It’s 29 May 1940. Europe is teetering on the brink of war, but in the meantime, the Giro d’Italia celebrates, for the very first time, a young man destined to make history – not only in cycling, but in the story of Italy itself: Fausto Coppi. The future “Campionissimo” is just a 20-year-old with promise, riding in the Giro thanks to the will of Legnano team captain Gino Bartali, already a towering figure in international cycling. But when the latter crashes in Stage 2, his Giro hopes unravel, and suddenly, new doors open for the young Fausto.
Stage 11, a 184 km ride from Florence to Modena featuring the climb to Abetone, becomes the turning point. Under torrential rain, Coppi launches a stunning solo attack and finishes with a gap of 3 minutes and 45 seconds on the nearest chasers – among them, none other than his own captain, Ginetaccio. It’s enough for Fausto to pull on his first Maglia Rosa, which he will defend all the way to the grand finale in Milan. Coppi wins the Giro and begins laying the foundation of his legend, one that would only fully take form after the war.
Famed journalist Orio Vergani, writing in Corriere della Sera, captured the moment with these words: “A wiry young lad, as thin as a mountain-cured ham bone, won the Florence–Modena stage, crossing the Apennines through a torrential downpour and arriving at the finish with nearly a four-minute lead. Drafted into Bartali’s team as a humble domestique, the rookie Fausto Coppi has conquered the Maglia Rosa and, in the span of thirteen days, gone from ‘recruit’ to commander of the Giro’s colorful peloton. The loudspeakers on his sponsor’s car that until yesterday blared ‘Go Gino! Come on Gino!’ have changed their tune. Gino Bartali will still receive the cheers he deserves – as a champion, even if this time he’s had to hand over the baton of leadership – but those cheers will be softer now. Because, barring mishaps, Bartali has effectively become the domestique to the boy from Tortona. And while he’ll continue to defend his chances, he’ll do nothing to jeopardize the hard-earned lead of cycling’s new man”.
To this day, that “new man,” Fausto Coppi, remains the youngest rider ever (just 20 years old) to have won the overall classification at the Giro d’Italia. A true legend!
