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By Barry Boyce, CyclingRevealed Historian
GdI May 8-May 30, 1937 |
3,840 Km |
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Finishers: 41 |
Average Speed: 31.365 km/h |
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Bartali in Full Control
The 1937 Giro d'Italia was the 25th edition of Italy’s Grand Tour.
SPECIAL NOTE: The organizers of the 1937 Giro d’Italia offered two additions to the race:
1. The first ever Team Time Trial (62 km long),
2. The inclusion of the very tough climbs in the Dolomite Mountains.
Team Frejus leader Giovanni Valetti held the early race lead on stage 3, but defending champion Gino Bartali grabbed the Maglia Rosa after the 20 km uphill time trial to the summit of the Monte Terminillo on stage 8a. Over the remaining fourteen stages Bartali very methodically controlled the entire race.
Italy's next grand champion rode into Milan for his second straight Giro d'Italia victory. Gino Bartali also won his third consecutive Mountain Classification Title as the Best Climber.
SPECIAL NOTE: The radical “political policies” in Italy that kept foreign riders from entering the Giro in 1936 were relaxed in 1937. Foreign teams from Belgium, Switzerland and Germany came back to race the 1937 Giro.
Teams:
There were four trade teams that competed in the race:
Each team was composed of seven riders.
There were seven special Groups, which entered five riders each:
- Italiani All'Estero (Groups)
- Il Bertoldo (Groups)
- Il Littoriale (Groups)
- S.S. Parioli (Groups)
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- Colin-Wolber (Bel) (Groups)
- Team Suisse (Groups)
- Team Germany (Groups)
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Race Summary:
Stage 5a: 60 km TTT from Viareggio to Marina Massa, the race had arrived at Viareggio for the Giro’s first ever Team Time Trial. The powerful Legnano (Di Paco, Battesini, Favalli, Gino Bartali, Mealli) team dominated the TTT and beat race leader’s Frejus (Giovanni Valetti) team by 3’24”. Bartali gained the Maglia Rosa (Pink Jersey).
Stage 5b: Bartali could not keep the Maglia Rosa for even a day. The 114 km afternoon stage to Livorno saw most riders struggling for the morning TTT. The peloton shattered with small groups forming and riding away. Valetti finished eighth on the stage but gained 1’37” on Bartali. He went back into the race lead.
Stage 8a: 20 km ITT from Rieti to Monte Terminillo, Stage nine was the hill climb Time Trial. Bartali climbed brilliantly and won the stage by 1’03” over race leader Valetti. Bartali was back in the Maglia Rosa.
Stage 10: Bartali used the hills of southern Italy to his advantage, going over climbing of the Apennines from Naples to Foggio. Again, climbing brilliantly, he rode into Foggio for a 1’12” solo stage win.
Stage 16: 227 km from Vittorio Veneto to Merano, Stage 16 featured the huge climbs of the Passo Rolle and Passo di Costalunga in the Dolomite Mountains. Bartali attacked and went alone over the top of the Rolle. The race leader then headed north and again was first over the summit of the Costalunga. Bartali rode solo into Merano for a 5’38” stage win. The Giro victory was all but assured.
Stage 19b: The 23-year-old Gino Bartali rode into the Vigorelli Velodrome in Milan to claim the 1937 Giro victory.
Stage and Distance |
Stage Winner |
Race Leader |
Stage 1 Milan-Torino, 165 km |
Nello Troggi (Ita) |
Nello Troggi (Ita) |
Stage 2 Torino-Acqui Terme, 148 km |
Quirico Bernacchi (Ita) |
Quirico Bernacchi (Ita) |
Stage 3 Acqui Terme-Genova, 158 km |
Giovanni Valetti (Ita) |
Giovanni Valetti (Ita) |
Stage 4 Genova-Viareggio, 186 km |
Olimpio Bizzi (Ita) |
Giovanni Valetti (Ita) |
Stg 5a Viareggio-Marina Massa, 60 km TTT |
Team LEGNANO |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 5b Marina Massa-Livorno, 114 km |
Olimpio Bizzi (Ita) |
Giovanni Valetti (Ita) |
Stage 6 Livorno-Arezzo, 190 km |
Giuseppe Olmo (Ita) |
Giovanni Valetti (Ita) |
Stage 7 Arezzo-Rieti, 206 km |
Aldo Bini (Ita) |
Giovanni Valetti (Ita) |
Stage 8a Rieti-Terminillo, 20 km ITT |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 8b Rieti-Rome, 152 km |
Raffaele Di Paco (Ita) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 9 Rome-Napoli, 250 km |
Learco Guerra (Ita) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 10 Napoli-Foggia, 166 km |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 11a Foggia-San Severo, 186 km |
Walter Generati (Ita) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 11b Sn Severo-Campobasso, 105 km |
Cesare Del Cancia (Ita) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 12 Campobasso-Pescara, 258 km |
Marco Cimatti (Ita) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 13 Pescara-Ancona, 194 km |
Aldo Bini (Ita) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 14 Ancona-Forli, 178 km |
Aldo Bini (Ita) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 15 Forli-Vittorio Veneto, 266 km |
Glauco Servadei (Ita) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 16 Vittorio Veneto-Merano, 227 km |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 17 Merano-Gardone, 190 km |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 18 Gardone-San Pellegrino, 129 km |
Glauco Servadei (Ita) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 19a San Pellegrino-Como, 151 km |
Marco Cimatti (Ita) |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Stage 19b Como-Milan, 141 km |
Aldo Bini (Ita) |
 Gino Bartali (Ita)
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Mountain Prize |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
General Classification:
Final General Classification |
Rank |
Rider |
Team |
Points |
1 |
Gino BARTALI (Ita)  |
Legnano |
122h25'40" |
2 |
Giovanni Valetti (Ita) |
Frejus |
+8'18" |
3 |
Enrico Mollo (Ita) |
Frejus |
+17'38" |
4 |
Severino Canavesi (Ita) |
Ganna |
+21'38" |
5 |
Cesare Del Cancia (Ita) |
Ganna |
+23'18" |
6 |
Walter Generati (Ita) |
Frejus |
+27'28" |
7 |
Eduardo Molinar (Ita) |
Isolati/Independent |
+30'31" |
8 |
Bernardo Rogora (Ita) |
Isolati/Independent |
+32'07" |
9 |
Ambrogio Morelli (Ita) |
Italiani all'Estero (Groups) |
+48'22" |
10 |
Adriano Vignoli (Ita) |
Il Littoriale (Groups) |
+55'19" |
11 |
Aladino Mealli (Ita) |
Legnano |
+57'52" |
12 |
Fausto Montesi (Ita) |
Isolati/Independent |
+1h01'05" |
13 |
Leo Amberg (Sui) |
Team Suisse (Groups) |
+1h04'15" |
14 |
Glauco Servadei (Ita) |
Ganna |
+1h12'52" |
15 |
Luigi Barral (Ita) |
Il Bertoldo (Groups) |
+1h13'49" |
16 |
Settimo Simonini (Ita) |
Il Littoriale (Groups) |
+1h16'45" |
17 |
Zoarino Guidi (Ita) |
Il Littoriale (Groups) |
+1h29'00" |
18 |
Vasco Bergamaschi (Ita) |
Bianchi |
+1h41'54" |
19 |
Francesco Patti (Ita) |
Il Littoriale (Groups) |
+1h46'10" |
20 |
Ezio Cecchi (Ita) |
Isolati/Independent |
+1h46'51" |
21 |
Giovanni Cazzulani (Ita) |
Legnano |
+2h00'30" |
22 |
Agusto Introzzi (Ita) |
Ganna |
+2h00'36" |
23 |
Aldo Bini (Ita) |
Bianchi |
+2h04'15" |
24 |
Michele Benente (Ita) |
Ganna |
+2h07'10" |
25 |
Mario Cipriani (Ita) |
Frejus |
+2h23'47" |
26 |
Marco Cimatti (Ita) |
Italiani all'Estero (Groups) |
+2h43'08" |
27 |
Armando Zucchini (Ita) |
Isolati/Independent |
+2h52'11" |
28 |
Enrico Mara (Ita) |
Isolati/Independent |
+2h52'22" |
29 |
Battista Astrua (Ita) |
Il Bertoldo (Groups) |
+2h53'45" |
30 |
Pietro Rimoldi (Ita) |
Ganna |
+2h57'19" |
31 |
Alfons Deloor (Bel) |
Colin-Wolber (Groups) |
+2h57'19" |
32 |
Mario Valle (Ita) |
Isolati/Independent |
+3h03'06" |
33 |
Orlando Teani (Ita) |
Isolati/Independent |
+3h19'03" |
34 |
Domenico Piemontesi (Ita) |
Bianchi |
+3h31'06" |
35 |
Camille Beeckman (Bel) |
Colin-Wolber (Groups) |
+3h49'29" |
36 |
Marco Bovio (Ita) |
Il Bertoldo (Groups) |
+3h50'01" |
37 |
Antonio Bertola (Ita) |
Italiani all'Estero (Groups) |
+4h07'07" |
38 |
Giacinto Sessa (Ita) |
Isolati/Independent |
+4h13'57" |
39 |
Auguste Como (Ita) |
Isolati/Independent |
+4h31'13" |
40 |
Alfred Malmesi (Ita) |
Italiani all'Estero (Groups) |
+6h00'32" |
41 |
Elio Maldini (Ita) |
Frejus |
+6h03'15" |
Final Mountains Classification |
Rank |
Name |
Team |
Points |
1 |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Legnano |
37 |
2 |
Enrico Mollo (Ita) |
Frejus |
35 |
3 |
Luigi Barral (Ita) |
Il Bertoldo (Groups) |
22 |
4 |
Ezio Checchi (Ita) |
Isolati/Independent |
9 |
5 |
Adalino Mealli (Ita) |
Legnano |
8 |
6t |
Walter Generati (Ita) |
Frejus |
6 |
6t |
Giovanni Valetti (Ita) |
Frejus |
6 |
8 |
Marco Cimatti (Ita) |
Italiani all'Estero (Groups) |
5 |
9t |
Cesare Del Gancia (Ita) |
Ganna |
3 |
9t |
Edoardo Molinar (Ita) |
Isolati/Independent |
3 |
GdI 1938
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