1937 Giro d'Italia


The 1937 Giro d'Italia was the 25th edition of the Giro d'Italia, a cycling race organized and sponsored by the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. The race began on 8 May in Milan with a stage that stretched to Turin, finishing back in Milan on 30 May after a split stage and a total distance covered of. The race was won by the Italian rider Gino Bartali of the Legnano team, with fellow Italians Giovanni Valetti and Enrico Mollo coming in second and third respectively.

Participants

Of the 98 riders that began the Giro d'Italia on 8 May, 41 of them made it to the finish in Milan on 30 May. Riders were allowed to ride on their own or as a member of a team or group; 65riders competed as part of a team, while the remaining 33 competed independently. The four teams that partook in the race were: Bianchi, Fréjus, Ganna, and Legnano. Each team was composed of seven riders. There were also seven groups, made up of five riders each, that participated in the race. Those groups were: Italiani All'Estero, Bertoldo, Il Littoriale, S S. Parioli, Belgi, Svizzeri, and Tedeschi.
The peloton was composed primarily of Italian riders. The field featured four former Giro d'Italia winners with the 1931 race winner Francesco Camusso, 1934 winner Learco Guerra, Vasco Bergamaschi who won the race in 1935, and returning champion Gino Bartali. Other notable Italian riders included Olimpio Bizzi, Giovanni Valetti, and Giuseppe Olmo. Notable foreign entrants were the Belgian riders Alfons Deloor, Alfons Schepers, and Antoine Dignef, and also the Swiss rider Leo Amberg who placed high at the 1936 Tour de France.

Route and stages

Classification leadership

The leader of the general classification – calculated by adding the stage finish times of each rider – wore a pink jersey. This classification is the most important of the race, and its winner is considered as the winner of the Giro.
The liberi classification, one similar to the general classification was calculated, using only independent riders and riders that came as members of groups.
In the mountains classification, the race organizers selected different mountains that the route crossed and awarded points to the riders who crossed them first.
The winner of the team classification was determined by adding the finish times of the best three cyclists per team together and the team with the lowest total time was the winner. If a team had fewer than three riders finish, they were not eligible for the classification. The group classification was decided in the same manner, but the classification was exclusive to the competing groups.
The rows in the following table correspond to the jerseys awarded after that stage was run.

Final standings

General classification

RankNameTeamTime
1 Legnano
2Fréjus+ 8' 18"
3Fréjus+ 17' 38"
4Ganna+ 21' 38"
5Ganna+ 23' 18"
6Fréjus+ 27' 28"
7—+ 30' 31"
8—+ 32' 07"
9Italiani all'Estero+ 48' 22"
10—+ 55' 19"

Liberi classification

RankNameTeamTime
1—
2—+ 5' 07"
3Italiani all'Estero+ 14' 21"
4—+ 21' 18"
5—+ 27' 04"
6—+ 30' 14"
7Bertoldo+ 39' 49"
8Il Littoriale+ 42' 44"
9Il Littoriale+ 54' 59"
10—+ 1h 10' 09"

Mountains classification

RankNameTeamTime
1Legnano37
2 Fréjus35
3Bertoldo22
4—9
5Legnano8
6Fréjus6
6Fréjus6
8Italiani all'Estero5
9Ganna3
9—3

Team classification

RankTeamTime
1Fréjus
2Ganna+ 1h 24' 24"
3Legnano-Wolsit+ 2h 24' 58"

Group classification

RankTeamTime
1Il Littoriale
2Italiani all'estero+ 21' 27"
3Bertoldo+ 1h 05' 37"
4Stranieri+ 4h 10' 09"