| Bartali: Two Lombardia Victories in a Row
The 36th edition of the Giro di Lombardia was held on October 27, 1940.
The hot political atmosphere was speeding toward the boiling point. World War 2 spread throughout Europe, but the “Race of the Falling Leaves” went on as scheduled.
SPECIAL NOTE: The 1940 Giro di Lombardia occurred four months after Italy's entry into World War 2 on June 10. To project an image of normalcy, dictator Benito Mussolini promoted Italian cycling events.
SPECIAL NOTE: European travel restrictions severely limited entries by international riders, all the top finishers were exclusively Italian riders.
The race rolled out of Legnano (Boldinasco Polygon), a suburb northwest of Milan, under overcast and rainy conditions. After a neutralized zone, the riders rode the early kms with a moderate pace.
Race Status:
The passive pace increased approaching Como (72 Km / 225 km), as the route started to undulate near Lake Como.
On the climb in Valbrona (124 Km / 225 km), Legnano’s Luciano Succi (Ita) Launched the first serious attack. He crested the summit two hundred meters ahead.
The peloton fractured on the climb with a chasing group including Gino Bartali (Legnano), who was riding in support of his teammate.
The wet conditions and hilly terrain caused the peloton to reduce from 73 to 51 riders.
After a regrouping through Guello (146 Km / 225 km), Gino Bartali made a decisive move. He pushed a powerful pace, which shattered the peloton. Bartali’s lead group included Fausto Coppi (Legnano), Cino Cinelli (Bianchi), Adolfo Leoni (Bianchi), and Ezio Tomasoni (S.C. Binda).
On the Madonna del Ghisallo climb (146 Km / 225 km), Fausto Coppi riding solo, began to suffer from stomach cramps. When news of Coppi’s struggles a rampaging Bartali caught and dropped his teammate. Cinelli, Leoni, and Tomasoni trailed by 45”.
Into Assos (158 km / 225 km), Bartali held a 55” lead on the chasers.
On the short climb in Monguzzo (158 km / 225 km), the solo Bartali rode into a strong headwind, while the nine-rider chaser group struggled with their pace.
Steadily Gino Bartali pulled away and entered the Vigorelli Velodrome in Milan and cruised across the finish line alone to gain the 4’07” victory. For the second year in a row Gino Bartali broke away to win the Giro di Lombardia.
This was Bartali's third Lombardia victory and sixth consecutive podium finish.
GdL October 27, 1940 |
225 Km, Milan (Legnano) - Milan (Vigorelli Velodrome) |
1.
Gino BARTALI (Ita) 6h32'57" |
2.
Osvaldo Bailo (Ita) +4'07" |
3.
Cino Cinelli (Ita) |
Starters: 73 / Finishers: 37 Average Speed: 34.355 km/h |
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Lomb 1939 Lomb 1941
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