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By Barry Boyce, CyclingRevealed Historian
GdI May 19 - June 10, 1956 |
3,523 Km |
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Finishers: 43 |
Average Speed: 34.677 km/h |
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“Angel of the Mountains” Climbs to Victory
The 1956 Giro d'Italia was the 39th edition of Italy’s Grand Tour.
Charly “Angel of the Mountains” Gaul had stage wins on stage 9 to Campobasso and stage 15 the uphill time trial to San Luca.
Teams:
The teams entering the race were:
- Atala-Pirelli
- Bianchi-Pirelli
- Legnano
- Ignis-Varese
- Arbos-Bif-Clement
- Elve-Peugeot
- Leo-Chlorodont
- France
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- Carpano-Coppi
- Girardengo-ICEP
- Nivea-Fuchs-Clement
- Frejus-Superga
- Torpado-Pirelli
- Locomotief-Vredestein
- Faema-Guerra
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Classification Leadership:
One jersey was awarded during the 1956 Giro d'Italia. The leader wore the Maglia Rosa (Pink Jersey).
There were three Mountains Classifications:
Mountain Classification- Dolomites
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Mountain Classification- Apennines
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1956 Highest Mountain: (Passo di Stelvio)
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Race Route:
February 24, 1956, the Giro route revealed the race contained:
Twenty-three stages with three rest days.
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Eighteen mass-start stages,
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Two Individual Time Trials,
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One Team Time Trial event,
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One “Special” Individual Time Trial, which was run as a relay. The relay event took place on Circuito San Marino.
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Race Summary:
Stage 9a: The planned tenth stage (9a) from Salerno to Frascati was an "electoral stage", it was removed because it fell on the day of Italian Municipal elections. The day saw the transfer of the riders to Stage 9b in Rome.
Stage 12: Fiorenzo Magni crashed heavily and broke his collarbone. His effort during the late stages would be immortalized by photos of a rope tied to the stem of his bike and gripped solidly with his teeth. After refusing to abandon the race, he went on to finish in second place in Milan!
Stage 18: This stage would be immortal! Of the 105 riders starting the Giro in Milan, eighty-three riders were still racing at the beginning of stage 18. Only forty-three finished the brutal stage. On this legendary day in the Dolomites race leader Pasquale Fornara struggled on Monte Bondone. Race leader going into the stage, Pasquale Fornara suffered so badly from the adverse conditions he abandoned the race while in the Maglia Rosa.
Charly Gaul |
Gaul after Stage 18 |
The cold overpowered the peloton, hailstorms, torrential rain, and blizzards hampered the race all day. On the finishing climb of the Monte Bondone Gaul rode away from all his rivals for an impressive stage win, 7’44” ahead of second place.
SPECIAL NOTE: It took Gaul one hour in a hot bath to recover his senses and speak any recognizable words.
Stage 20: Luxembourger Charly Gaul rode into Milan in the Maglia Rosa and claimed the 1956 Giro d’Italia victory.
Stage and Distance |
Stage Winner |
Race Leader |
Stage 1 Milan-Alessandria, 210 km |
Pierino Baffi (Ita) |
Pierino Baffi (Ita) |
Stage 2a Alessandria-Genova, 96 km |
Alessandro Fantini (Ita) |
Vincenzo Zuconelli (Ita) |
Stage 2b Circuito Lido Albaro, 12 km TTT |
LEO-CHLORODONT |
Alessandro Fantini (Ita) |
Stage 3 Genova-Salice Terme, 152 km |
Alessandro Fantini (Ita) |
Alessandro Fantini (Ita) |
Stage 4 Voghera-Mantova, 198 km |
Miguel Poblet (Spa) |
Alessandro Fantini (Ita) |
Stage 5a Mantova-Rimini, 228 km |
Giuseppe Minardi (Ita) |
Alessandro Fantini (Ita) |
Stage 5b Circuito San Marino, 13 km ITT |
Jan Nolten (Ned) |
Alessandro Fantini (Ita) |
Stage 6 Rimini-Pescara, 245 km |
Arrigo Padovan (Ita) |
Alessandro Fantini (Ita) |
Stage 7 Pescara-Campobasso, 205 km |
Charly Gaul (Lux) |
Alessandro Fantini (Ita) |
Stage 8 Campobasso-Salerno, 156 km |
Miguel Poblet (Spa) |
Alessandro Fantini (Ita) |
Stage 9a Salerno-Frascati |
** Stage Cancelled ** |
Alessandro Fantini (Ita) |
Stage 9b Rome-Grosseto, 198 km |
Bruno Tognaccini (Ita) |
Alessandro Fantini (Ita) |
Stage 10 Grosseto-Livorno, 230 km |
Pietro Nascimbene (Ita) |
Alessandro Fantini (Ita) |
Stage 11 Livorno-Lucca, 54 km ITT |
Pasquale Fornara (Ita) |
Pasquale Fornara (Ita) |
Stage 12 Lucca-Bologna, 168 km |
Mies Stolker (Ned) |
Pasquale Fornara (Ita) |
Stg 13 Madonna di San Luca, 2.46 km ITT |
Charly Gaul (Lux) |
Pasquale Fornara (Ita) |
Stage 14 Bologna-Rapallo, 271 km |
Miguel Poblet (Spa) |
Pasquale Fornara (Ita) |
Stage 15 Rapallo-Lecco, 278 km |
Giorgio Albani (Ita) |
Pasquale Fornara (Ita) |
Stage 16 Lecco-Sondrio, 98 km |
Miguel Poblet (Spa) |
Pasquale Fornara (Ita) |
Stage 17 Sondrio-Merano, 163 km |
Cleto Maule (Ita) |
Pasquale Fornara (Ita) |
Stg 18 Merano-Trento/Bondone, 242 km |
Charly Gaul (Lux) |
Charly Gaul (Lux) |
Stage 19 Trento-San Pellegrini, 191 km |
Giogio Albani (Ita) |
Charly Gaul (Lux) |
Stage 20 San Pellegrini-Milan, 113 km |
Donato Piazza (Ita) |
 Charly Gaul (Lux)
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Mountain Classification- Dolomites |
Charly Gaul (Lux) |
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Mountain Classification- Apennines |
Federico Bahamontes (Spa) |
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1956 Highest Mountain |
Aurelio Del Rio (Ita) |
General Classification:
Final General Classification |
Rank |
Rider |
Team |
Points |
1 |
Charly GAUL (Lux)  |
Faema-Guerra |
108h56'13" |
2 |
Fiorenzo Magni (Ita) |
Nivea-Fuchs-Clement |
+3'27" |
3 |
Agostino Coletto (Ita) |
Frejus-Superga |
+6'53" |
4 |
Cleto Maule (Ita) |
Torpado-Pirelli |
+7'25" |
5 |
Aldo Moser (Ita) |
Torpado-Pirelli |
+7'30" |
6 |
Alessandro Fantini (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
+8'46" |
7 |
Jean Brankart (Bel) |
Elve-Peugeot |
+9'21" |
8 |
Bruno Monti (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
+10'54" |
9 |
Waldemaro Bartolozzi (Ita) |
Legnano |
+18'14" |
10 |
Hilaire Couvreur (Bel) |
Elve-Peugeot |
+18'41" |
11 |
Stefano Gaggero (Ita) |
Carpano-Coppi |
+27'33" |
12 |
Arrigo Padovan (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
+28'18" |
13 |
Wout Wagtmans (Ned) |
Locomotief-Vredestein |
+31'40" |
14 |
Edgard Sorgeloos (Bel) |
Elve-Peugeot |
+42'22" |
15 |
Pietro Giudici (Ita) |
Arbos-Bif-Clement |
+45'54" |
16 |
Pierino Baffi (Ita) |
Nivea-Fuchs-Clement |
+1h08'46" |
17 |
Giorgio Albani (Ita) |
Legnano |
+1h16'30" |
18 |
Rino Benedetti (Ita) |
Leo-Chlorodont |
+1h18'56" |
19 |
Guido De Santi (Ita) |
Ignis-Varese |
+1h23'38" |
20 |
Tranquillo Scudellaro (Ita) |
Carpano-Coppi |
+1h27'48" |
21 |
Gilberto Dall’Agata (Ita) |
Torpado-Pirelli |
+1h30'03" |
22 |
Mario Baroni (Ita) |
Nivea-Fuchs-Clement |
+1h33'29" |
23 |
Andrea Carrea (Ita) |
Bianchi-Pirelli |
+1h40'18" |
24 |
Danilo Barozzi (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
+1h45'43" |
25 |
Riccardo Filippi (Ita) |
Ignis-Varese |
+1h46'15" |
26 |
Jose Serra (Spa) |
Girardengo-ICEP |
+1h49'00" |
27 |
Vito Favero (Ita) |
Bianchi-Pirelli |
+1h50'15" |
28 |
Daan De Groot (Ned) |
Locomotief-Vredestein |
+1h50'41" |
29 |
Giorgio Godio (Ita) |
Frejus-Superga |
+1h51'45" |
30 |
Antonio Uliana (Ita) |
Leo-Chlorodont |
+1h52'22" |
31 |
Nino Assirelli (Ita) |
Arbos-Bif-Clement |
+1h52'28" |
32 |
Valerio Chiarlone (Ita) |
Ignis-Varese |
+1h53'11" |
33 |
Pietro Nascimbene (Ita) |
Carpano-Coppi |
+1h53'16" |
34 |
Adriano Zamboni (Ita) |
Torpado-Pirelli |
+1h54'20" |
35 |
Bruno Tognaccini (Ita) |
Leo-Chlorodont |
+1h54'22" |
36 |
Michel "Mies" Stolker (Ned) |
Locomotief-Vredestein |
+1h56'38" |
37 |
Giuseppe Cainero (Ita) |
Carpano-Coppi |
+1h58'31" |
38 |
Bernardo Ruiz (Spa) |
Girardengo-ICEP |
+2h09'23" |
39 |
Gino Guerrini (Ita) |
Carpano-Coppi |
+2h13'54" |
40 |
Charles Coste (Fra) |
France |
+2h26'46" |
41 |
Giuseppe Pintarelli (Ita) |
Leo-Chlorodont |
+2h44'47" |
42 |
Donato Piazza (Ita) |
Nivea-Fuchs-Clement |
+2h47'32" |
43 |
Angelo Coletto (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
+3h14'47" |
Final Mountains Classification - Dolomites |
Rank |
Name |
Team |
Points |
1 |
Charly Gaul (Lux) |
Faema-Guerra |
20 |
2 |
Bruno Monti (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
5 |
3t |
Arrigo Padovan (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
4 |
Alessandro Fantini (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
Agostino Coletto (Ita) |
Frejus |
6 |
Fiorenzo Magni (Ita) |
Nivea-Fuchs |
3 |
7 |
Pierino Baffi (Ita) |
Nivea-Fuchs |
1 |
Final Mountains Classification- Apennines |
Rank |
Name |
Team |
Points |
1 |
Federico Bahamontes (Spa) |
Girardengo-ICEP |
30 |
2 |
Bruno Monti (Ita) |
Atala-Pirelli |
13 |
3 |
Giuseppe Buratti (Ita) |
Bianchi-Pirelli |
11 |
4 |
Pasquale Fornara (Ita) |
Arbos-Bif-Clement |
10 |
5 |
Aldo Moser (Ita) |
Torpado-Pirelli |
8 |
GdI 1957
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