Gino Bartali

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Gino Bartali

Personal information
Full name	Gino Bartali
Date of birth	July 18, 1914(1914-07-18)
Date of death	May 5, 2000 (aged 85)
Country	Italy
Team information
Discipline	Road
Role	Cyclist
Rider type	Climber
Major wins
Winner of the Tour de France (1938 & 1948) Winner of the Giro d'Italia (1936 & 1937 & 1946)
Infobox last updated on:
9 August 2007

Gino Bartali, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI^[1] (July 18, 1914 - May 5, 2000) was an Italian professional road racing cyclist. He was the most renowned Italian cyclist prior to the Second World War, having won the Giro d'Italia twice (in 1936 and 1937) and the Tour de France in 1938. His second and last win in 1948 placed him in the record books for having the largest gap between victories in the French race.

Contents 1 History and career 2 Rivalry with Fausto Coppi 3 Bartali outside of cycling 4 Career highlights 5 External links 6 References

[edit] History and career

Gino Bartali was born in Ponte a Ema near Florence. He was a promising amateur racing cyclist and turned professional in 1935, winning a stage of that year's Giro and taking the overall King of the Mountains title - the first of an eventual seven mountains wins in the Giro. In 1936, he took overall victory in the Giro and won the Giro di Lombardia Classic, but his season was marred by the death of his brother, Giulio, in a racing accident, and Gino almost gave up the sport.

However, he was persuaded to return and in 1937 took a second Giro victory but, despite winning a stage and wearing the leader's maillot jaune, Bartali was forced to abandon the 1937 Tour de France following injuries sustained in a crash. He was determined to win the French race, and after being forced to drop the 1938 Giro from his schedule by the fascist dictatorship, he had to concentrate on the race to victory in Paris. However the animosity among European countries on the eve of World War II meant that Italy would not send riders to the 1939 Tour de France, making it impossible for Bartali to defend his title.

Bartali was famous as a climber and pioneered the use of the Campagnolo shifting system. Previously the two available gears were mounted on opposite sides of the rear wheel hub, and switching between the two meant stopping the bicycle and switching the orientation of the rear wheel. The new system allowed a rider to simply (by comparison) backpedal, engage a rod to switch the chain to the other gear, and start pedaling anew. This sequence of motion often struck fear into the hearts of his opponents, as it was a sure sign that Bartali was ready to attack.

Bartali won three editions of the Giro d'Italia before (1936, 1937) and after (1946) the World War, and several editions of classics such as Milan-Sanremo, the Giro di Lombardia and the Züri-Metzgete. His most famous victory was that of the 1948 Tour de France, during which he made a strong comeback in the mountains to win the race.

[edit] Rivalry with Fausto Coppi

Bartali grew up in a deeply religious family in Tuscany, and his strong religious belief earned him the nickname of "Gino the Pious". He was said to resent it when his team-mates swore, and insisted on praying before each and every meal. In contrast, Fausto Coppi who was five years his junior grew up in Piedmont in the north of Italy, and was not religious at all.

Bartali's rivalry with Coppi is said to have divided Italy.^{[citation needed]} Bartali, conservative and deeply religious, was venerated in the rural, agrarian south, while Coppi, more worldly, secular, and innovative in his ideas of diet and training, was the hero of the urban, industrial north.

Nevertheless, Bartali was instrumental in getting Coppi a contract in his team at the end of the 1939 season, and - after an early crash had ruined Bartali's chances - Bartali also helped Coppi win the 1940 Giro d'Italia. A famous photo shows them sharing a drink while in competition, and their supposed rivalry was the subject of intense coverage and resulted in many epic races.

When professional cycle racing resumed in 1946 after World War II, Bartali narrowly beat Coppi in that year's Giro, while Coppi won Milan-Sanremo. Bartali won the Tour de Suisse twice, another Milan-Sanremo, and the 1948 Tour de France - a full ten years after his last victory. Coppi took victories in the 1947 Giro, the Giro di Lombardia and the Grand Prix des Nations.

Despite the rivalry, perhaps heightened by Coppi's victory in the 1949 Giro, Bartali supported Coppi's bid in the 1949 Tour de France. The two Italian team-mates destroyed the race as a contest in a mountainous Alpine stage over the Col de Vars and Col d'Izoard. When Coppi punctured on the Izoard, Bartali waited for him, then Bartali did the same and Coppi waited. On the final climb to Briançon, Coppi allowed Bartali to win (on his 35th birthday) and take the yellow jersey. But Coppi assumed the maillot jaune the following day after Bartali punctured with 40 km of the stage still to race. Coppi retained the leadership to Paris, while Bartali took second place on the podium.

The 1950 Tour de France saw him lead the Italian team again, with Coppi electing not to contest the race, but having been threatened by frenzied fans the entire Italian team resigned from the race.

[edit] Bartali outside of cycling

Bartali was recently discovered to have used his fame as a cyclist to carry messages and documents to members of the Italian Resistance, whose efforts included transporting Jewish Italians to safer locations. His fame meant that neither the Fascist police or the German troops were willing to risk discontent by arresting him.

Giorgio Nissim, an Italian Jew, was a member of DelAsEm (Delegation for the Assistance to Emigrants) the organization founded by the Union of the Israelitic Communities to help Jewish Italians escape the Nazi-fascist persecutions; in autumn 1943 the entire network in the Tuscany region was discovered and all members except Nissim were arrested and sent to concentration camps. He had many contacts within the Roman Catholic Church and, as he told in an interview in 1969, he also met the pope Pius XII, so with the help of the Archbishop of Genua, the Franciscan Friars and other he re-organized DelAsEm and helped at least 800 people escape persecution.

After his death in 2000 his sons found his diaries and started transcribing them to publish a book and with great surprise found that Bartali, a fervent Catholic and member of Azione Cattolica since 1935, used his fame to help the network. Nissim and the Oblati Friars of Lucca had set up a clandestine print works to forge documents necessary to get people out of the country, but they needed actual photographs of the persons, which were to be found in other convents in the region.

To solve the problem Bartali would leave Florence early in the morning with a t-shirt bearing his name pretending to train, reach the convent where the Jews were hiding, collect their photographs which had been previously hidden in the charity box, hide them on his bike and bring them to where Nissim was waiting for him in another convent. Later he would take a different route, going first to the convent where Nissim had by then produced the forged documents and hidden them in the charity box, collect the forged documents and hide them on his bike, go back to the convent where the Jews were hidden, and leave the documents for them in the charity box.

Bartali used his position to gain valuable information about Fascist raids on Partisan safehouses and would warn the Partisians of upcoming raids, so they would not be caught smuggling Jewish Refugees. But the Fascists could do nothing to stop him, as arresting Bartali would have caused an uprising.

However, once the Nazis invaded the country, pressure was put on the Fascists to solve the problems of their missing Jews. Bartali was taken to Villa Triste in Florence. A place occupied by the German SD and the sadist Italian RSS officer, Mario Carità. It was a place where hundreds of political opponents were tortured and executed. Here they questioned Bartali about the charity he was doing and told him to avoid his catholic frequentations, threatening his life if he did not obey them. Bartali simply answered "I do what I feel [in my heart]".

Even after the interrogation, Bartali continued his activities with what would eventually be known as the Assisi Underground. In 1943, after several Catholic guides were forced into hiding, Bartali began leading the Jewish refugees out of Italy and towards the Swiss Alps himself; all under the nose of the Nazi patrols. Eventually he fabricated a wagon with a secret compartment for hiding those in need safe passage. When stopped and questioned by patrols, Bartali would simply tell them that towing the wagon was just part of his training regimen.

Bartali never spoke about these episodes and only told his son Andrea that "One does these things and then that's that".

[edit] Career highlights

[edit] External links

• Ginettaccio - The life and legend of Gino Bartali (Italian language)
• Gino Bartali Cycling Museum (Italian language)
• Revealed: Bartali used wartime training to save Jews
• Tour de France palmares

[edit] References

1. ^ quirinale.it

Sporting positions
Preceded by Roger Lapébie	Winner of the Tour de France 1938	Succeeded by Sylvère Maes
Preceded by Jean Robic	Winner of the Tour de France 1948	Succeeded by Fausto Coppi
Preceded by Vasco Bergamaschi	Winner of the Giro d'Italia 1936-37	Succeeded by Giovanni Valetti
Preceded by Fausto Coppi	Winner of the Giro d'Italia 1946	Succeeded by Fausto Coppi

v • d • e Tour de France Yellow jersey winners 1903 Maurice Garin · 1904 Henri Cornet · 1905 Louis Trousselier · 1906 René Pottier · 1907-1908 Lucien Petit-Breton · 1909 François Faber · 1910 Octave Lapize · 1911 Gustave Garrigou · 1912 Odile Defraye · 1913-1914 Philippe Thys · 1915-1918 World War I · 1919 Firmin Lambot · 1920 Philippe Thys · 1921 Léon Scieur · 1922 Firmin Lambot · 1923 Henri Pélissier · 1924-1925 Ottavio Bottecchia · 1926 Lucien Buysse · 1927-1928 Nicolas Frantz · 1929 Maurice De Waele · 1930 André Leducq · 1931 Antonin Magne · 1932 André Leducq · 1933 Georges Speicher · 1934 Antonin Magne · 1935 Romain Maes · 1936 Sylvère Maes · 1937 Roger Lapébie · 1938 Gino Bartali · 1939 Sylvère Maes · 1940-1946 World War II · 1947 Jean Robic · 1948 Gino Bartali · 1949 Fausto Coppi · 1950 Ferdinand Kübler · 1951 Hugo Koblet · 1952 Fausto Coppi · 1953-1955 Louison Bobet · 1956 Roger Walkowiak · 1957 Jacques Anquetil · 1958 Charly Gaul · 1959 Federico Bahamontes · 1960 Gastone Nencini · 1961-1964 Jacques Anquetil · 1965 Felice Gimondi · 1966 Lucien Aimar · 1967 Roger Pingeon · 1968 Jan Janssen · 1969-1972 Eddy Merckx · 1973 Luis Ocaña · 1974 Eddy Merckx · 1975 Bernard Thévenet · 1976 Lucien Van Impe · 1977 Bernard Thévenet · 1978-1979 Bernard Hinault · 1980 Joop Zoetemelk · 1981-1982 Bernard Hinault · 1983-1984 Laurent Fignon · 1985 Bernard Hinault · 1986 Greg LeMond · 1987 Stephen Roche · 1988 Pedro Delgado · 1989-1990 Greg LeMond · 1991-1995 Miguel Indurain · 1996 Bjarne Riis · 1997 Jan Ullrich · 1998 Marco Pantani · 1999-2005 Lance Armstrong · 2006 Óscar Pereiro · 2007 Alberto Contador · 2008 Carlos Sastre

v • d • e Tour de France Meilleur Grimpeur (Polka dot jersey) winners 1933 Trueba · 1934 Vietto · 1935 Vervaecke · 1936 Berrendero · 1937 Vervaecke · 1938 Bartali · 1939 Maes · 1947 Brambilla · 1948 Bartali · 1949 Coppi · 1950 Bobet · 1951 Géminiani · 1952 Coppi · 1953 Loroño · 1954 Bahamontes · 1955–1956 Gaul · 1957 Nencini · 1958–1959 Bahamontes · 1960–1961 Massignan · 1962–1964 Bahamontes · 1965–1967 Jiménez · 1968 González · 1969–1970 Merckx · 1971–1972 Van Impe · 1973 Torres · 1974 Perurena · 1975 Van Impe · 1976 Bellini · 1977 Van Impe · 1978 Martínez · 1979 Battaglin · 1980 Martin · 1981 Van Impe · 1982 Vallet · 1983 Van Impe · 1984 Millar · 1985 Herrera · 1986 Hinault · 1987 Herrera · 1988 Rooks · 1989 Theunisse · 1990 Claveyrolat · 1991–1992 Chiappucci · 1993 Rominger · 1994–1997 Virenque · 1998 Rinero · 1999 Virenque · 2000 Botero · 2001–2002 Jalabert · 2003–2004 Virenque · 2005–2006 Rasmussen · 2007 Soler · 2008 Kohl

Persondata
NAME	Bartali, Gino
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Road cyclist, winner of Tour de France and Giro d'Italia
DATE OF BIRTH	1914-07-18
PLACE OF BIRTH	Ponte a Ema, Florence
DATE OF DEATH	2000-05-05
PLACE OF DEATH