Dates 21 May - 12 June Distance 4,088 km (2,540 mi) Winner Fausto Coppi (ITA) | Stages 19 Winning time 125h 25' 50" Second Gino Bartali (ITA) | |
The 1949 Giro d'Italia was the 32nd edition of the Giro d'Italia, a cycling race organized and sponsored by the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. The race began on 21 May in Palermo with a stage that stretched 261 km (162 mi) to Catania, finishing in Monza on 12 June after a 267 km (166 mi) stage and a total distance covered of 4,088 km (2,540 mi). The race was won by the Italian rider Fausto Coppi of the Bianchi team, with fellow Italians Gino Bartali and Giordano Cottur coming in second and third respectively.
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Coppi won the overall by way of the memorable 17th stage (from Cuneo to Pinerolo), during which he escaped from the group and climbed alone the Maddalena Pass, the Col de Vars, the Col d'Izoard, the Col de Montgenèvre and the Sestriere Pass, arriving in Pinerolo 11'52" ahead of Bartali, his tenacious antagonist during those years.
Teams
A total of 15 teams were invited to participate in the 1949 Giro d'Italia. Each team sent a squad of seven riders, so the Giro began with a peloton of 105 cyclists. Out of the 105 riders that started this edition of the Giro d'Italia, a total of 65 riders made it to the finish in Monza.
The teams entering the race were:
Classification leadership
In the 1949 Giro d'Italia there were two major classifications. For the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, and allowing time bonuses for the first three finishers on mass-start stages, the leader received a pink jersey. This classification was considered the most important of the Giro d'Italia, and the winner was considered the winner of the Giro.
In the mountains classifications, points were won by reaching the top of a climb before other cyclists. This classification did not award a jersey to the leader.