1950 Vuelta A Espana: Stage 5 - Highlights
The 1950 Vuelta a España was the 35th edition of the Vuelta a España, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Vuelta began in Madrid, on 26 April, and Stage 5 took place on 1 May. The stage was won by Fausto Coppi of the Bianchi team.
Coppi, the Italian champion, had been the pre-race favorite and had already won two stages. On Stage 5, he again proved his dominance, winning by over three minutes. His performance put him in the overall lead, which he would hold for the rest of the race.
The 1950 Vuelta was one of the most dominant performances in the history of the race. Coppi won six stages and finished more than 20 minutes ahead of the second-place finisher. It was a dominant display that cemented Coppi's place as one of the greatest cyclists of all time.
The 1950 Vuelta a España was the 35th edition of the Vuelta a España, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Vuelta began in Madrid, on 19 April, and Stage 5 occurred on 24 April. The race finished in Barcelona on 8 May.
Stage 5 was a mountainous stage with three categorized climbs. The first climb of the day was the Alto de Somosierra, the second was the Puerto de Navacerrada, and the last was the Alto de Beret. The stage was won by Italian Fausto Coppi. Coppi attacked on the Puerto de Navacerrada, which began just before the summit of the Alto de Somosierra. He caught and passed race leader Antonio Puchades, and then soloed to the finish in Barcelona. Puchades finished second, over three minutes behind Coppi.
Coppi's attack on Stage 5 was so effective that he took the race lead from Puchades. Coppi would go on to win the 1950 Vuelta a España.
