Two in a Row for Bartali
The 33rd Milan-San Remo Classicissima was held on March 19, 1940.
SPECIAL NOTE: less than 24 hours after the Brenner Pass meeting between Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini took place on March 18, 1940, M-SR rolled off in Milan.
World War 2 raged across Europe, when 116 riders rolled off at 8:00 a.m. on an excellent Italian spring day. Immediately a fast race created multiple breakaways. No breakaway succeeded and 80 riders came together when the road turned up on the climb of the Turchino Pass started.
Race Status:
As in 1939, Francesco Albani (Lygie) passed over the summit of Turchino Pass (131 km / 282 km), first to win the “mountain preme”. The peloton passed with a gap of 1'32".
On the descent Enrico Mara (Battisti) caught and passed Albani to gain a 30" solo advantage.
Coming onto the Ligurian coast in Genova-Voltri (155 km / 282 km), he preceded the chasing Albani group by 1'40".
In Savona (190 km / 282 km), Enrico Mollo (Olympia) sprinted away from the breakaway.
By Finale Ligure (212 km / 282 km) the chasing group caught the leader.
In Pietra Ligure Sebastiano Torchio (pupil of the "Red Devil" Giovanni Gerbi), Pierino Favalli (second in San Remo in '37 and '38), Glauco Servadei (3rd in the Italian championship of '38) and Adolfo Leoni (2nd behind Bartali at the Lombardia of '39) caught and quickly passed Mollo.
At the checkpoint in Albenga (229 km / 282 km), they passed with an advantage of 1'24" on a hard chasing small group.
Approaching the Capo Mele (249 km / 282 km), Osvaldo Bailo (Girardengo's nephew, third at the Giro Lombardia in '38 and in third at Milan-San Remo in '39) and Diego Marabelli (2nd at the Giro Lombardia in '36, 3rd in the Italian championship in '39), aggressively shook up the race and generated a new lead.
On Capo Cervo (254 km / 282 km), Gino Bartali (Legnano) finally took charge of the chase.
On the Capo Berta climb (262 km / 282 km), he returns to the front of the race.
In Arma di Taggia (274 km / 282 km), the leaders regrouped and had 34 riders. The victory would be decided with an unprecedented number in the sprint (in MSR 1924 Pietro Linari had beaten 23 rivals).
In view of the final km the large group flew onto the narrow finishing straight. Several riders hit the tram tracks on the road. Diego Marabelli (Battisti), Serafino Santambrogio (Dopolavoro Vismara), and Francesco Albani (Lygie) collided and fell. In the confusion Olimpio Bizzi (Bianchi) overtook Bartali.
Bizzi started the long sprint at the two-hundred-meter mark, but at 100 meters he broke his chain. Bartali took advantage of the mishap. The defending champion used superior closing speed to precede Pietro Rimoldi (Olympia) and Aldo Bini (Bianchi).
Gino Bartali gained the grand victory and repeated as Milan-San Remo champion.
SPECIAL NOTE: Gino Bartali’s two consecutive victories equaled the record of "Campionissimo" Costante Girardengo, who won M-SR in 1925 and 1926.
M-SR March 19, 1940 / 282 Km |
1.
Gino BARTALI (Ita) 7h44'00" |
2.
Pietro Rimoldi (Ita) |
3.
Aldo Bini (Ita) |
Starters: 116 / Finishers: 85  Average Speed : 36.401 km/h |
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M-SR 1939
M-SR 1941
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