNaples | 242 km (150 mi) | | Plain stage | Vincenzo Zucconelli (ITA) | |
| 12 | 26 May | Naples toScanno | 216 km (134 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Gastone Nencini (ITA) | |
| 13 | 27 May | Scanno toAncona | 251 km (156 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Giorgio Albani (ITA) | |
| 14 | 28 May | Ancona to Pineta diCervia | 173 km (107 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Giuseppe Minardi (ITA) | |
| 15 | 29 May | Pineta diCervia toRavenna | 50 km (31 mi) | | Individual time trial | Pasquale Fornara (ITA) | |
| 16 | 30 May | Ravenna toLido di Jesolo | 245 km (152 mi) | | Plain stage | Rino Benedetti (ITA) | |
| 17 | 31 May | Lido di Jesolo toTrieste | 150 km (93 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Alessandro Fantini (ITA) | |
| 1 June | Rest day | ||||||
| 18 | 2 June | Trieste toCortina d'Ampezzo | 236 km (147 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Angelo Conterno (ITA) | |
| 19 | 3 June | Cortina d'Ampezzo toTrento | 227 km (141 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) |  Jean Dotto (FRA) | |
| 20 | 4 June | Trento toSan Pellegrino Terme | 216 km (134 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Fausto Coppi (ITA) | |
| 21 | 5 June | San Pellegrino Terme toMilan | 141 km (88 mi) | | Plain stage |  Hugo Koblet (SUI) | |
| Total | 3,871 km (2,405 mi) | ||||||
One jersey was worn during the 1955 Giro d'Italia. The leader of thegeneral 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.[23] There were no time bonuses in the 1955 Giro.[24]
Themountains classification leader. The climbs all awarded three points to the first rider and one point to the second rider to cross the summit.[25] There was no jersey for this classification.[26]
The intermediate sprints classification was again based on sprints midway through a stage, and positions at the finish line, but unlike the year before, now riders only received points at the finish line if they also scored points on previous sprints in that stage.[27] For sprints midway through a stage, the first 3 riders scored points, while at the finish line the first 5 riders could score points.[28]
Theteams classification got a new system in 1955. It was now based on stage positions: the stage positions of the three best riders per team were added, and the team with the lowest total rank was the best team. There were two separate team classifications, one for the foreign teams and one for the Italian teams (also called theG.P. dell'Industria).[29] There were no jerseys for these classifications.[30]
Minor classifications were the classifications for best young rider (esordienti) and best foreign rider (stranieri).[31]
| Stage | Winner | General classification | Mountains classification | Intermediate sprints classification | Italian Team classification | Foreign Team classification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guido Messina | Guido Messina | not awarded | Henri Van Kerckhove | Legnano | Girardengo |
| 2 | Fiorenzo Magni | Fiorenzo Magni | Bruno Monti | Fiorenzo Magni | Leo-Chlorodont | Doniselli |
| 3 | Nino Defilippis | Nino Defilippis | ||||
| 4 | Alessandro Fantini | Rino Benedetti | ||||
| 5 | Giancarlo Astrua | Nino Defilippis | ||||
| 6 | Torpado | Nivea-Fuchs | Faema | |||
| 7 | Giovanni Corrieri | |||||
| 8 | Rino Benedetti | Rino Benedetti | Atala | |||
| 9 | Gastone Nencini | |||||
| 10 | Bernardo Ruiz | Bruno Monti | ||||
| 11 | Vincenzo Zucconelli | France | ||||
| 12 | Gastone Nencini | Raphaël Géminiani | Bruno Monti &Gastone Nencini | Nino Defilippis | ||
| 13 | Giorgio Albani | |||||
| 14 | Giuseppe Minardi | Giuseppe Minardi,Bruno Monti &Gastone Nencini | ||||
| 15 | Pasquale Fornara | Gastone Nencini | ||||
| 16 | Rino Benedetti | |||||
| 17 | Alessandro Fantini | |||||
| 18 | Angelo Conterno | Bruno Monti | ||||
| 19 | Jean Dotto | Gastone Nencini | ||||
| 20 | Fausto Coppi | Fiorenzo Magni | ||||
| 21 | Hugo Koblet | |||||
| Final | Fiorenzo Magni | Gastone Nencini | Nino Defilippis | Atala | France | |
| Legend[33] | |
|---|---|
 | Denotes the winner of theGeneral classification |
| Rank | Name | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fiorenzo Magni (ITA) | Nivea | 108h 56' 12" |
| 2 | Fausto Coppi (ITA) | Bianchi | + 13" |
| 3 | Gastone Nencini (ITA) | Chlorodont | + 4' 08" |
| 4 | Raphaël Géminiani (FRA) | France | + 4' 51" |
| 5 | Agostino Coletto (ITA) | Fréjus | + 7' 19" |
| 6 | Aldo Moser (ITA) | Torpado | + 8' 01" |
| 7 | Pasquale Fornara (ITA) | Chlorodont | + 9' 16" |
| 8 | Salvador Botella (ESP) | Ignis | + 14' 10" |
| 9 |  Wout Wagtmans (NED) | Doniselli | + 16' 03" |
| 10 | Hugo Koblet (SUI) | Faema | + 20' 16" |
| Rank | Name | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raphaël Géminiani (FRA) | France | 109h 01' 03" |
| 2 | Salvador Botella (ESP) | Ignis | + 9' 19" |
| 3 | Wout Wagtmans (NED) | Doniselli | + 11' 12" |
| 4 | Hugo Koblet (SUI) | Faema | + 15' 25" |
| 5 | Hein Van Breenen (NED) | Doniselli | + 19' 49" |
| 6 | Nello Lauredi (FRA) | Olympia | + 32' 10" |
| 7 | Jean Dotto (FRA) | France | + 35' 03" |
| 8 | Carlo Clerici (SUI) | Faema | + 50' 44" |
| 9 | Bernardo Ruiz (ESP) | Ignis | + 56' 28" |
| 10 | Gerrit Voorting (NED) | Doniselli | + 58' 49" |
| Rank | Name | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gastone Nencini (ITA) | Chlorodont | 7 |
| 2 | José Serra (ESP) | Ignis | 6 |
| 3 | Bruno Monti (ITA) | Atala | 4 |
| 4 | Antonio Gelabert (ESP) | Ignis | |
| 5 | Giuseppe Minardi (ITA) | Legnano | 3 |
| Jean Dotto (FRA) | France | ||
| 7 | Wout Wagtmans (NED) | Doniselli | 1 |
| Raphaël Géminiani (FRA) | France | ||
| Pierino Baffi (ITA) | Nivea-Fuchs | ||
| Giancarlo Astrua (ITA) | Atala | ||
| Salvador Botella (ESP) | Ignis |
| Rank | Name | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nino Defilippis (ITA) | Torpado | 42 |
| 2 | Giorgio Albani (ITA) | Legnano | 39 |
| 3 | Rino Benedetti (ITA) | Leo-Chlorodont | 38 |
| 4 | Fiorenzo Magni (ITA) | Nivea | 16 |
| 5 | Fausto Coppi (ITA) | Bianchi | 13 |
| 6 | Giuseppe Favero (ITA) | Bianchi | 13 |
| 7 | Louis Caput (FRA) | France | 12 |
| 8 | Donato Piazza (ITA) | Nivea-Fuchs | 11 |
| 9 | Gastone Nencini (ITA) | Chlorodont | 10 |
| Giovanni Corrieri (ITA) | Arbos | ||
| Angelo Conterno (ITA) | Torpado |
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 1050 |
| 2 | Faema | 1190 |
| 3 | Doniselli | 1334 |
| 4 | Ignis | 1347 |
| 5 | Girardengo | 2086 |
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*In 1912, Giro was contested solely by teams, with no individual classification |
