The 1952 Giro d'Italia was the 35th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Giro started off in Milan on 17 May with a 217 km (134.8 mi) flat stage and concluded back in Milan with a 147 km (91.3 mi) relatively flat mass-start stage on 8 June. Sixteen teams entered the race, which was won by Italian Fausto Coppi of the Bianchi team. Second and third respectively were Italian Fiorenzo Magni and Swiss rider Ferdinand Kübler.[1][2][3]
Nineteen teams were invited by the race organizers to participate in the 1952 edition of the Giro d'Italia,[4] but only seventeen accepted the invitation.[5][6] The Paglianti team, assigned bib numbers 71 to 77, did not start, so the Giro started with sixteen teams.[7] Each team sent a squad of seven riders, which meant that the race started with a peloton of 112 cyclists.[7][8] From the riders that began the race, 98 made it to the finish in Milan.[9]
The "Big Three" of Italian cycling started the race and were all seen as strong favorites to win the race.[8]Reigning championFiorenzo Magni (Ganna) started the race with hopes of winning the race a third time (He also won in 1948).[6] Three-time champion (1940, 1947, & 1949) Fausto Coppi (Bianchi).[6]Gino Bartali (Bartali) made his twelfth start at the race, with a history of winning the race three times (1936, 1937, & 1946) and four second-place finishes.[6]
Due to the participation of several strong riders at the time, including many non-Italian riders, at the race was thought to be very competitive and the event growing into a more international event.[9] Current Swiss road race champion and world road race championFerdinand Kübler (Fiorelli) started the race.[6] Kübler entered the race after having won two of the three races comprising the Ardennes classics that took place in early May (Liège–Bastogne–Liège and La Flèche Wallonne).[6][8] He was seen as a strong favorite to contend for the general classification,[6][8] along with having a strong team in support.[8]Hugo Koblet (Guerra), who won the 1950 Giro d'Italia, started the race.[6] Attilio Camoriano of l'Unità wrote that Koblet could be a threat in the race if he was not using it as preparation for the upcoming Tour de France.[10] The previous year's runner-up Rik Van Steenbergen and teammate Stan Ockers (Girardengo) were seen as the best Belgian entrants with general classification chances.[6][8]Milan–San Remo winner Loretto Petrucci (Bianchi) was known to ride for Coppi, but there were thoughts that he would be able to attack after the Dolomites.[6]
The Nilux team featured three Australian riders,[9][7][11] who may have been the first Australian riders to participate in the race. The Torpado team featured famed Spanish riders Bernardo Ruiz and Jesús Loroño.[9][7] It was noted that top French riders at the time were lacking from the race's start list, although Raphaël Géminiani (Bianchi) did participate as a support for Coppi.[8][9] Géminiani had finished second at the 1951 Tour de France and had the reputation of a climber.[9]Tour de Romandie winner Wout Wagtmans (Garin) was set to ride the Giro, but withdrew at the last moment.[8] It was speculated to be a battle between Swiss and Italian riders.[8]
The route was revealed on 29 February 1952.[12][13][14][15][16] The race route contained twenty stages, of which two were individual time trials, as well as three rest days.[6] There were twelve categorized climbs that awarded points for the mountains classification across seven stages.[17]
The route was thought to give chances of success to all types of riders as there were several flat stages, "mixed" stages, time trials, and mountainous stages.[6] The first time trial was flat, while the second had a final 7 km (4 mi) that was downhill.[6] The eleventh and nineteenth stages were seen as the most important.[6] The eleventh leg featured three climbs as the race traveled from Venice to Bolzano and climbed the Falzarego, Pordoi Pass, and Passo Sella.[6] Stage 19 stretched from Saint-Vincent to Verbania and featured the climbs of Great St Bernard Pass, which was the highest pass of the race at 2,473 m (8,114 ft), and Simplon Pass.[6][17] Camoriano wrote when the route was announced that the route was open and good for those that are "capable and complete."[12]
One jersey was worn during the 1953 Giro d'Italia. 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.[18]
Additionally, the highest ranked cyclist riding with a licence for independents was identified by the white jersey; at the end of the Giro this was Donato Zampini.[19] Another classification was calculated in the same method, but was exclusive to foreign riders and awarded a green jersey.[20]
The mountains classification leader wore no leader's jersey. There was one category for mountains which awarded 6, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point to the first riders to cross.[17] Although no jersey was awarded, there was also one classification for the teams, in which the stage finish times of the best three cyclists per team were added; the leading team was the one with the lowest total time.
^"Coppi Vencedor De La Vuelta A Italia" [Coppi the Winner of the Tour of Italy] (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 9 June 1952. p. 6. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
^"Trionfo di Coppi nel Giro" [Triumph of Coppi in the Giro] (PDF). La Stampa (in Italian). Editrice La Stampa. 9 June 1952. p. 5. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
^ abcde"Lo schieramento in corsa" [The deployment in the running]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 17 May 1952. p. 6. Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
^ abcdefghBill and Carol McGann. "1952 Giro d'Italia". Bike Race Info. Dog Ear Publishing. Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
^"Il Giro d'Italia" [The Giro d'Italia]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 15 May 1952. p. 1 & 5. Archived from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
^"Il Giro d'Italia" [The Giro d'Italia]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 16 May 1952. p. 1 & 5. Archived from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
^ abcd"I 12 traguardi del G. P. della Montagna" [Here are the 12 climbs of the G. P. Mountain]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 16 May 1952. p. 6. Archived from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
^"La maglia bianca" [The White jersey] (in Italian). Corriere dello Sport. 9 June 1952. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
^"La maglia verde" [The Green jersey] (in Italian). Corriere dello Sport. 9 June 1952. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
^"Classifica Generale" [General Classification]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 9 June 1952. p. 1. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
^ ab"Classifica a squadre" [Team Classification]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 9 June 1952. p. 10. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
Giorgio Albani (ITA)
Désiré Keteleer (BEL)
Fritz Schär (SUI)
Raphaël Géminiani (FRA)
