1967 Giro d'Italia

1967 Giro d'Italia

Race details
Dates	20 May - 11 June 1967
Stages	22
Distance	3,572 km (2,220 mi)
Winning time	101h 05' 34"
Results
Winner  Felice Gimondi (ITA) (Salvarani)   Second  Franco Balmamion (ITA) (Molteni)   Third  Jacques Anquetil (FRA) (Bic) Points  Dino Zandegù (ITA) (Salvarani)   Mountains  Aurelio González Puente (ESP) (KAS)   Team KAS

The 1967 Giro d'Italia was the 50th running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tour races. The Giro started in Treviglio, on 20 May, with a 135 km (83.9 mi) stage and concluded in Milan, on 11 June, with a 68 km (42.3 mi) split leg. A total of 130 riders from 13 teams entered the 22-stage race, which was won by Italian Felice Gimondi of the Salvarani team. The second and third places were taken by Italian Franco Balmamion and Frenchman Jacques Anquetil, respectively.^[1]

Teams

Thirteen teams were invited by the race organizers to participate in the 1967 edition of the Giro d'Italia.^[2] Each team sent a squad of ten riders, which meant that the race started with a peloton of 130 cyclists.^[2] From the riders that began the race, 70 made it to the finish in Milan.^[3]

The teams entering the race were:^[2]

Molteni Bic–Hutchinson Cynar Filotex Germanvox–Wega

Kas–Kaskol Mainetti Max Meyer Peugeot–BP–Michelin

Roméo–Smith's Salamini–Luxor TV Salvarani Vittadello

Pre-race favorites

21 year old Eddy Merckx in his first Grand Tour, before the start of the 22nd stage

The starting peloton did include the 1966 winner, Gianni Motta. l'Unità writer Gino Sala named Felice Gimondi, Jacques Anquetil, Vittorio Adorni, Eddy Merckx, and Motta as the main contenders for the overall crown.^[4]

Route and stages

Jacques Anquetil wearing the pink jersey before the start of the 21st stage.

Felice Gimondi wearing the pink jersey at the start of the final stage.

The race route was revealed to the public on 28 March 1967 by race director Vincenzo Torriani.^[5][6] The route visited all Italian regions except for Sardinia.^[6][7][8][9] With the route entering Sicily for the fifth time in race history, the race scaled Mount Etna for the first time.^[10]

Stage characteristics and winners^[3]^[11]

Stage	Date	Course	Distance	Type		Winner
1	20 May	Treviglio to Alessandria	135 km (84 mi)		Plain stage	Giorgio Zancanaro (ITA)
2	21 May	Alessandria to La Spezia	223 km (139 mi)		Stage with mountain(s)	Antonio Gómez del Moral (ESP)
3	22 May	La Spezia to Prato	205 km (127 mi)		Stage with mountain(s)	Michele Dancelli (ITA)
4	23 May	Florence to Chianciano Terme	155 km (96 mi)		Plain stage	Dino Zandegù (ITA)
5	24 May	Rome to Naples	220 km (137 mi)		Plain stage	Willy Planckaert (BEL)
6	25 May	Palermo to Palermo	63 km (39 mi)		Plain stage	Rudi Altig (GER)
7	26 May	Catania to Etna	169 km (105 mi)		Stage with mountain(s)	Franco Bitossi (ITA)
8	27 May	Reggio Calabria to Cosenza	218 km (135 mi)		Stage with mountain(s)	Jean Stablinski (FRA)
9	28 May	Cosenza to Taranto	202 km (126 mi)		Plain stage	Albert Van Vlierberghe (BEL)
10	29 May	Bari to Potenza	145 km (90 mi)		Plain stage	Willy Planckaert (BEL)
11	30 May	Potenza to Salerno	160 km (99 mi)		Stage with mountain(s)	Rudi Altig (GER)
12	31 May	Caserta to Blockhaus	220 km (137 mi)		Stage with mountain(s)	Eddy Merckx (BEL)
13	1 June	Chieti to Riccione	253 km (157 mi)		Plain stage	Georges Vandenberghe (BEL)
14	2 June	Riccione to Lido degli Estensi	94 km (58 mi)		Plain stage	Eddy Merckx (BEL)
15	3 June	Lido degli Estensi to Mantua	164 km (102 mi)		Plain stage	Michele Dancelli (ITA)
16	4 June	Mantua to Verona	45 km (28 mi)		Individual time trial	Ole Ritter (DEN)
	5 June	Rest day
17	6 June	Verona to Vicenza	140 km (87 mi)		Stage with mountain(s)	Francisco Gabica (ESP)
18	7 June	Vicenza to Udine	167 km (104 mi)		Plain stage	Dino Zandegù (ITA)
19	8 June	Udine to Tre Cime di Lavaredo	170 km (106 mi)		Stage with mountain(s)	Stage Cancelled
20	9 June	Cortina d'Ampezzo to Trento	235 km (146 mi)		Stage with mountain(s)	Vittorio Adorni (ITA)
21	10 June	Trento to Tirano	153 km (95 mi)		Stage with mountain(s)	Marcello Mugnaini (ITA)
22a	11 June	Tirano to Madonna del Ghisallo	137 km (85 mi)		Stage with mountain(s)	Aurelio González (ESP)
22b		Madonna del Ghisallo to Milan	68 km (42 mi)		Plain stage	Willy Planckaert (BEL)
	Total		3,646 km (2,266 mi)

Race overview

The sixth leg saw an overnight ferry transfer from Palermo on mainland Italy to the island of Sicily for the next two stages.^[10] Following the sixth stage's conclusion the race took a five–hour train to Catania where the upcoming stage began.^[10] With the seventh stage hosting a summit finish to Mount Etna (1,892 m (6,207 ft)) it was hoped to be pivotal in the general classification race. However, due to the long transfers forced on the riders by organizer Torriani, the riders rode at a slow pace until the race's final three kilometers.^[10]

On the penultimate stage, Frenchman Anquetil was attacked several times. Felice Gimondi finally made the decisive attack, escaping alone and winning by four minutes. Jacques Anquetil considered himself robbed, claiming that Felice Gimondi had escaped by being taken away by the assistant race director's car. He finished third in the Giro, behind Felice Gimondi and Franco Balmamion. Jacques Anquetil's words were corroborated on his deathbed in 2012 by Giovanni Michelotti, the race director at the time.^[12]

Classification leadership

Two jerseys were worn during the 1967 Giro d'Italia. 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.^[13]

For the points classification, which awarded a red jersey to its leader, cyclists were given points for finishing a stage in the top 15.^[14] The mountains classification leader. The climbs were ranked in first and second categories. In this ranking, points were won by reaching the summit of a climb ahead of other cyclists.^[13] Although no jersey was awarded, there was also one classification for the teams, in which the riders were awarded points for their performance on the stage and the team with the greatest total points is the leader.

Classification leadership by stage

Stage	Winner	General classification	Points classification	Mountains classification	Team classification
1	Giorgio Zancanaro	Giorgio Zancanaro	Giorgio Zancanaro	not awarded	?
2	Antonio Gómez del Moral	Antonio Gómez del Moral		Silvano Schiavon
3	Michele Dancelli		Michele Dancelli	Aurelio González Puente
4	Dino Zandegù		Dino Zandegù
5	Willy Planckaert	Michele Dancelli	Michele Dancelli
6	Rudi Altig
7	Franco Bitossi
8	Jean Stablinski	José Pérez Frances
9	Albert Van Vlierberghe		Dino Zandegù
10	Willy Planckaert
11	Rudi Altig
12	Eddy Merckx
13	Georges Vandenberghe
14	Eddy Merckx
15	Michele Dancelli
16	Ole Ritter	Jacques Anquetil
17	Francisco Gabica	Silvano Schiavon
18	Dino Zandegù
19	Stage Cancelled
20	Vittorio Adorni	Jacques Anquetil
21	Marcello Mugnaini	Felice Gimondi
22a	Aurelio González
22b	Willy Planckaert
Final		Felice Gimondi	Dino Zandegù	Aurelio González Puente	KAS

Final standings

Legend
	Denotes the winner of the General classification

General classification

Jacques Anquetil, third in his last Giro, shakes the hand of winner Felice Gimondi

Final general classification (1–10)^[1]^[3]^[15]^[16]

Rank	Name	Team	Time
1	Felice Gimondi (ITA)	Salvarani	101h 05' 34"
2	Franco Balmamion (ITA)	Molteni	+ 3' 36"
3	Jacques Anquetil (FRA)	Bic	+ 3' 45"
4	Vittorio Adorni (ITA)	Salamini	+ 4' 33"
5	José Pérez Frances (ESP)	KAS	+ 5' 17"
6	Gianni Motta (ITA)	Molteni	+ 6' 21"
7	Lucien Aimar (FRA)	Bic	+ 7' 25"
8	Francisco Gabica (ESP)	KAS	+ 9' 43"
9	Eddy Merckx (BEL)	Peugeot	+ 11' 41"
10	Eusebio Vélez (ESP)	KAS	+ 15' 00"

Mountains classification

Final mountains classification (1–10)^[3]^[16]

	Name	Team	Points
1	Aurelio González (ESP)	KAS	460
2	Lucien Aimar (FRA)	Bic	90
3	Franco Bitossi (ITA)	Salvarani	80
	Eddy Merckx (BEL)	Peugeot
	Felice Gimondi (ITA)	Salvarani
	Vittorio Adorni (ITA)	Salvarani
7	Wladimiro Panizza (ITA)	Vittadello	70

Points classification

Final points classification (1–5)^[1]^[3]

	Name	Team	Points
1	Dino Zandegù (ITA)	Salvarani	180
2	Eddy Merckx (BEL)	Peugeot	164
3	Willy Planckaert (BEL)	Romeo-Smith's	150
4	Vittorio Adorni (ITA)	Salvarani	102
5	José Pérez Frances (ESP)	KAS	89

Team classification

Final team classification (1–10)^[16]

	Team	Points
1	KAS	4,176
2	Vittadello	3,418
3	Salvarani	3,254
4	Molteni	2,606
5	Romeo-Smith's	2,584
6	Salamini	1,990
7	Bic	1,558
8	Filotex	1,424
9	Peugeot	1,394
10	Max-Meyer	1,048

References

Citations

1. "Gimondi, vencedor del "Giro" del Cincuentenario" [Gimondi, winner of the Fiftieth "Tour"] (PDF) (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 12 June 1967. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 March 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
2. "Gli iscritti" [Subscribers] (PDF). l'Unità (in Italian). PCI. 19 May 1967. p. 13. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
3. Bill and Carol McGann. "1967 Giro d'Italia". Bike Race Info. Dog Ear Publishing. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
4. Gino Sala (20 May 1967). "Inizia la battaglia fra Motta Anquetil Gimondi Adorni e Edy Merckx" [Start the battle between Motta Anquetil Gimondi Adorni and Edy Merckx] (PDF). l'Unità (in Italian). PCI. p. 10. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
5. Sergio Neri (29 March 1967). "Giro: dal fuoco dell'Etna alle nevi della leggenda" [Tour: from the Etna fire to the snows of legend]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). pp. 1, 4, & 10. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
6. Gino Sala (29 March 1967). "Questa l'<<avventura rosa>> 1967" [This is the << pink adventure >> 1967] (PDF). l'Unità (in Italian). PCI. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
7. Juan Plans (7 April 1967). "En las Bodas de Oro del "Giro"" [In the Golden Weddings of the "Giro"] (PDF) (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
8. "Anquetil et Merckx contre les Italiens" [Anquetil and Merckx against the Italians] (PDF). L'Impartial (in French). 19 May 1967. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2019 – via RERO.
9. "Samedi a 00H.00: Debut du Giro Cinquantenaire" [Saturday at 00H.00: Start of the Giro Cinquantenaire] (PDF). Nouvelliste du Rhône (in French). 19 May 1967. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2019 – via RERO.
10. Barry Ryan (13 May 2020). "Volcanic interruption: Mount Etna and the Giro d'Italia". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
11. "Le tappe" [The stages] (PDF). l'Unità (in Italian). PCI. 19 May 1967. p. 13. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
12. Philippe Brunel (13 May 2016). "Et Gimondi vola un Giro à Anquetil..." lequipe.fr. Retrieved 31 May 2023..
13. Laura Weislo (13 May 2008). "Giro d'Italia classifications demystified". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 8 May 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
14. "Regolamento" [Regulation]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 19 May 1966. p. 9. Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
15. "Giorno per giorno il Giro d'Italia del cinquantenario" [Day by Day the Fiftieth Tour of Italy] (PDF). l'Unità (in Italian). PCI. 12 June 1967. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
16. "Como se preveia, Gimondi gano el <<Giro>>" [How to be expected, Gimondi won the <<Giro>>] (PDF). Diari de Girona (in Catalan). Diari de Girona Media, S.L. 13 June 1967. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2012.