CARTAGIOCO MILANO SANREMO
VITT (Settimanale dei Ragazzi), Italy, 1968

This is a game included in the VITT magazine (Anno XXXII, nş 12, 21 marzo 1968). VITT is the follow-up to "Il Vittorioso", a kid's Catholic magazine that had featured at least one cycling game some years before. Also under the name VITT the magazine offered a Tour de France game a few weeks later.

I wonder if there were more cycling games in these magazines. Unless there is a mention on the front cover, these games are very hard to detect, but that does not mean they do not exist. Hints welcome.


 

It does not look like it at first sight, but the board is a game-of-goose-like spiral path (follow the numbers if you are not convinced). On it we find the race's famous climbs: the Turchino (squares 27-32), the three capi (Capo Mele, 41; Capo Cervo, 45; Capo Berta, 49), and the Colle di San Remo: 54-56, after which's descent there is a mass fall square (57).


 

 

Of course, the rules of the game are inspired by the game of goose too, with some cycling flavour nonetheless. On the climbing squares, for instance, you only move with even numbers, while on the descent squares you double your throw. You have the usual (back then!) level crossing square (42), punctures, falls... and some squares with rider faces.

 

 

According to the rules, the cyclists depicted on the board are Adorni (5), Bitossi (26), Gimondi (34), Motta (43), Gimondi again (47) and Merckx (59). Needless to say, there is a mistake. There is only one Gimondi, on square 34, and the rider on square 47 is not Felice Gimondi, but Rudi Altig, winner of the 1968 Milano Sanremo.

This tells us something about the speed at which these magazines were made. This VITT magazine is dated March 21, just two days after the race, which was held on March 19. They probably had to replace whichever cyclist was featured on square 47 with the winner of that year's race. If I had to bet, I would say that it was an Italian rider, as are the other riders featured except Merckx, and that it was one that had good chances to do well in the race. I would think of Italo Zilioli, Marino Basso, or Dino Zangedů, but of course that is just a wild guess. Anyway, they replaced the picture of the rider, but the mistake arrived when they replaced his name on the rules. As they say, haste makes waste.

By the way, all the rider squares are positive squares (you get an extra advance) except Merckx's, which had a special rule. If you cross paths with the Cannibal, you know you cannot win, and you quit the race straightaway. Too bad for the rule that Merckx (the winningest Milano Sanremo rider ever) did not win the race that year.

 

Thanks Didier, for the tip that allowed me to find this one

Description written in October 2024

 

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