Learco Guerra
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Learco Guerra (14 October 1902 – 7 February 1963) was an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The highlight of his career was his overall win in the 1934
Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...
. He was born in San Nicolò Po, a ''
frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...
'' of Bagnolo San Vito in
Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
, gained the nickname of "Human Locomotive" for his enduring quality in plain stages. After mediocre attempts to play football, Guerra became a professional cyclist in 1928, at 26. The following year he became Italian champion, racing as an independent or semi-professional. In 1930 he won his first Italian National Road Race Championships, the first of five straight wins. That same year he came second in the
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
after Italy's leader,
Alfredo Binda Alfredo Binda (11 August 1902 – 19 July 1986) was an Italian road bicycle racing, road cyclist of the 1920s and 1930s. He was the first to win five editions of the Giro d'Italia, and a three-time UCI Road World Championships – Men's road rac ...
, proved in poor form. The race was won by the Frenchman,
André Leducq André Leducq (; 27 February 1904 – 18 June 1980) was a French cyclist who won the 1930 and 1932 Tour de France, Tours de France. He also won a gold medal at the 1924 Summer Olympics in the team road race event and the 1928 Paris–Roubaix ...
. In 1931 Guerra won four stages of the
Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...
but not the final victory. In this Giro, he was the first rider who wore the pink jersey. The same year he won the world cycling championship. In 1933 Guerra was again second in the Tour de France, and he won the
Milan–San Remo Milan–Sanremo (in italian language, Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance ...
. In 1934 came his greatest success, 10 stages of the Giro d'Italia and the general classification. He was also second in the world championship. Guerra set a record of victories in a single year that was beaten only in the 1970s. His fame was exploited by the
Fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...
government, which profited from his heroic status. After retirement, he worked as a team manager for riders such as Hugo Koblet and
Charly Gaul Charly Gaul Sporting Cyclist, UK, undated cutting (8 December 1932 – 6 December 2005)Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...
, he died in
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
in 1963.


Career achievements


Major results

;1929 :1st Coppa Appennino :1st Coppa Diamante :1st
Roncoferraro Roncoferraro ( Mantovano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan and about southeast of Mantua. Roncoferraro borders the following municipalities: Bagnolo S ...
:1st Vignola–Modena :2nd Coppa San Geo ;1930 :1st National Road Championships, Road Race :1st Circuito Monte Benici :1st Predappio Alta–Roma :1st Coppa Caivano :1st Stages 8 & 11
Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...
:1st
Torino Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
Criterium :2nd
UCI Road World Championships The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and , a UCI Road World Championships ...
, Road Race :2nd Overall
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
::1st Stages 2, 13 & 15 :3rd
Giro di Lombardia The Giro di Lombardia (), officially ''Il Lombardia'', is a cycling race in Lombardy, Italy. It is traditionally the last of the five 'Cycling monument, Monuments' of the season, considered to be one of the most prestigious one-day events in cycli ...
:8th
Milan–San Remo Milan–Sanremo (in italian language, Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance ...
;1931 :1st
UCI Road World Championships The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and , a UCI Road World Championships ...
, Road Race :1st National Road Championships, Road Race :1st Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria :1st Corsa del Commercio :1st Coppa de la Victoria :1st Prix Dupré-Lapize :1st Stages 1, 2, 7 & 8
Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...
:2nd
Milan–San Remo Milan–Sanremo (in italian language, Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance ...
;1932 :1st National Road Championships, Road Race :1st
Giro di Campania The Giro di Campania was a one-day road cycling race held annually in the region of Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Pe ...
:1st Giro della Toscana :1st Predappio Alta–Roma :1st Stages 1, 4, 6, 7, 9 & 13
Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...
:4th Grand Prix des Nations ;1933 :1st National Road Championships, Road Race :1st
Milan–San Remo Milan–Sanremo (in italian language, Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance ...
:1st Circuito Belfiore :1st
Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
Criterium :1st Corsa del Commercio :1st Prix Goullet-Fogler :1st Stages 1, 3 & 5
Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...
:2nd Overall
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
::1st Stages 2, 6, 7, 18 & 23 :2nd Giro delle Due Province Messina :3rd Six Days of Paris ;1934 :1st National Road Championships, Road Race :1st Overall
Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...
::1st Stages 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12 & 14 :1st
Giro di Lombardia The Giro di Lombardia (), officially ''Il Lombardia'', is a cycling race in Lombardy, Italy. It is traditionally the last of the five 'Cycling monument, Monuments' of the season, considered to be one of the most prestigious one-day events in cycli ...
:1st GP Lugano :1st Milano–Modena :1st
Giro di Campania The Giro di Campania was a one-day road cycling race held annually in the region of Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Pe ...
:1st Giro del Piemonte :1st Corsa del Commercio :1st GP Valle Scrivia :1st Giro della Provincia Milano (with Domenico Piemontesi) :1st Roma–Napoli–Roma :1st
Firenze Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
Criterium :1st
Pavia Pavia ( , ; ; ; ; ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, in Northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino (river), Ticino near its confluence with the Po (river), Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was a major polit ...
Criterium :2nd
UCI Road World Championships The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and , a UCI Road World Championships ...
, Road Race :2nd Six Days of Paris :2nd Prix Goullet-Fogler Madison ;1935 :1st Milano–Modena :1st Giro della Romagna :1st Giro della Provincia Milano :1st Six Days of Antwerp :2nd Milano–San Remo :2nd Prix Houlier-Comès Madison :2nd Six Days of Paris :3rd
Cossato Cossato is a ''municipality'' in the province of Biella, Italy, in the northwest part of Piedmont, east of Biella. It has a population of about 14,804 and it spreads over an area of 27,74 km2, which makes it the second largest town in the Pro ...
Criterium :4th Overall
Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...
::1st Stages 3, 4, 7, 8 & 10 ;1936 :1st Overall Giro della Provincia Milano (with
Gino Bartali Gino Bartali, (; 18 July 1914 – 5 May 2000), nicknamed Gino the Pious and (in Italy) Ginettaccio, was a champion road cyclist. He was the most renowned Italian cyclist before the Second World War, having won the Giro d'Italia twice, in ...
) ;1937 :1st Corsa del Commercio :1st GP Lugano :1st Stage 9
Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...
:1st
Cuneo Cuneo (; ; ; ) is a city and in Piedmont, Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the fourth largest of Italy’s provinces by area. It is located at 550 metres (1,804 ft) in the south-west of Piedmont, at the confluence of the ri ...
Criterium :2nd Six Days of Paris :3rd Six Days of Brussels ;1938 :2nd Giro della Toscana :3rd Overall
Giro di Campania The Giro di Campania was a one-day road cycling race held annually in the region of Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Pe ...
;1939 :2nd Copa España ;1940 :1st Circuito de Casalecchio di Reno ;1942 :1st National Track Championships, Individual Pursuit


Grand Tour general classification results timeline


Bibliography

*


See also

* Legends of Italian sport - Walk of Fame


External links

*
Official Tour de France results for Learco Guerra
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guerra, Learco 1902 births 1963 deaths Cyclists from the Province of Mantua Italian male cyclists Giro d'Italia winners Italian Giro d'Italia stage winners UCI Road World Champions (elite men) Italian Tour de France stage winners 20th-century Italian sportsmen