The sport of road-cycling has suffered many metaphorical bumps and bruises over the past few years. Scandal has followed scandal as every race brings new allegations and accusations, and more top competitors fail doping tests. In the midst of this atmosphere, the sport has battled on like the peloton up the Cima Coppi. But it wasn’t always like this. One of Italy's all-time cycling greats made his name during one of the toughest periods in world history, and he did it as much by his exploits off the course as on.
Gino Bartali was born in 1919 in a small village near Florence. From the age of 13, when he worked in a bicycle shop, he began racing. He turned professional at the age of 21 and won his first Giro d’Italia title the next year. He achieved his second Giro title in 1937, which was followed shortly by a first place position at the Tour de France. In total Bartali would go on to win three Giros, two Tour de France titles and a number of other shorter races. The titles he won, however, do not tell the whole story of this man.
During World War Two, at the height of his fame, Bartali was an active member of the Italian resistance. He used his position as a famous cyclist to carry messages, photographs and forge documents between members of the underground, often cycling hundreds of kilometres at a time. It was no secret to the Fascist regime that Bartali was not a fan of theirs (he refused the suggestion that he should dedicate his 1938 Tour de France win to Mussolini), yet such was his status that the regime was afraid to be seen openly opposing him. The depths of Bartali’s involvement in the resistance were not discovered until after his death, as he never spoke about it except from with his son, Andrea Bartali, who he swore to secrecy. It is estimated that Bartali helped save up to