Gino Bartali is my cycling hero, by a long margin. Not only was he a tremendous cyclist, he was also a great human being. As a pure cyclist, he is surpassed by only Eddie Merckx, and probably equalled by Fausto Coppi. I strongly believe if World War II had never occurred, Gino would be known as the greatest cyclist of all time.
Gino was born in Ponte a Ema, in Fizenze, Italia on 18 July, 1914. He was the 3rd of four children brought up on a small family farm in Firenze. Gino was cursed with a square boxer's head, and was ugly as a mule. He was however blessed with an extraordinary talent for cycling.
Gino began working full time in a bicycle store at the tender age of 13, and that same year became involved in bicycle racing. In 1935 at the age of 21, Gino turned professional, and within a year, was Italian champion. The same year that he turned professional, Gino won the climbers jersey at the Giro d'Italia.
In 1936, before his 22nd birthday, Gino won the Giro d'Italia, and the Giro di Lombardia. In 1937, he won the Giro a second time and contested the Tour de France for the first time. Despite leading the race by over a minute, and taking the leader's jersey in Grenoble, Gino and his fellow riders had an accident, with Gino falling into a river. Despite his injuries, Gino finished riding that day, but later dropped out. He was considerate enough to let the organiser, Henri Desgrange know that he was dropping out. This led Henri to say: "You are the first rider to come to see me before dropping out. You're a good man [un brave garçon], Gino. We'll see each other again next year and you'll win."
Henri's statement turned out to be an extra-ordinary prediction. Gino did return the following year (1938), and he won the tour convincingly. His win on the tour came despite the cold weather, and a puncture on the Col de l'Iseran. He was treated as a god by Italian fans, and rightly so.
Unfortunately Gino could not contest the tour again for years, due to the outbreak of WWII.
During the war, Gino used his fame to deliver important documents for the Italian Resistance, despite the risk of capture by Italian or German soldiers. There have been numerous diary records of claims that Gino Bartali had assisted Jewish families escape persecution or capture by using his fame to deliver them false travel documents. Gino was able to get away with this by claiming he was training, while carrying documents. Soldiers knew of Gino, and didn't question him. He did once get taken to Villa Triste in Firenze for questioning, but he continued his work doing what he believed was right.
Following the war, at 32 years of age, Gino won the Giro d'Italian in 1946. His winning ways continued, and he won the Tour de France in 1948, and impressive 10 years after his previous win.
The 1948 tour win is one of the most remarkable feats of determination I've ever heard of. During the tour, Plamiro Togliatti (leader of the Italian communist party) was shot. Alicide de Gasperi, an old friend of Gino's phoned him up after the shooting. He explained that Italy was extremely tense, and although Plamiro had survived the shooting, Communists had occupied factories, media, and parliament was in turmoil. Italy needed a hero. They needed Bartali to win a stage. Gino promised more. He said he would win. At this stage he was 20 minutes behind the leader, Bobet in the lead. The next day was a major climbing stage. Bartali finished that stage 6 minutes ahead of any other rider, putting him in second place, only a minute or so behind Bobet. By the end of the tour, Gino had won by almost 30 minutes. A phenomenal achievement for a man past his prime, winning on willpower alone. Gino Bartali's achievements united Italy, where tensions eased, and Italians celebrated an amazing victory.
Gino Bartali is often remembered for his rivalry with Fausto Coppi. Coppi was 5 years Bartali's junior, and whilst they were evenly matched, Coppi's youth allowed him to win more than Gino. Gino Bartali was robbed of his most important years because of the war. A terrible shame.In 1954, at the age of 40, Gino Bartali retired. And in May 2000, he died, in the same place he was born at the ripe old age of 85.
One instance that is often quoted to illustrate Gino's ruthlessness on the road is when early in his career two sprinters tried to box him in, so making it impossible for him to pass without crashing. Gino being the hardheaded Italian that he was, rode straight through them, resulting in all three of them crashing. Nobody ever dared try such a move on him again.
Gino was a chain smoker. As a former smoker myself, I can tell you that smoking does severely hamper your athletic ability when competing at a high level. Gino managed to win cycling's greatest accolades, in his youth, and as an older man. One would think that his heavy smoking would shorten his career, but it didn't. Retiring at 40 years of age, Gino's career was one of the longest in the sport of cycling. Smoking didn't even leave him with a shortened lifespan as it does to many of those who indulge in cigarettes. Gino lived to the ripe old age of 85.
Links for more information:
http://web.tiscali.it/bunkerit/bartali/
http://www.repubblica.it/online/sport/bartali/bartali/bartali.html
http://davesbikeblog.squarespace.com/blog/2008/1/21/gino-bartali-a-cyclist-who-saved-a-nation.html
http://www.cyclinghalloffame.com/riders/rider_bio.asp?rider_id=21
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gino_Bartali
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20000524/ai_n14315766
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