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Pedalare! Pedalare! A History of Italian Cycling
Cycling was a sport so important in Italy that it marked a generation, sparked fears of civil war, changed the way Italian was spoken, led to legal reform and even prompted the Pope himself to praise a cyclist, by name, from his balcony in St Peter's in Rome. It was a sport so popular that it created the geography of Italy in the minds of her citizens, and some have said that it was cycling, not political change, that united Italy.
Pedalare! Pedalare! is the first complete history of Italian cycling to be published in English. The book moves chronologically from the first Giro d'Italia (Italy's equivalent of the Tour de France) in 1909 to the present day. The tragedies and triumphs of great riders such as Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali appear alongside stories of the support riders, snow-bound mountains and the first and only woman to ride the whole Giro.
Cycling's relationship with Italian history, politics and culture is always up front, with reference to fascism, the cold war and the effect of two world wars. The sport is explored alongside changes in Italian society as a whole, from the poor peasants who took up cycling in the early, pioneering period, to the slick, professional sport of today. Scandals and controversy appear throughout the book as constant features of the connection between fans, journalists and cycling.
Concluding with an examination of doping, which has helped to destroy what was at one time the most popular sport of all, Pedalare, Pedalare is an engrossing history of a national passion.
Pedalare! Pedalare! is the first complete history of Italian cycling to be published in English. The book moves chronologically from the first Giro d'Italia (Italy's equivalent of the Tour de France) in 1909 to the present day. The tragedies and triumphs of great riders such as Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali appear alongside stories of the support riders, snow-bound mountains and the first and only woman to ride the whole Giro.
Cycling's relationship with Italian history, politics and culture is always up front, with reference to fascism, the cold war and the effect of two world wars. The sport is explored alongside changes in Italian society as a whole, from the poor peasants who took up cycling in the early, pioneering period, to the slick, professional sport of today. Scandals and controversy appear throughout the book as constant features of the connection between fans, journalists and cycling.
Concluding with an examination of doping, which has helped to destroy what was at one time the most popular sport of all, Pedalare, Pedalare is an engrossing history of a national passion.
372 pages, Paperback
First published May 3, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 18, 2014
When you write a book about cycling and its history, and then manage to bore an avid cyclist fan and keen history reader surely that means you've done something wrong.
What did John Foot intend with this book?. According to his own words Pedalare Pedalare will tell the history of cycling as a history of Italy itself.
Foot divided the structure in three main parts: the heroic, golden and doping [sic] age. (As if there was no doping before the 60s, how naive).
When he writes about the so-called Heroic Age, Foot captures quite well the essence of the epic rides cyclists had to do at the Giro's beginnings. He goes on to explain how cycling became so rooted in Italian psyche during that time as well, and arguably it's the best part of the book as far as cycling and history is concerned.
Things start to twist from the Golden Age onwards though. Cycling became the first sport in Italy after the WW2, thanks to the rivalry between Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali. It's when Foot starts to mix politics and sport that things get muddy. That's by making connections between Bartali and Catholic Church and Coppi and Communists. Same thing happens to Alfredo Binda and its connection to Italian Fascism. Foot makes a point in saying how a rider would be a supporter of certain side in some way; but then he keeps stressing that point over and over again. It's UBER-REPETITIVE to exhaustion. That's where he loses his track in this book, by trying to tell the history of Italy thru cycling I think he set himself a goal too wide and the end result is wishy-washy at best.
Not to mention that he ignores many Italian cyclists of the 80s and 90s and then out of the blue Lance Armstrong comes in to make his appearance just because he rode 2009 Giro. That doesn't feel right. And that was in the Doping Age part.
I understand doping is a dark side of cycling and its existence must be told. Actually Foot does a good job in explaining the rise of doctors like Conconi and Ferrari and the methods they used. But again, he goes on a ramble after making a point on doping that makes you feel you're having a constant deja vu. In the end this part of the book is bigger than the attention he granted to the 3 decades spanned between 1970s and 1990s. To me that was he biggest mistake.
There are also some typos and pitfalls in the edition I bought (the funniest I saw says Francesco Moser's birthplace, Palù di Giovo is 500 kilometres above sea level!).
All in All, an interesting read up to the first 1/3... from there on it's boring to no end. A passable book nonetheless.
What did John Foot intend with this book?. According to his own words Pedalare Pedalare will tell the history of cycling as a history of Italy itself.
Foot divided the structure in three main parts: the heroic, golden and doping [sic] age. (As if there was no doping before the 60s, how naive).
When he writes about the so-called Heroic Age, Foot captures quite well the essence of the epic rides cyclists had to do at the Giro's beginnings. He goes on to explain how cycling became so rooted in Italian psyche during that time as well, and arguably it's the best part of the book as far as cycling and history is concerned.
Things start to twist from the Golden Age onwards though. Cycling became the first sport in Italy after the WW2, thanks to the rivalry between Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali. It's when Foot starts to mix politics and sport that things get muddy. That's by making connections between Bartali and Catholic Church and Coppi and Communists. Same thing happens to Alfredo Binda and its connection to Italian Fascism. Foot makes a point in saying how a rider would be a supporter of certain side in some way; but then he keeps stressing that point over and over again. It's UBER-REPETITIVE to exhaustion. That's where he loses his track in this book, by trying to tell the history of Italy thru cycling I think he set himself a goal too wide and the end result is wishy-washy at best.
Not to mention that he ignores many Italian cyclists of the 80s and 90s and then out of the blue Lance Armstrong comes in to make his appearance just because he rode 2009 Giro. That doesn't feel right. And that was in the Doping Age part.
I understand doping is a dark side of cycling and its existence must be told. Actually Foot does a good job in explaining the rise of doctors like Conconi and Ferrari and the methods they used. But again, he goes on a ramble after making a point on doping that makes you feel you're having a constant deja vu. In the end this part of the book is bigger than the attention he granted to the 3 decades spanned between 1970s and 1990s. To me that was he biggest mistake.
There are also some typos and pitfalls in the edition I bought (the funniest I saw says Francesco Moser's birthplace, Palù di Giovo is 500 kilometres above sea level!).
All in All, an interesting read up to the first 1/3... from there on it's boring to no end. A passable book nonetheless.
September 12, 2017
A most interesting read.
June 2, 2021
This is not just a history of the Giro, or a rehash of famous stages, or a list of the key events in riders' lives. It's a look at the role of cycling in the history of Italy, and the associated myths that have grown up around the sport. Often, those myths are simplistic, contradictory, or just false, and yet they are a part of the history of the sport and the county.
I learned a couple of things. 1) Fascism touched everything, but cycling received only a glancing blow because Mussolini didn't particularly care about the sport. 2) When you look at the famous Italian riders in depth, it's hard to find heroes. Practically every one of them managed to tarnish their sporting legacy in one way or another. 3) Doping was prevalent in the peloton for 50 years before Armstrong, at least.
The one negative about this book is the style. To be honest, at times it seemed like chapters were cut-n-paste jobs from shorter articles. Lots of repetition of bits of information that didn't need to be repeated, and some chapters seemingly starting over in the middle (the chapter on Coppi and Bartali particularly). This did prevent me from getting in the flow as I was reading, but I still found something to think about after I put the book down each time.
I learned a couple of things. 1) Fascism touched everything, but cycling received only a glancing blow because Mussolini didn't particularly care about the sport. 2) When you look at the famous Italian riders in depth, it's hard to find heroes. Practically every one of them managed to tarnish their sporting legacy in one way or another. 3) Doping was prevalent in the peloton for 50 years before Armstrong, at least.
The one negative about this book is the style. To be honest, at times it seemed like chapters were cut-n-paste jobs from shorter articles. Lots of repetition of bits of information that didn't need to be repeated, and some chapters seemingly starting over in the middle (the chapter on Coppi and Bartali particularly). This did prevent me from getting in the flow as I was reading, but I still found something to think about after I put the book down each time.
June 13, 2018
A mixed bag this one. Some interesting points of discussion and historical research. But the last part on doping falls flat, with Lance shoehorned in because he rode one Giro.
In retrospect, the book should have focussed on the golden age and prior - as it tries to be all encompassing, it doesn’t do modern cycling any justice whatsoever. The historical context of what cycling meant to Italy is where the author is in his stride.
In retrospect, the book should have focussed on the golden age and prior - as it tries to be all encompassing, it doesn’t do modern cycling any justice whatsoever. The historical context of what cycling meant to Italy is where the author is in his stride.
September 18, 2025
Very in-depth, a bit too much so for my taste at times.
And it'd be great to have an updated covering the ~15 years since - definitely missing Nibali!
Good stuff though and I'm glad the author doesn't hide let their own thoughts either re: topics such as the shameful widespread doping culture in the sport.
And it'd be great to have an updated covering the ~15 years since - definitely missing Nibali!
Good stuff though and I'm glad the author doesn't hide let their own thoughts either re: topics such as the shameful widespread doping culture in the sport.
May 26, 2020
A really evocative and accessible history of Italian Cycling. Its a little less thorough when it gets to the 80s onward, but the author has his reasons, even if I feel he misses an opportunity to dig into the nuance of the "doping years"
April 28, 2018
A very interesting read on Italian cycling but also taking into account the cultural and political backgrounds of it. I got to learn a fair bit reading it and really liked the book.
October 14, 2021
The history of Italian cycling
October 1, 2025
Great look into the greatest cyclists in Italy and the effects of cycling on the Italian culture.
May 17, 2013
Pedalare! Pedalare! A History of Italian Cycling by John Foot
I was in bad need of escape. I was stuck into Debt: The first 5000 years– by David Graeber and I was sinking fast. Only 160 pages in and I was lost, utterly, amongst tribeswomen in Madagascar. Fortunately, a friend had given me the above history of Italian cycling by John Foot and in that, with the approach of the Giro D’Italia [the 3 week tour of Italy for the uninitiated] I sought salvation.
Italy is a fascinating place, but when Italians partake in something it tends to be done in their own particular way. Cycling, was one of those things, it went through a golden period, at a time when Italy was growing up, and for that reason it’s been a rich source of nostalgia for many. The Giro came about, and love affair started when all of Italy used to bike, to get to work, to go a courting, to deliver the goods. There is rich history for Foot to write about.
There is Binda, from the really early days, looking like something from the whacky races, with goggles on, gritted teeth pulling out a tube from a punctured wheel who was the first. Then there was Gino Bartali, the good man, the humble catholic who saved the Country from Civil War after an assassination attempt on a communist leader, by winning the Tour De France. Then there is Fausto, the little angelic climber who flew up mountains and won in legendary fashion. A prisoner of war, he returned home to Novi Ligure by bike and hitching lifts. In 1946 he won Milan San Remo. His life was blighted by tragic death of his younger brother, the messy adultery with the lady in white which put him on a collision course with the church. The great rivalry between him and Bartali is in this book as it the story of the third man who was linked with the black shirted fascists. These are only some of the tales that are contained in this book.
The Vigorelli velodrome in Milan may now be used for American football but the Giro continues and if you are a fan of the Italian devotion to cycling, you’ll enjoy this book. Foot could be a little less dry with such rich material but he’s a fan for all that, and the Giro lives on. The Giro is “like living in Italy. Nothing is straightforward; there are surprises around every corner, good and bad." Cycling and its golden days are behind it in Italy, but cycling without the Italians is unthinkable.
I was in bad need of escape. I was stuck into Debt: The first 5000 years– by David Graeber and I was sinking fast. Only 160 pages in and I was lost, utterly, amongst tribeswomen in Madagascar. Fortunately, a friend had given me the above history of Italian cycling by John Foot and in that, with the approach of the Giro D’Italia [the 3 week tour of Italy for the uninitiated] I sought salvation.
Italy is a fascinating place, but when Italians partake in something it tends to be done in their own particular way. Cycling, was one of those things, it went through a golden period, at a time when Italy was growing up, and for that reason it’s been a rich source of nostalgia for many. The Giro came about, and love affair started when all of Italy used to bike, to get to work, to go a courting, to deliver the goods. There is rich history for Foot to write about.
There is Binda, from the really early days, looking like something from the whacky races, with goggles on, gritted teeth pulling out a tube from a punctured wheel who was the first. Then there was Gino Bartali, the good man, the humble catholic who saved the Country from Civil War after an assassination attempt on a communist leader, by winning the Tour De France. Then there is Fausto, the little angelic climber who flew up mountains and won in legendary fashion. A prisoner of war, he returned home to Novi Ligure by bike and hitching lifts. In 1946 he won Milan San Remo. His life was blighted by tragic death of his younger brother, the messy adultery with the lady in white which put him on a collision course with the church. The great rivalry between him and Bartali is in this book as it the story of the third man who was linked with the black shirted fascists. These are only some of the tales that are contained in this book.
The Vigorelli velodrome in Milan may now be used for American football but the Giro continues and if you are a fan of the Italian devotion to cycling, you’ll enjoy this book. Foot could be a little less dry with such rich material but he’s a fan for all that, and the Giro lives on. The Giro is “like living in Italy. Nothing is straightforward; there are surprises around every corner, good and bad." Cycling and its golden days are behind it in Italy, but cycling without the Italians is unthinkable.
February 18, 2017
Readable academic treatment of the subject (lots of cross referenced quotations) which seeks to understand the myths around Italian cycling - how they arose, why they were propagated as well as how cycling interacted with Italian politics and identity. Particularly good on Bartali's 1948 win and how it was retold as having averted a political crisis after an assassination attempt on the Catholic Bartoli supporting Communist Party leader that was in fact nearly a left wing revolution that was embarrassing to the communist party. Less good on the Coppi & Bartali rivalry where it spends more time discussing how he will unravel and examine the myth than actually doing it.
May 31, 2011
I've not actually finished this book, more gave up on it during a long and stressful train journey. As Eric Morecambe once said, it has all the right notes but not necesarily in the right order. A history of Italian cycling is appealing, even more so when it is related to Italian life, history and politics in general. Unfortunately, Foot doesn't manage to provide a smooth journey. Each chapter is fitful, jumping backwards and forwards, covering old information as if it is new and new information with an over familiarity that can confuse. In essence it really needs a good edit unless it was designed to be syndicated in periodicals. Therefore, a nice idea, shame about the execution.
December 17, 2017
Well researched if not always interesting or well put together, it traces the ark of technology and consumer capitalism from the beginning of the Giro with its drummed up nationalism, drugs, local heroes and rampant exploitation of the riders as different newspapers from different countries competed to see who could come up with the most brutal race in an effort to sell the the most papers.
Followed by rapid, unchecked growth of the race industry to the present day Too Big To Fail system rife with ridiculous sums of money, drugs, and, of course, pining for the 'good ole days' when men were men and didnt have EPO and were forced to ride using only their wits, cocaine and brandy.
Followed by rapid, unchecked growth of the race industry to the present day Too Big To Fail system rife with ridiculous sums of money, drugs, and, of course, pining for the 'good ole days' when men were men and didnt have EPO and were forced to ride using only their wits, cocaine and brandy.
September 18, 2015
Un buon libro. Nonostante l'estenuante numero di ripetizioni, e l'impressione che i capitoli siano totalmente slegati l'uno dall'altro vista la necessità dell'autore di ripetere incessantemente le stesse cose, il libro è pieno di racconti interessantissimi e di punti di vista condivisibili e non sulla storia del ciclismo nostrano. Certamente non dimenticherò facilmente certi aneddoti sul periodo del ciclismo eroico o su Charly Gaul
June 11, 2012
Interesting overview of Italy's cycling history. Trys to tie a lot of Italian national history into the characters as well
Slightly spoiled by the rants at the end of the book about red light jumping, drug[1] and helmet wearing. Think this shows the author is much more interested in the linking of cycling and society, rather than an actual cycling fan.
Slightly spoiled by the rants at the end of the book about red light jumping, drug[1] and helmet wearing. Think this shows the author is much more interested in the linking of cycling and society, rather than an actual cycling fan.
May 24, 2013
An excellent study of the history of racing in Italy. All the racing greats receive a chapter, and the history of bike racing is woven in with parallels in in the changing history of Italy. As politics, wars, and economics change so does the shape of Italian bike racing. The book is very well researched and the author does a great job at moving the dialog forward.
July 21, 2013
Il ciclismo sportivo nel suo declino, immerso ed indissolubilmente legato alla cornice storica del nostro Bel Paese, bel libro, sicuramente non approfondito per gli appassionati ma molto più ricco di contestualizzazioni e più oggettivo. Consigliato
May 20, 2014
Pedalare! Pedalare! is an interesting account of road racing in Italy. The author focuses primarily on the 1930s - 1950s. It would have been better to have more information about minor races and more current riders (besides Marco Pantani).
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews