1926 Giro d'Italia

14th edition: May 15 - June 6

Results, stages with running GC, photos and history

1925 Giro | 1927 Giro | Giro d'Italia Database | 1926 Giro Quick Facts | 1926 Giro d'Italia Final GC | Stage results with running GC | Teams | The Story of the 1926 Giro d'Italia

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1926 Giro Quick Facts:

3429 km raced at an average speed of 25.11 km/hr

The startlist is a bit uncertain, but about 204 riders started and there were 40 classified finishers.

Only 18 of the riders were on sponsored trade teams, the others rode as independents.

Alfredo Binda lost enough time in a crash in the first stage to be out of contention. He put himself at the service of teammate Giovanni Brunero, who became the first 3-time Giro winner.

Les Woodland's book Cycling Heroes: The Golden Years is available as an audiobook here.

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1926 Giro d'Italia Complete Final General Classification:

1. Giovanni Brunero (Legnano) : 137hr 55min 59sec
2. Alfredo Binda (Legnano) @ 15min 28sec
3. Arturo Bresciani (Olympia) @ 54min 41sec
4. Ermanno Vallazza (Legnano) @ 1hr 11min 38sec
5. Giuseppe Enrici (independent) @ 1hr 15min 57sec
6. Pietro "Pierino" Bestetti (Wolsit) @ 1hr 26min 0sec
7. Gianbattista Gilli (Olympia) @ 2hr 2min 52sec
8. Angelo Gremo (Météore) @ 3hr 16min 58sec
9. Michele Robotti (Berrettini) @ 3hr 41min 39sec
10. Ezio Cortesia (Ganna) @ 3hr 59min 18sec
11. Romolo Lazzaretti (Olympia-Dunlop) @ 4hr 47min 39sec
12. Giuseppe Pancera (Olympia-Dunlop) @ 4hr 58min 19sec
13. Gino Balestieri (independent) @ 5hr 24min 11sec
14. Antonio Montevecchi (independent) @ 6hr 32min 50sec
15. Umberto Berni (independent) @ 6hr 39min 28sec
16. Umberto Brivio (independent) @ 7hr 4min 34sec
17. Giovanni Rossignoli (independent) @ 7hr 25min 0sec
18. Antonio Tecchio (independent) @ 8hr 11min 20sec
19. Giuseppe Casadio (independent) @ 8hr 34min 21sec
20. Marco Persecchetti (independent) @ ?
21. Cesare Barbera @ 9hr 51min 36sec
22. Arnaldo Bergami @ 10hr42min 45sec
23. Virgilio Beolchi @ 10hr 53min 49sec
24. Angelo Cerro @ 13hr 11min 25sec
25. Eliseo Pancera @ 13hr 49min 42sec
26. Alessandro Cattaneo @ 15hr 4min 33sec
27. Azeglio Terreni @ 15hr 18min 16sec
28. Antonio Venturi @ 15hr 19min 50sec
29. Moise Arosio @ 15hr 27min 27sec
30. Alessandro Orioli @ 15hr31min 4sec
31. Augusto Rho @ 16hr 21min 6sec
32. Emanuele Caly @ 17hr 2min 8sec
33. Pietro Barbati @ 17hr 26min 33sec
34. Americo Giammei @ 17hr 49min 7sec
35. Giuseppe Pedrali @ 19hr 15min 39sec
36. Eustacchio Paliotta @ 19hr 40min 33sec
37. Giuseppe Cattaneo @ 20hr 4min 7sec
38. Biaggio Gavinelli @ 22hr 20min 32sec
39. Giacomo Fassio @ 22hr 45min 7sec
40. Giuseppe Chiesa @ 27hr 26min 56sec

 

1926 Giro stage results with running GC:

Stage 1: Saturday, May 15, Milano - Torino, 278 km

Ascents: Croce Mosso (485m), La Serra (595m)

1. Domenico Piemontesi: 10hr 57min 20sec
2. Egidio Picchiottino @ 2min 7sec
3. Arturo Bresciani @ 6min 48sec
4. Costante Girardengo @ 15min 17sec
5. Giovanni Brunero s.t.
6. Antonio Negrini s.t.
7. Pierino Bestetti s.t.
8. Alfredo Dinale @ 23min 43sec
9. Gianbattista Gilli s.t.
10. Ermanno Vallazza @ 26min 57sec

GC after stage 1: Same as stage results

Stage 2: Monday, May 17, Torino - Genova, 250 km

1. Domenico Piemontesi @ 10hr 44min 48sec
2. Costante Girardengo @ 2min 39sec
3. Giovanni Brunero s.t.
4. Giuseppe Enrici @ 6min 2sec
5. Giuseppe Pancera s.t.
6. Egidio Picchiottini s.t.
7. Pierino Bestetti @ 7min 21sec
8. Ezio Cortesia @ 7min 54sec
9. Arturo Bresciani s.t.
10. Alfredo Binda @ 9min 0sec

GC after Stage 2:

1. Domenico Piemontesi: 21hr 40min 26sec
2. Egidio Picchiottino @ 9min 39sec
3. Arturo Bresciani @ 16min 12sec
4. Costante Girardengo @ 19min 26sec
5. Giovanni Brunero @ 19min 26sec
6. Pierino Bestetti @ 24min 8sec
7. Antonio Negrini @ 28min 9sec
8. Giuseppe Pancera @ 37min 37sec
9. Gianbattista Gilli @ 39min 18sec
10. Ezio Cortesia @ 41min 9sec

Stage 3: Wednesday, May 19, Genova - Firenze, 312 km

Ascents: Bracco (613m), Pontepetri (669m)

1. Alfredo Binda: 14hr 5min 46sec
2. Giovanni Brunero @ 4min 30sec
3. Arturo Bresciani s.t.
4. Costante Girardengo @ 5min 0sec
5. Giuseppe Pancera s.t.
6. Domenico Piemontesi @ 5min 30sec
7. Giuseppe Enrici s.t.
8. Alfredo Dinale @ 8min 28sec
9. Antonio Negrini s.t.
10. Egidio Picchiottino @ 10min 41sec

GC after Stage 3:

1. Domenico Piemontesi: 35hr 51min 54sec
2. Egidio Picchiottino @ 14min 30sec
3. Arturo Bresciani @ 15min 12sec
4. Giovanni Brunero @ 18min 26sec
5. Costante Girardengo @ 18min 36sec
6. Antonio Negrini @ 31min 7sec
7. Pierini Bestetti @ 32min 14sec
8. Giuseppe Pancera @ 37min 7sec
9. Alfredo Binda @ 40min 46sec
10. Giuseppe Enrici @ 41min 34sec

Stage 4: Friday, May 21, Firenze - Roma, 287 km

Ascents: Radicofani (896m), Cimini (814m)

1. Costante Girardengo: 10hr 26min 0sec
2. Alfredo Binda s.t.
3. Giovanni Brunero s.t.
4. Arturo Bresciani @ 9min 53sec
5. Emanno Vallazza @ 13min 15sec
6. Egidio Picchiottino @ 21min 43sec
7. Giuseppe Enrici s.t.
8. Romolo Lazzaretti @ 23min 11sec
9. Giuseppe Pancera @ 26min 43sec
10. Antonio Negrini @ 35min 29sec

GC after Stage 4:

1. Costante Girardengo: 46hr 35min 15sec
2. Giovanni Brunero @ 1min 6sec
3. Arturo Bresciani @ 7min 45sec
4. Egidio Picchiottino @ 19min 12sec
5. Alfredo Binda @ 23min 23sec
6. Giuseppe Enrici @ 45min 57sec
7. Giuseppe Pancera @ 46min 0sec
8. Antonio Negrini @ 49min 16sec
9. Pierino Bestetti @ 56min 40sec
10. Ermanno Vallazza @ 1hr 0min 31sec

Stage 5: Sunday, May 23, Roma - Napoli, 232 km

1. Costante Girardengo: 9hr 26min 52sec
2. Giovanni Brunero s.t.
3. Alfredo Binda s.t.
4. Arturo Bresciani @ 10sec
5. Michele Robotti s.t.
6. Angelo Gabrieli @ 12sec
7. Giuseppe Enrici @ 4min 0sec
8. Alfredo Cominetti @ 5min 50sec
9. Gianbattista Gilli @ 6min 20sec
10. Antonio Montevecchi @ 6min 55sec

GC after stage 5:

1. Costante Girardengo: 56hr 0min 36sec
2. Giovanni Brunero @ 2min 36sec
3. Arturo Bresciani @ 9min 25sec
4. Alfredo Binda @ 24min 55sec
5. Giuseppe Enrici @ 51min 27sec
6. Egidio Pinchiottino @ 56min 51sec
7. Giuseppe Pancera @ 59min 30sec
8. Ermanno Vallazza @ 1hr 11min 39sec
9. Gianbattista Gilli @ 1hr 13min 23sec
10. Antonio Negrini @ 1hr 13min 44sec

Stage 6: Wednesday, May 26, Napoli - Foggia, 263 km

Ascents: Montemarano (820m), Frigento (911m), Ariano Irpino (817m)

1. Alfredo Binda: 11hr 58min 12sec
2. Costante Girardengo s.t.
3. Pierino Bestetti s.t.
4. Arturo Bresciani s.t.
5. Giovanni Brunero s.t.
6. Giuseppe Enrici s.t.
7. Ermanno Vallazza s.t.
8. Giuseppe Pancera s.t.
9. Umberto Berni @ 4min 38sec
10. Romolo Lazzaretti @ 8min 1sec

GC after Stage 6:

1. Costante Girardengo: 67hr 58min 48sec
2. Giovanni Brunero @ 2min 36sec
3. Arturo Bresciani @ 9min 25sec
4. Alfredo Binda @ 23min 23sec
5. Giuseppe Enrici @ 51min 27sec
6. Giuseppe Pancera @ 1hr 1min 0sec
7. Ermanno Vallazza @ 1hr 11min 39sec
8. Pierino Bestetti @ 1hr 15min 24sec
9. Gianbattista Gilli @ 1hr 27min 3sec
10. Romolo Lazzaretti @ 2hr 13min 24sec

Stage 7: Thursday, May 27, Foggia - Sulmona, 251 km

Ascents: Macerone (684m), Rionero Sannitico (1,050m), Roccaraso (1,236), Cinquemiglia

1. Alfredo Binda: 10hr 15min 52sec
2. Giovanni Brunero s.t.
3. Ermanno Vallazza @ 25min 8sec
4. Giuseppe Enrici @ 27min 43sec
5. Pierino Bestetti @ 30min 19sec
6. Umberto Berni @ 32min 51sec
7. Arturo Bresciani @ 35min 12sec
8. Giuseppe Pancera @ 36min 4sec
9. Ezio Cortesia @ 37min 30sec
10. Gianbattista Gilli s.t.

GC after Stage 7:

1. Giovanni Brunero: 78hr 42min 16sec
2. Arturo Bresciani @ 15min 41sec
3. Alfredo Binda @ 19min 19sec
4. Giuseppe Enrici @ 51min 34sec
5. Ermanno Vallazza @ 1hr 9min 1sec
6. Giuseppe Pancera @ 1hr 9min 32sec
7. Pierino Bestetti @ 1hr 18min 10sec
8. Gianbattista Gilli @ 1hr 36min 17sec
9. Romolo Lazzaretti @ 2hr 24min 57sec
10. Angelo Gremo @ 2hr 26min 33sec

Stage 8: Saturday, May 29, Sulmona - Terni, 260 km

Ascents: Sella di Corno (980m), Leonessa (974m)

1. Giovanni Brunero: 9hr 3min 26sec
2. Ermanno Vallazza s.t.
3. Alfredo Binda @ 19sec
4. Pierino Bestetti @ 7min 50sec
5. Arturo Bresciani s.t.
6. Giuseppe Enrici s.t.
7. Umberto Berni @ 14min 46sec
8. Gianbattista Gilli @ 15min 33sec
9. Angelo Gremo @ 27min 55sec
10. Marco Persichetti @ 34min 48sec

GC after Stage 8:

1. Giovanni Brunero: 87hr 44min 12sec
2. Alfredo Binda @ 20min 38sec
3. Arturo Bresciani @ 21min 1sec
4. Giuseppe Enrici @ 1hr 4min 54sec
5. Ermanno Vallazza @ 1hr 6min 31sec
6. Pierino Bestetti @ 1hr 28min 23sec

Stage 9: Monday, May 31, Terni - Bologna, 358 km

1. Alfredo Binda: 13hr 49min 33sec
2. Arturo Ferrario s.t.
3. Pierino Bestetti s.t.
4. Giuseppe Enrici s.t.
5. Angelo Gremo s.t.
6. Giovanni Brunero s.t.
7. Ermanno Vallazza s.t.
8. Gianbattista Gilli s.t.
9. Gino Balestieri s.t.
10. Moise Arioso @ 35sec

GC after Stage 9:

1. Giovanni Bruero: 101hr 33min 45sec
2. Alfredo Binda @ 19min 38sec
3. Arturo Bresciani @ 50min 48sec
4. Giuseppe Enrici @ 1hr 0min 54sec
5. Ermanno Vallazza @ 1hr 10min 31sec
6. Pierino Bestetti @ 1hr 27min 30sec
7. Gianbattista Gilli @ 1hr 54min 20sec
8. Angelo Gremo @ 2hr 55min 58sec
9. Michele Robotti @ 3hr 55min 56sec
10. Ezio Cortesia @ 3hr 38min 11sec

Stage 10: Wednesday, June 2, Bologna - Udine, 355 km

1. Pierino Bestetti: 14hr 22min 49sec
2. Alfredo Binda s.t.
3. Michele Robotti s.t.
4. Angelo Gremo s.t.
5. Giovanni Brunero s.t.
6. 18 riders at same time and place

GC after Stage 10:

1. Giovanni Brunero: 115hr 56min 34sec
2. Alfredo Binda @ 19min 38sec
3. Arturo Bresciani @ 51min 17sec
4. Giuseppe Enrici @ 1hr 0min 54sec
5. Ermanno Vallazza @ 1hr 10min 31sec
6. Pierino Bestetti @ 1hr 26min 0sec
7. Gianbattista Gilli @ 1hr 54min 20sec
8. Angelo Gremo @ 2hr 55min 58sec
9. Michele Robotti @ 3hr 35min 56sec
10. Ezio Cortesia @ 3hr 38min 11sec

Stage 11: Friday, June 4, Udine - Verona, 292 km

Ascent: Passo Xon (691m)

1. Alfredo Binda: 10hr 42min 57sec
2. Giovanni Brunero s.t.
3. Pierino Bestetti s.t.
4. Ermanno Vallazza @ 1min 7sec
5. Angelo Gremo @ 3min 24sec
6. Romolo Lazzaretti s.t.
7. Gianbattista Gilli s.t.
8. Arturo Bresciani s.t.
9. Michele Robotti @ 7min 13sec
10. Ezio Cortesia @ 8min 58sec

GC after Stage 11:

1. Giovanni Brunero: 126hr 39min 31sec
2. Alfredo Binda @ 19min 8sec
3. Arturo Bresciani @ 54min 51sec
4. Ermanno Vallazza @ 1hr 11min 38sec
5. Giuseppe Enrici @ 1hr 15min 57sec
6. Pierino Bestetti @ 1hr 26min 0sec
7. Gianbattista Gilli @ 1hr 57min 44sec
8. Angelo Gremo @ 2hr 59min 22sec
9. Michele Robotti @ 3hr 43min 9sec
10. Ezio Cortesia @ 3hr 47min 9sec

12th and Final Stage: Sunday, June 6, Verona - Milano, 288 km

Ascent: Ghisallo (754m)

1. Alfredo Binda: 11hr 14min 58sec
2. Pierino Bestetti s.t.
3. Michele Robotti s.t.
4. Giovanni Brunero s.t.
5. Giuseppe Enrici s.t.
6. Ermanno Vallazza s.t.
7. Arturo Bresciani s.t.
8. Gianbattista Gilli @ 5min 58sec
9. Ezio Cortesia @ 12min 59sec
10. Giovanni Rossignoli @ 13min 56sec

1926 Giro d'Italia Complete Final General Classification

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Teams:

Alcyon-Dunlop
Legnano-Pirelli
Olympia-Dunlop
Wolsit-Pirelli

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The Story of the 1926 Giro d'Italia

This excerpt is from "The Story of the Giro d'Italia", Volume 1. If you enjoy it we hope you will consider purchasing the book, either print, eBook or audiobook. The Amazon link here will make the purchase easy.

The Binda-Girardengo-Brunero rematch. With 204 riders, the 1926 Giro peloton was huge. The three big guns were on the line May 15 to start the twelve-stage race that went as far south as Naples before returning north. Binda and Brunero along with Linari were on the Legnano-Pirelli team. Girardengo and Bestetti were on the Wolsit-Pirelli squad. There were just two other teams, Alcyon-Dunlop and Olympia-Dunlop, making only eighteen of the Giro’s riders trade-team sponsored. The other 186 riders were independents or isolati. These riders might not have been of the caliber of Binda or Girardengo, but several of them rose above the normal level of the unsponsored rider. 1924 winner Giuseppe Enrici and other long-time Giro veterans such as Angelo Gremo, Giovanni Rossignoli and Luigi Lucotti were riding the Giro on their own account.

The first stage was the well-used Milan–Turin route. Binda crashed while descending the Serra, remounted and then somehow broke one of his brakes. All of this cost him over half an hour. Sure that the Giro was already lost he decided to retire. His team argued with him to continue and finally prevailed upon him to get back on his bike.

Meanwhile, the peloton had been shattered by the efforts of the leading riders. Two from the Alcyon squad, Domenico Piemontesi and Egidio Picchiottino along with Olympia rider Arturo Bresciani had broken away. Piemontesi won the stage, becoming 1926’s first Giro leader. Girardengo led in a small group 15 minutes later while Binda arrived 37 minutes after Piemontesi. If the trumpeter were going to win the Giro he had his work cut out for him. But, as it turned out, Binda changed his goal. He put himself at the disposal of the teammate who still had a good chance of winning, two-time winner Giovanni Brunero. No one could ask for a finer or more powerful helper. Binda was the ultimate gregario di lusso.

Two days later Binda lost even more time, confirming that he could not win this Giro. Meanwhile, Piemontesi was riding in a state of grace. Over the Ligurian hills to Genoa he again soloed in two and a half minutes ahead of Girardengo and Brunero and a full nine minutes in front of Binda. Piemontesi must have thought this Giro was certain to be his.

The General Classification after stage two:
1. Domenico Piemontesi
2. Egidio Picchiottino @ 9 minutes 39 seconds
3. Arturo Bresciani @ 16 minutes 12 seconds
4. Costante Girardengo @ 19 minutes 26 seconds

Binda might have given up any hope of winning the overall, but he wasn’t done racing. The 312-kilometer third stage, into Florence, allowed him to display his incredible talent. His solo win, four and a half minutes ahead of Brunero and Bresciani and five minutes faster than Girardengo, showed that while General Classification lead was out of reach, he could certainly win individual stages. Finishing behind Girardengo by 30 seconds, Piemontesi lost a bit of his overall lead. Linari’s Giro was over after he crashed into a motorcycle a few kilometers outside Florence.

Binda had brought himself up to ninth place, 40 minutes 46 seconds behind Piemontesi.

It has been written that representatives of Wolsit (with Binda and Brunero) and Legnano (Girardengo and Belloni), the two teams that mattered in this race, would meet in the evening to discuss the next day’s racing, even mentioning potential attacks and ways to make the race more entertaining for the fans. Given that both teams had the same owner, Emilio Bozzi, it’s not too surprising. If this indeed occurred, I have no idea how this actually affected the race’s outcome.

The three best Italian riders left everyone behind in the fourth stage that went over the Apennines into Rome. Girardengo, Binda and Brunero (together, in that order) beat a badly fragmented peloton into submission. Bresciani managed to lose only ten minutes to the trio but the rest struggled in from thirteen minutes to three hours after the stage had been won.

Alfredo Binda and Giovanni Brunero approach a stage finish.

Piemontesi’s Giro ended in crisis in the Cimini hills northwest of Rome where he abandoned. After exhaustion forced him to give up what looked to be a sure Giro victory, he threw himself into a ditch in despair. We’ll meet up again with the man the press named the Cyclone of Borgomanero whose trademark phrase was O la va o la spacca, roughly translated, “make or break”.

All of these events greatly changed the General Classification:
1. Costante Girardengo
2. Giovanni Brunero @ 1 minute 6 seconds
3. Arturo Bresciani @ 7 minutes 45 seconds
4. Egidio Picchiottino @ 19 minutes 12 seconds
5. Alfredo Binda @ 23 minutes 23 seconds

Racing into Naples, the same trio again left the rest of the field behind. Binda was now in fourth place. The sixth stage was mostly more of the same, except that Binda managed to outsprint Gira.

Heading north on the east side of the peninsula from Foggia to Sulmona, Girardengo’s famous bad luck struck again in the mountains of Abruzzo. A sprain forced him to again withdraw from the Giro while he was in the lead. The tifosi could hardly believe their campionissimo was human and were furious with the man who seemed to have misfortune hang on him like a cheap suit.
Teammates Binda and Brunero beat the stage’s third place rider by over 25 minutes, making Brunero the new leader while Binda was slowly clawing his way back up the standings. Without that catastrophic first-day time loss he would have been in the lead.
1. Giovanni Brunero
2. Arturo Bresciani @ 15 minutes 41 seconds
3. Alfredo Binda @ 19 minutes 19 seconds
4. Giuseppe Enrici @ 51 minutes 34 seconds

Binda went on another streak. He won three of the last four stages, always with race leader Brunero right at his shoulder. Bresciani was a victim of their powerful alliance, losing his second place in the eighth stage when Brunero, Ermano Vallazza and Binda left the peloton eight minutes adrift.

Although credit has to be given to Galetti for three Giro victories (his third victory was as part of the team-race in 1912), Brunero became the first official three-time Giro winner.

The winner, Giovanni Brunero

Final 1926 Giro d’Italia General Classification:
1. Giovanni Brunero (Legnano-Pirelli) 137 hours 55 minutes 59 seconds
2. Alfredo Binda (Legnano-Pirelli) @ 19 minutes 38 seconds
3. Arturo Bresciani (Olympia) @ 54 minutes 41 seconds
4. Ermano Vallazza (Legnano-Pirelli) @ 1 hour 11 minutes 38 seconds
5. Giuseppe Enrici (independent) @ 1 hour 15 minutes 57 seconds

This had been a particularly wet and therefore muddy Giro. Of the 204 riders who left Milan only 40 returned.

Giovanni Brunero was a brilliant climber as well as fine rouleur, yet for all of his robust strength he died in 1934 when he was only 39. It was said that his lungs were destroyed by the unavoidable dust raised by bicycles racing over dirt roads.

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