 63 riders started the race in Milan at 6 a.m., when news broke that heavy snow fell on the Turchino, prompting some riders to return home immediately.Cyrille Van Hauwaert, winner of the 1908 race, broke away and had a 3-minute lead over Octave Lapize, Luigi Ganna and Ernest Paul when they reached Ovada.Eugène Christophe was in fifth place at 10 minutes.