1972 Giro d'Italia
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The 1972 Giro d'Italia was the 55th running of the
Giro Giro or GIRO may refer to: Banking and Investments * Giro (banking), a direct payment from one bank account to another instigated by the payer * Girobank, a state owned and later privatised financial institution in the UK * GiroBank, a Danish ba ...
, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started in
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
on 21 May, with a prologue and concluded with a mass-start stage, on 11 June. A total of 100 riders from ten teams entered the 20-stage race, that was won by Belgian Eddy Merckx of the
Molteni Molteni was an Italian professional road bicycle racing team from 1958 until the end of 1976. It won 663 races, many of them earned by its most famous rider, Eddy Merckx. Other riders included Gianni Motta and Marino Basso, who contributed 48 and ...
team. The second and third places were taken by Spaniards
José Manuel Fuente José Manuel Fuente Lavandera (September 30, 1945 in Limanes, Spain – July 18, 1996 in Oviedo, Spain) was a professional road racing cyclist and noted climbing specialist. Fuente was a professional from 1970 to 1976. He had the same nickname as ...
and
Francisco Galdós Francisco Galdós Gauna (born May 6, 1947 in Lasarte, Álava) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist. He finished second in the 1975 Giro d'Italia and 1979 Vuelta a España, third in 1972 Giro d'Italia, sixth in the 1976 Tour de ...
, respectively.


Teams

A total of ten teams were invited to participate in the 1972 Giro d'Italia. Each team sent a squad of ten riders, which meant that the race started with a peloton of 100 cyclists. In total, 63 riders were from Italy, while the remaining 37 riders came from: Belgium (18), Spain (10), Switzerland (6), Sweden (2), and Denmark (1). Of those starting, 21 were riding the Giro d'Italia for the first time. The average age of riders was 27.34 years, ranging from 22–year–old Jürg Schneider from GBC to 38–year–old
Aldo Moser Aldo Moser (7 February 1934 – 2 December 2020) was an Italian cyclist. Biography Moser rode in 16 editions of the Giro d'Italia and 4 of the Vuelta a España, totalling 20 Grand Tours. He came from a famous family of cyclists, including his y ...
of GBC. The team with the youngest average rider age was Magniflex (25), while the oldest was (29). From the riders that began this edition, 69 made it to the finish on the
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
. The teams entering the race were:


Pre-race favorites

Eddy Merckx () entered as the unanimous favorite to win the event. He had previously won the race in
1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...
and
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
, but did not ride in
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...
in order to race the
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
, which he won. Early in the season, he broke a
vertebra The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates,Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristic ...
in a fall during the
Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the Col d'Èze overlookin ...
. Merckx entered the race as the reigning world champion, with victories at
Milan–San Remo Milan–San Remo (in Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance of 298 km (~185.2 miles) it is t ...
and Liège–Bastogne–Liège in the season so far. He was viewed to be in great physical shape coming into the race. Despite his success, there were concerns that Merckx's constant racing during the 1969 and 1970 seasons might have diminished his capabilities. The Molteni team was viewed to have strong supports for Merckx with
Roger Swerts Roger Swerts (born 28 December 1942) is a Belgian former road bicycle racer. As an amateur he placed 18th in the individual road race at the 1964 Summer Olympics and won a bronze medal at the 1965 UCI Road World Championships. He turned profess ...
,
Martin Van Den Bossche Martin Van Den Bossche (born 10 March 1941) is a retired Belgian professional road bicycle racer. Van Den Bossche finished in the top 10 of the Tour de France twice, and won the Mountains classification of the 1970 Giro d'Italia. Major results ...
, and
Jozef Spruyt Jozef Spruyt also written Joseph Spruyt (born 25 February 1943 in Viersel, Belgium) is a former Belgian professional road bicycle racer. His profession was a  metal worker and his sporting career began with Lierse B.C. Spruyt was a professional ...
. It was known that Merckx wished to target the upcoming
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
and it was thought that he and his team would try to be conservative with their efforts at the Giro. A third victory would tie Merckx with the likes of
Giovanni Brunero Giovanni Giuseppe Brunero (10 April 1895 in San Maurizio Canavese, Piedmont – 23 November 1934) was an Italian professional road racing cyclist. Biography Giovanni Brunero was born in San Maurizio Canavese. He became a professional in 1920, ...
, Gino Bartali, and Fiorenzo Magni, whom each had won the race three times. Five-time champion
Alfredo Binda Alfredo Binda (11 August 1902 – 19 July 1986) was an Italian road cyclist of the 1920s and 1930s. He was the first to win five editions of the Giro d'Italia, and a three-time world champion. In addition he won Milan–San Remo twice, and the ...
commented that Merckx's participation "promises episodes of high competitive value, even if the Belgian is no longer the powerful athlete, almost irresistible from two years ago." Binda commented that Merckx is vulnerable when considering his results from the previous season to the current one. Reigning champion Gösta Pettersson () was found to be a dangerous opponent. Pettersson's teammate Gianni Motta was also viewed as a general classification threat, which was thought to hinder their chances as Merckx was the sole leader of his Molteni team. The same was thought for the team which featured two-time winner
Felice Gimondi Felice Gimondi (; 29 September 1942 – 16 August 2019) was an Italian professional racing cyclist. With his 1968 victory at the Vuelta a España, only three years after becoming a professional cyclist, Gimondi, nicknamed "The Phoenix", was the ...
(
1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
and
1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
) and
Italo Zilioli Italo Zilioli (born 24 September 1941) is an Italian former professional cyclist. Born in Turin, he won 58 races as a professional, including the 1966 Züri-Metzgete. He also totaled 5 stage wins at the Giro d'Italia; however, he never won the m ...
. Gimondi stated before the race that on the fourth stage where the Blockhaus is climbed, "you will know what I am worth." Binda felt Gimondi had the best chance of all the Italian competitors to win the general classification. Spanish climbers
José Manuel Fuente José Manuel Fuente Lavandera (September 30, 1945 in Limanes, Spain – July 18, 1996 in Oviedo, Spain) was a professional road racing cyclist and noted climbing specialist. Fuente was a professional from 1970 to 1976. He had the same nickname as ...
and Miguel María Lasa, both from the KAS team, were expected to disrupt Merckx in the mountains and could challenge for a high general classification ranking. The KAS team was viewed as a strong squad after their stranglehold over the recent
Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...
where Fuente was victorious, but it was noted that featured minimal competition for the squad. Outside contenders for the race were Roger De Vlaeminck (Dreher), Ole Ritter (Dreher),
Pierfranco Vianelli Pierfranco Vianelli (born 20 October 1946) is a former Italian cyclist and Olympic Champion. He won a gold medal at the Cycling at the 1968 Summer Olympics, 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, in the Cycling at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Men's ...
(Dreher), and
Franco Bitossi Franco Bitossi (born 1 September 1940) is an Italian former professional cyclist. He was born in Camaioni di Carmignano. Career Bitossi cycled for three years as an amateur and became a professional in October 1961, after he had reached the re ...
(Filotex). De Vlaeminck was viewed as a threat due to his victory at Paris–Roubaix and stage-race Tirreno–Adriatico. He suffered scaphoid fracture before the race and got the
cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William * ...
removed before the race began and started the event with a bandage on his left wrist. He stated he hoped his condition would improve before the race reached the Blockhaus. In addition, one of de Vlaeminck's
knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...
s would be operated on in the fall. Sprinters
Marino Basso Marino Basso (born 1 June 1945) is an Italian former professional road racing cyclist, considered one of the best sprinters of his generation. He won the World Cycling Championship in 1972. Basso was born at Rettorgole di Caldogno, in the Venet ...
(Salvarani) and
Patrick Sercu Patrick Sercu (27 June 1944 – 19 April 2019) was a Belgian cyclist who was active on the road and track between 1961 and 1983. On track, he won the gold medal in the 1 km time trial at the 1964 Summer Olympics, as well as three world titl ...
(Dreher) were thought to be the favorites to win the opening flat stages. Notable absences from the race included
Rik Van Linden Rik Van Linden (born 28 July 1949 in Wilrijk, Antwerp) is a Belgian former road bicycle racer. He won the points classification in the 1975 Tour de France, ahead of Eddy Merckx. Van Linden also won several stages in all of the three Grand Tours, ...
(Magniflex) who had injured his foot in the Vuelta.


Route and stages

Race director Vincenzo Torriani revealed the race route on 28 March 1972 in front of several journalists. Torriani reported that Belgium had expressed interest in hosting the start of the race with a cash incentive, but arrived late in the process and would be considered for the 1973 edition. After the routes announcement in March, it was modified and contained twenty days of racing, with three split stages, which covered a grand total of , which was reduced from the initially. The race featured two rest days, the first of which was used to transfer from
Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...
to Rome on 30 May. There were eleven stages containing seventeen categorized climbs that awarded points for the
mountains classification The King of the Mountains (KoM) is an award given to the best climbing specialist in a men's cycling road race; in women's cycle racing A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a femal ...
across eleven stages. In total, the race climbed , less than the previous year. The average length of each stage was . The route contained three time trial stages for a total of . One of the days featured two time trials each in Forte dei Marmi, where Torriani pitched the idea that there could be three winners on the stage, one for each winner of the split time trial stage and one winner for the best combined time from both performances. At the initial route announcement there was speculation that a prologue would take place on 20 May in Venice, but it was later reported to have failed because Torriani did not get approval from the Venetian government. The route began in
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
for the first time in race history and traveled south and crossed the
Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or  – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...
until reaching the edge of the continental section of Italy. The race transferred to
Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...
for a stage. Following the conclusion of Messina stage, the race had a rest day that was used to transfer for Rome. The event continued north and reached the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
before reaching the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
and making a turn south and west to travel towards
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
for the finish. The entire route crossed through the majority of Italian regions. It was believed Torriani made the race very mountainous in order to keep Merckx from overly dominating the race. Author
William Fotheringham William Fotheringham (born 1965) is a sports writer specialising in cycling and rugby. As a newspaper journalist he writes for ''The Guardian''. Fotheringham was a features editor for ''Cycling Weekly'', the features editor of ''Cycle Sport'' and ...
shared that sentiment, specifically stating that Torriani designed the route in order to give
José Manuel Fuente José Manuel Fuente Lavandera (September 30, 1945 in Limanes, Spain – July 18, 1996 in Oviedo, Spain) was a professional road racing cyclist and noted climbing specialist. Fuente was a professional from 1970 to 1976. He had the same nickname as ...
several opportunities to attack Eddy Merckx. The race was predicted to be under poor weather for the majority of its duration.


Race overview

During the fourteenth stage, the race jury disqualified Zilioli, Motta and Bitossi, among others. Eddy Merckx lost the sprint finish to defending champion Gösta Pettersson on stage 7 but took the lead of the race and never looked back en route to the 3rd of his five Giro victories. Roger De Vlaeminck won the points classification as well as four of his career 22 Giro stage victories.
José Manuel Fuente José Manuel Fuente Lavandera (September 30, 1945 in Limanes, Spain – July 18, 1996 in Oviedo, Spain) was a professional road racing cyclist and noted climbing specialist. Fuente was a professional from 1970 to 1976. He had the same nickname as ...
won the 2nd of his four Giro King of the Mountains titles.


Classification leadership

There were three main individual classifications contested in the 1972 Giro d'Italia, as well as a team competition. Two of them awarded jerseys to their leaders. The general classification was the most important and was calculated by adding each rider's finishing times on each stage. The rider with the lowest cumulative time was the winner of the general classification and was considered the overall winner of the Giro. The rider leading the classification wore a pink jersey to signify the classification's leadership. The second classification was the points classification. Riders received points for finishing in the top positions in a stage finish, with first place getting the most points, and lower placings getting successively fewer points down to fifteenth place. The rider leading this classification wore a purple (or
cyclamen ''Cyclamen'' ( or ) is a genus of 23 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. ''Cyclamen'' species are native to Europe and the Mediterranean Basin east to the Caucasus and Iran, with one species in Somalia. They grow ...
) jersey. The
mountains classification The King of the Mountains (KoM) is an award given to the best climbing specialist in a men's cycling road race; in women's cycle racing A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a femal ...
was the third classification. In this ranking, points were won by reaching the summit of a climb ahead of other cyclists. Climbs were ranked in first and second categories, the former awarded 50, 30, and 20 points while the latter awarded 30, 20, and 10 points. In this ranking, points were won by reaching the summit of a climb ahead of other cyclists. Most stages of the race included one or more categorized climbs, in which points were awarded to the riders that reached the summit first. In addition there was the ''
Cima Coppi The ''Cima Coppi'' is the title given to the highest peak in the yearly running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tour races. The mountain that is given this title each year awards more mountains classification points to the first rider ...
'', the Stelvio Pass, which was the highest mountain crossed in this edition of the race. For this designation it gave 200, 100, 80, 70, and 50 points to the first five riders summit the climb. The first rider over the Stelvio was
José Manuel Fuente José Manuel Fuente Lavandera (September 30, 1945 in Limanes, Spain – July 18, 1996 in Oviedo, Spain) was a professional road racing cyclist and noted climbing specialist. Fuente was a professional from 1970 to 1976. He had the same nickname as ...
. The final classification, the team classification, awarded no jersey to its leaders. This was calculated by adding together points earned by each rider on the team during each stage through the intermediate sprints, the categorized climbs, stage finishes, etc. The team with the most points led the classification.


Final standings


General classification


Mountains classification


Points classification


Traguardi tricolori classification


Teams classification


Minor classifications

Merckx also won the combination classification which was calculated by totaling each rider's placement in the general, points, and mountains classifications.


References


Citations


Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:1972 Giro D'italia Giro d'Italia by year Giro d'Italia Giro d'Italia Giro d'Italia Giro d'Italia 1972 Super Prestige Pernod