The 1937 Giro d'Italia was the 25th edition of the Giro d'Italia, organized and sponsored by the newspaperLa Gazzetta dello Sport. The race began on 8 May in Milan with a stage that stretched 165 km (103 mi) to Turin, finishing back in Milan on 30 May after a split stage and a total distance covered of 3,840 km (2,386 mi). The race was won by 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,[1] 41 of them made it to the finish in Milan on 30 May.[2] 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.[1] The four teams that partook in the race were: Bianchi, Fréjus, Ganna, and Legnano.[1][2] Each team was composed of seven riders.[1] There were also seven groups, made up of five riders each, that participated in the race.[1] Those groups were: Italiani All'Estero, Bertoldo, Il Littoriale, S S. Parioli, Belgi, Svizzeri, and Tedeschi.[1]
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.[3]
The liberi classification, one similar to the general classification was calculated, using only independent riders and riders that came as members of groups.[4]
In the mountains classification, the race organizers selected different mountains that the route crossed and awarded points to the riders who crossed them first.[3]
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.[2][4] If a team had fewer than three riders finish, they were not eligible for the classification.[4] The group classification was decided in the same manner, but the classification was exclusive to the competing groups.[4]
The rows in the following table correspond to the jerseys awarded after that stage was run.
^In 1937, there was no distinction in the rules between plain stages and mountain stages; the icons shown here indicate that the stages 4, 8b, 10, 11a, 12, 16, 17, and 19b included major mountains. The stage 8a individual time trial also contained a summit finish.
Citations
^ abcdefghi"L'elenco dei concorrenti" [The list of competitors]. Il Littoriale (in Italian). 8 May 1937. p. 4. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
^ abcdefghijkBill and Carol McGann. "1937 Giro d'Italia". Bike Race Info. Dog Ear Publishing. Archived from the original on 2014-02-27. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
Emanuelli, Enrico (12 May 1937), Angelo Ghezzi (ed.), "La Scatola A Sorpresa del Giro d'Italia si e'Aperta" [The Surprise Box of the Giro d'Italia opened up], Lo Sport Illustrato (in Italian), vol. 1, no. 19, S. A. Editrice La Gazetta dello Sport, pp. 2–6, archived from the original on 16 October 2019, retrieved 7 July 2013
Emanuelli, Enrico (19 May 1937), Angelo Ghezzi (ed.), "Gino Bartali Porta a Roma" [Gino Bartali Door to Rome], Lo Sport Illustrato (in Italian), vol. 1, no. 20, S. A. Editrice La Gazetta dello Sport, pp. 2–6, archived from the original on 16 October 2019, retrieved 7 July 2013