|
Stages:
|
19 |
Kms:
|
3.803 |
|
Riders:
|
51 |
|
|
Kms/hour:
|
28,018 |
|
Retired:
|
25 |
People fond of cycling were deprived of Vuelta
a España for two years because of the Second World War and the difficult economic
situation which Spain was going through. Diario Ya took charge of the organization
of the race and they were able to keep the fifth edition going, though with
serious difficulties. Cycling and journalism were again walking hand in hand
until 1978, although since 1955 El Correo Español-PuebloVasco replaced the
Diario Ya in several organizational works.
The cruel war deprived the enthusiasts of the presence of the great foreign
riders and only six Portuguese riders started the race in Madrid. Nevertheless,
the enthusiasts waned their thirst for cycling with the participation of the
most brilliant Spanish figures of the moment: Delio Rodriguez, Chafer, Langarica,
Berrendero, Fermín Trueba and Juan Gemino, among others.
None of them started as one of the favorite riders, thing which the rider
Delio Rodriguez took good advantage of in order to decide the result of the
race in the second stage, an absolute record. He tried a breakway along with
another five riders, who pulled away as the kilometres went by.
Rodriguez was able to arrive solo at The Finish with a difference of almost
half an hour over the peloton.
From that moment on, the rest of the peloton had to make do with fighting
for the Climbers Overall Standings, which was won by Julián Berrendero, who
took a one-point lead over Joao Rebelo.
In the Overall Standings, Delio Rodriguez took a 30-minute lead over the second
classified rider and more than 60 minutes over Antonio Martín, who was fifth.
Juan Jimeno, third and Miguel Gual, fourth, completed the first five positions
in the Individual Overall Standings. Along with his final triumph, Rodriguez
also achieved six partial victories, less than in previous editions, though,
obviously, the real important thing for him was the Individual Overall Standings.
