CyclistPro race history: The legend of the first Il Lombardia in 1905In October 1952 Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport published its 32-page guide to the 46th edition of Il Lombardia, or the Giro di Lombardia as it was known at the time. In among the stories of Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali and 1951 winner Louison Bobet was a single-page retrospective and interview with the winner of the first edition of the race, Giovanni Gerbi, under the headline 1905: the Devil on the Rails.Gerbi would have been 67 years old when the writer of the story, Ulisse Corno, came calling to talk about the day he entered the books as the first winner of Il Lombardia. How did I win? Gerbi asks rhetorically in the article. I won it as I won other races using my best quality: I was a great finisseur. Once I gained two or three hundred metres, it was done: nobody was able to catch me. But exactly how did Gerbi gain those first metres? Some tricks, we suggest, writes Corno, knowing the legend of the race. At this suggestion, Gerbis face becomes dark.What exactly happened I dont knowIt was around 4pm on Sunday 12th November 1905 that Gerbi sprinted into Milan alone to win the first edition of what is today the final Monument of the season. It had been more than nine hours since he had set off in the company of 53 other riders from the city in cold and wet conditions. From Milan the race headed to checkpoints at Crema, Bergamo and Lecco before returning to Milan for the finish.As he rode out of Milan under heavy skies, Gerbi who would forge a reputation as a rider who prepared for races by scouting routes for strategic places to attack knew exactly where he was going to make his move: Crema, just 30km or so into the race, where he knew tramlines crossed the race route.Race director Eugenio Costamagna would later write, On the Crema road, at a certain point on a curve, the riders met a wagon. What exactly happened I dont know, but the result probably of someones false manoeuvre was almost everybody falling I clearly saw bicycles being pulled out from under the cart, a rider climbing up the escarpment of the ditch where he had tumbled, [meanwhile] Gerbi and [Giovanni] Cuniolo, [Andrea] Massironi and [Battista] Parini had disappeared. Related Posts Pro race history: Beryl Burton wins her first road Worlds in 1960 Who are the favourites for Il Lombardia 2024? Il Lombardia 2024: Everything you need to know Cyclist magazine issue 157: on sale now! Guile and circumstanceGerbi had realised during his many recon rides that the Crema junction could be a key point of the race, one where, if he could cause a disruption in the peloton and emerge alone, he could make a long-range bid for glory. Accounts still vary as to how exactly he pulled it off: some say he led the bunch at high speed into the tramlines and then used a ramp of compacted mud he had built the day before to exit at the right place, leaving the rest to flounder between the rails; others claim he led the other riders at speed into a section wide enough for only one rider, before faking a mechanical and then picking his way through the inevitable carnage.Whatever played out, Gerbi was alone after just 30km thanks to his devilish plan. Fifteen kilometres later his lead was five minutes. At Lecco, not quite halfway, it was 20. By the time he reached Milan in excellent condition, according to La Stampas race report Gerbis lead was more than 40 minutes over second placed Giovanni Rossignoli.Obviously, I always needed time to study a detailed plan, Gerbi told Corno all those years later. For me it was very important in the preparation to study the route. Every time I decided the moment of my attack in advance, and often I was able to perform it as planned.Derring-dos and dontsGerbi, whose nickname the Red Devil was given to him by a priest after he rode through a religious ceremony wearing a scarlet jersey, had turned professional in 1903 after recording notable results as an amateur. His wins included Milan-Turin, where he triumphed over professionals and reached the finish so early that no one from the race jury was waiting for me.Gerbi repeated his 1905 Lombardia win two years later. This time, however, the result wouldnt stand. Again he escaped some 30km into the race but he was aided by his supporters blockading level-crossings and pouring nails and tacks onto the road as well as pacing from training partners once he was alone. Peugeots manager, Leopold Alibert, was aghast at what he had seen.For the future of racing in Italy its vital that this evil man is removed from the cycling scene, he told LAuto. Gerbi was relegated to last place and banned for two years, later reduced to six months.When looking back on his career in 1929, Gerbi reflected on 1907 with mixed emotions: It was my most beautiful victory because I clearly finished first, but also my most crushing defeat because the jury decided to relegate me; it was the typical demonstration of what you could achieve with daily, constant, tenacious training because I managed to cover 200km alone at almost 30kmh on muddy roads. For Gerbi, his performance that day was the classic model of my approach to competition, which hinged on: exact knowledge of the entire course; on the conception and preparation of one or more battle plans; the escape; and the continuation of that escape without caring about anything, except for the finish line, and without changing my mind, that is to say, maintaining my escape to the end, giving all of myself. This article originally appeared in issue 145 of Cyclist magazine. Click here to subscribe Related Posts Pro race history: Beryl Burton wins her first road Worlds in 1960 Who are the favourites for Il Lombardia 2024? Il Lombardia 2024: Everything you need to know Cyclist magazine issue 157: on sale now! The post Pro race history: The legend of the first Il Lombardia in 1905 appeared first on Cyclist.