The 1921 Giro d'Italia was the ninth edition of the

Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...

, a Grand Tour organized and sponsored by the

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''. The race began on 25 May in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

with a stage that stretched to

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, finishing back in Milan on 12 June after a stage and a total distance covered of . The race was won by the Italian rider Giovanni Brunero of the Legnano team. Second and third respectively were the Italian riders Gaetano Belloni and Bartolomeo Aymo. During the 5th stage, on the "Altopiano delle Cinquemiglia" (in

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, ; ; , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; ), historically also known as Abruzzi, is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy with an area of 10,763 square km (4,156 sq mi) and a population of 1.3 million. It is divided into four ...

region), Girardengo suffered a legendary crisis: he got off his bike, drew a cross on the road and said: "''Girardengo si ferma qui''" (Girardengo stops here).

Participants

Of the 69 riders that began the Giro d'Italia on 25 May, 27 of them made it to the finish in

on 12 June. Riders were allowed to ride on their own or as a member of a team. There were three teams that competed in the race: Bianchi-Dunlop, Legnano-Pirelli, and Stucchi-Pirelli. The peloton was almost completely composed of Italians. The field featured two former Giro d'Italia champions in the three-time winner Carlo Galetti and

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (later Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off th ...

winner

Costante Girardengo Costante Girardengo (; 18 March 1893 – 9 February 1978) was an Italian professional road bicycle racer, considered by many to be one of the finest riders in the history of the sport. He was the first rider to be declared a "Campionissimo" or "c ...

. Other notable Italian riders that started the race included Bartolomeo Aymo, Angelo Gremo, Giovanni Rossignoli, and Giuseppe Santhià.

Race summary

The first four stages ended in sprints, and all of them were won by Girardengo. Therefore, Girardengo was leading the general classification in the fifth stage, although he had the same time as Belloni who had finished together with him in all four stages. In that fifth stage, Girardengo fell. When Belloni noticed this, he attacked, and Girardengo was distanced. Girardengo chased for a long time, but he did not have any help from other riders, and was unable to get back. He decided to abandon the race. Belloni won the fifth stage, and he became the new leader. He was only a few seconds ahead of the next rider, so the Giro was far from over. In the seventh stage, Brunero finished solo, two minutes ahead of the next group. This was enough to put him in the lead. Brunero stayed close to Belloni in the other stages; Belloni won two more stages, but did not gain any time on Brunero. At the end of the Giro, Brunero won with a margin of 41 seconds, statistically one of the closest Giri ever.

Final standings

Stage results

General classification

There were 27 cyclists who had completed all ten stages. For these cyclists, the times they had needed in each stage was added up for the general classification. The cyclist with the least accumulated time was the winner.

Other classifications

There were two other classifications contested at the race. A points classification was won Giovanni Brunero and a team classification was won by Bianchi-Dunlop. Giovanni Rossignoli won the prize for best ranked independent rider in the general classification.

References

;Notes ;Citations

Bibliography

* {{Giro d'Italia general classification winners Giro d'Italia by year Giro Ditalia, 1921 Giro Ditalia, 1921