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By Barry Boyce, CyclingRevealed Historian
GdI May 21 - June 13, 1954 |
4,337 Km |
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Finishers: 67 |
Average Speed: 33.563 km/h |
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Little Known Suisse Rider Escapes
Turmoil at the start of the 1954 Giro d’Italia, friction presented itself in the peloton because of organizers paying high ‘start-fees’ to Fausto Coppi. Making the atmosphere worse, the harsh conditions of the race route with long stages and rough roads spawned discontent within the teams. When the race started an unhappy peloton did not ride aggressively.
SPECIAL NOTE: The 1954 race at 4,337 km was the longest Giro in history.
Teams:
The teams entering the race were: (Each team sent a squad of seven riders)
- Atala-Pirelli
- Bianchi-Pirelli
- Legnano
- Spagna-Ideor
- Arbos-Bubba
- Bartali-Brooklin
- Bottecchia
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- Doniselli-Lansetina
- Germany
- Belgium-Girardengo
- Nivea-Fuchs
- Frejus
- Torpado-Ursus
- Nederland-Locomotief
- Suisse-Guerra
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Route and Stages:
The off-season Giro planning progressed slowly. In February the committee announced the first fourteen stages. Speculation that Rome “would not be included” were dashed when Rome was included on stage 7 (finish) and 8 (departure). The rest of the route was revealed in May just weeks before the Giro’s start. The race schedule included an Individual Time Trial and one Team Time Trial. Criticism of the TTT came quickly. The original stage schedule for the Team Time Trial was midway through the race and teams may be down riders through attrition. To deal with the disapproval the Team Time Trial stage was moved to stage 1.
Classification Leadership:
The leader of the General Classification, calculated by adding each stage times of each rider and subtracting time bonuses, wore the Maglia Rosa (Pink Jersey).
The Mountains Classification was contested on various mountain climbs to the riders who crossed them first accumulated “climbing points.” There was no leader's jersey awarded for this classification.
The Green Jersey was awarded to the best ranked foreign rider in the GC.
Race Summary:
Stage 6: Little known Suisse National team rider Carlo Clerici surprised all the elites of the race on stage 6. Clerici escaped with Italian Nino Assirelli and finished in L'Aquilawith more than a 25-minute time gain. Defending champion Fausto Coppi said “They never should have been allowed such a lead. But after that stage the race was over.”
Stage 21: Late in the race Fausto Coppi was beginning to take back time on Clerici. The tifosi (Italian fans) had hope that Coppi would repeat history and attack on stage 21’s climb of the Bernina Pass. But the peloton rode passively in protest of the harsh racing conditions. The stage took almost ten hours to cover 222 km. The media called the stage the “Bernina Strike.”
Stage 22: When the race ended in Milan the next day, Carlo Clerici won the Giro Championship, but angry tifosi booed the other riders for not racing.
SPECIAL NOTE: Race officials and the Italian Cycling Federation gave Coppi a two-month suspension for his role in the “Bernina Strike” on the twenty-first stage. However, the Federation reconsidered and later withdrew the suspension.
Stage and Distance |
Stage Winner |
Race Leader |
Stg 1 Palermo-Mt Pellegrina, 36 km TTT |
BIANCHI |
Fausto Coppi (Ita) |
Stage 2 Palermo-Taormina, 280 km |
Giuseppe Minardi (Ita) |
Giuseppe Minardi (Ita) |
Stg 3 Reggio Calabria-Catanzaro, 172 km |
Nino Defilippis (Ita) |
Giuseppe Minardi (Ita) |
Stage 4 Catanzaro-Bari, 352 km |
Angelo Conterno (Ita) |
Giuseppe Minardi (Ita) |
Stage 5 Bari-Napoli, 279 km |
Rik Van Steenbergen (Bel) |
Gerrit Voorting (Ned) |
Stage 6 Napoli-L'Aquila, 252 km |
Carlo Clerici (Sui) |
Carlo Clerici (Sui) |
Stage 7 L'Aquila-Rome, 150 km |
Giorgio Albani (Ita) |
Carlo Clerici (Sui) |
Stage 8 Rome-Chianciano, 195 km |
Giovanni Pettinati (Ita) |
Carlo Clerici (Sui) |
Stage 9 Chianciano-Firenze, 180 km |
Giovanni Corrieri (Ita) |
Carlo Clerici (Sui) |
Stage 10 Firenze-Cesenatico, 211 km |
Pietro Giudici (Ita) |
Carlo Clerici (Sui) |
Stage 11 Cesenatico-Abetone, 230 km |
Mauro Gianneschi (Ita) |
Carlo Clerici (Sui) |
Stage 12 Abetone-Genova, 251 km |
Hilaire Couvreur (Bel) |
Carlo Clerici (Sui) |
Stage 13 Genova-Torino, 211 km |
Wout Wagtmans (Ned) |
Carlo Clerici (Sui) |
Stage 14 Torino-Brescia, 240 km |
Annibale Brasola (Ita) |
Carlo Clerici (Sui) |
Stage 15 Gardone-Riva Garda, 42 km ITT |
Hugo Koblet (Sui) |
Carlo Clerici (Sui) |
Stg 16 Rv Garda-Albano Terme, 131 km |
Rik Van Steenbergen (Bel) |
Carlo Clerici (Sui) |
Stage 17 Albano Terme-Padova, 105 km |
Rik Van Steenbergen (Bel) |
Carlo Clerici (Sui) |
Stage 18 Padova-Grado, 177 km |
Adolfo Grosso (Ita) |
Carlo Clerici (Sui) |
Stg 19 Grado-San Martino di Castr, 247 km |
Wout Wagtmans (Ned) |
Carlo Clerici (Sui) |
Stg 20 Sn Mr. di Castrozza-Bolzano, 152 km |
Fausto Coppi (Ita) |
Carlo Clerici (Sui) |
Stage 21 Bolzano-Saint Moritz (Sui), 222 km |
Hugo Koblet (Sui) |
Carlo Clerici (Sui) |
Stage 22 Saint Moritz (Sui)-Milan, 222 km |
Rik Van Steenbergen (Bel) |
 Carlo Clerici (Sui)
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Mountain Classification |
Fausto Coppi (Ita) |
General Classification:
Final General Classification |
Rank |
Rider |
Team |
Points |
1 |
Carlo CLERICI (Sui)   (1st Foreign rider) |
Suisse-Guerra |
129h13'07" |
2 |
Hugo Koblet (Sui) |
Suisse-Guerra |
+24'16" |
3 |
Nino Assirelli (Ita) |
Arbos-Bubba |
+26'28" |
4 |
Fausto Coppi (Ita) |
Bianchi-Pirelli |
+31'17" |
5 |
Giancarlo Astrua (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
+33'09" |
6 |
Fiorenzo Magni (Ita) |
Nivea-Fuchs |
+34'01" |
7 |
Gerrit Voorting (Ned) |
Nederland-Locomotief |
+35'05" |
8 |
Pasquale Fornara (Ita) |
Bottecchia |
+36'21" |
9 |
Fritz Schaer (Sui) |
Suisse-Guerra |
+40'51" |
10 |
Angelo Conterno (Ita) |
Frejus |
+41'07" |
11 |
Agostino Coletto (Ita) |
Frejus |
+43'47" |
12 |
Giorgio Albani (Ita) |
Legnano |
+44'46" |
13 |
Gino Bartali (Ita) |
Bartali-Brooklin |
+50'11" |
14 |
Wout Wagtmans (Ned) |
Nederland-Locomotief |
+50'45" |
15 |
Nino De Filippis (Ita) |
Torpado-Ursus |
+52'47" |
16 |
Gastone Nencini (Ita) |
Legnano |
+53'29" |
17 |
Bruno Monti (Ita) |
Arbos-Bubba |
+54'13" |
18 |
Danilo Barozzi (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
+56'35" |
19 |
Wim Van Est (Ned) |
Nederland-Locomotief |
+56'41" |
20 |
Michele Gismondi (Ita) |
Bianchi-Pirelli |
+1h00'52" |
21 |
Primo Volpi (Ita) |
Arbos-Bubba |
+1h04'37" |
22 |
Adolfo Grosso (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
+1h06'59" |
23 |
Franco Franchi (Ita) |
Bottecchia |
+1h11'54" |
24 |
Jesus Lorono (Spa) |
Spain-Ideor |
+1h13'08" |
25 |
Donato Zampini (Ita) |
Bartali-Brooklin |
+1h13'26" |
26 |
Andrea Carrea (Ita) |
Bianchi-Pirelli |
+1h13'37" |
27 |
Renzo Soldani (Ita) |
Doniselli-Lansetina |
+1h16'33" |
28 |
Pietro Giudici (Ita) |
Bottecchia |
+1h16'44" |
29 |
Martin Metzger (Sui) |
Suisse-Guerra |
+1h17'14" |
30 |
Hilaire Couvreur (Bel) |
Belgium-Girardengo |
+1h18'38" |
31 |
Rik Van Steenbergen (Bel) |
Belgium-Girardengo |
+1h19'25" |
32 |
André Rosseel (Bel) |
Belgium-Girardengo |
+1h25'58" |
33 |
Giovanni Corrieri (Ita) |
Bartali-Brooklin |
+1h26'33" |
34 |
Rino Benedetti (Ita) |
Legnano |
+1h28'13" |
35 |
Armando Barducci (Ita) |
Frejus |
+1h29'57" |
36 |
Marcel Huber (Sui) |
Suisse-Guerra |
+1h30'41" |
37 |
Silvio Pedroni (Ita) |
Nivea-Fuchs |
+1h31'29" |
38 |
Bernardo Ruiz (Spa) |
Spain-Ideor |
+1h33'42" |
39 |
Francisco Massip (Spa) |
Spain-Ideor |
+1h34'58" |
40 |
Vincenzo Rossello (Ita) |
Nivea-Fuchs |
+1h35'22" |
41 |
Ettore Milano (Ita) |
Bianchi-Pirelli |
+1h36'37" |
42 |
Aldo Zuliani (Ita) |
Torpado-Ursus |
+1h37'25" |
43 |
Mauro Gianneschi (Ita) |
Arbos-Bubba |
+1h39'34" |
44 |
Serafino Biagioni (Ita) |
Doniselli-Lansetina |
+1h40'21" |
45 |
Salvador Botella (Spa) |
Spain-Ideor |
+1h42'58" |
46 |
Alfredo Martini (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
+1h43'46" |
47 |
Giovanni Pettinati (Ita) |
Torpado-Ursus |
+1h44'48" |
48 |
Ugo Massocco (Ita) |
Doniselli-Lansetina |
+1h45'11" |
49 |
Stefano Gaggero (Ita) |
Bianchi-Pirelli |
+1h45'50" |
50 |
José Perez (Spa) |
Spain-Ideor |
+1h46'47" |
51 |
Remo Bartalini (Ita) |
Frejus |
+1h47'15" |
52 |
Luciano Pezzi (Ita) |
Arbos-Bubba |
+1h51'40" |
53 |
Franco Aureggi (Ita) |
Legnano |
+1h51'53" |
54 |
Renato Ponzini (Ita) |
Arbos-Bubba |
+1h52'27" |
55 |
Walter Serena (Ita) |
Bottecchia |
+2h02'38" |
56 |
Guido De Santi (Ita) |
Bottecchia |
+2h05'59" |
57 |
Marcello Ciolli (Ita) |
Frejus |
+2h07'45" |
58 |
Annibale Brasola (Ita) |
Torpado-Ursus |
+2h18'50" |
59 |
Hein Van Breenen (Ned) |
Nederland-Locomotief |
+2h33'18" |
60 |
Giuseppe Favero (Ita) |
Bianchi-Pirelli |
+2h42'44" |
61 |
Luciano Ciancola (Ita) |
Legnano-Pirelli |
+2h42'57" |
62 |
Alfio Baronti (Ita) |
Bartali-Brooklin |
+2h43'35" |
63 |
Emilio Croci-Torti (Sui) |
Suisse-Guerra |
+2h45'08" |
64 |
Gilberto Dall’Agata (Ita) |
Frejus |
+2h52'34" |
65 |
Remo Pianezzi (Sui) |
Suisse-Guerra |
+2h55'31" |
| 66 |
Giuseppe Doni (Ita) |
Torpado-Ursus |
+3h23'53" |
| 67 |
Hortensio Vidauretta (Spa) |
Spain-Ideor |
+3h38'41" |
Final Mountains Classification |
Rank |
Name |
Team |
Points |
1 |
Fausto COPPI (Ita) |
Bianchi-Pirelli |
6 |
2 |
Giancarlo Astrua (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
5 |
3t |
Primo Volpi (Ita) |
Arbos-Pirelli |
3 |
Mauro Gianneschi (Ita) |
Arbos-Pirelli |
Vincenzo Rossello (Ita) |
Nivea |
Angelo Conterno (Ita) |
Frejus |
7 |
Pasquale Fornara (Ita) |
Bottecchia |
2 |
8t |
Gerrit Voorting (Ned) |
Nederland-Locomotief |
1 |
Adolfo Grosso (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
Nino Defilippis (Ita) |
Torpado-Ursus |
Jesus Lorono (Spa) |
Spain-Ideor |
GdI 1955
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