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Road to Valor: A True Story of WWII Italy, the Nazis, and the Cyclist Who Inspired a Nation
Road to Valor is the inspiring, against-the-odds story of Gino Bartali, the cyclist who made the greatest comeback in Tour de France history and secretly aided the Italian resistance during World War II.
Gino Bartali is best known as an Italian cycling the man who not only won the Tour de France twice, but also holds the record for the longest time span between victories. During the ten years that separated his hard-won triumphs, his actions, both on and off the racecourse, ensured him a permanent place in Italian hearts and minds.
In Road to Valor, Aili and Andres McConnon chronicle Bartali’s journey, starting in impoverished rural Tuscany where a scrawny, mischievous boy painstakingly saves his money to buy a bicycle and before long, is racking up wins throughout the country. At the age of 24, he stuns the world by winning the Tour de France and becomes an international sports icon.
But Mussolini’s Fascists try to hijack his victory for propaganda purposes, derailing Bartali’s career, and as the Nazis occupy Italy, Bartali undertakes secret and dangerous activities to help those being targeted. He shelters a family of Jews in an apartment he financed with his cycling winnings and is able to smuggle counterfeit identity documents hidden in his bicycle past Fascist and Nazi checkpoints because the soldiers recognize him as a national hero in training.
After the grueling wartime years, Bartali fights to rebuild his career as Italy emerges from the rubble. In 1948, the stakes are raised when midway through the Tour de France, an assassination attempt in Rome sparks nationwide political protests and riots. Despite numerous setbacks and a legendary snowstorm in the Alps, the chain-smoking, Chianti-loving, 34-year-old underdog comes back and wins the most difficult endurance competition on earth. Bartali’s inspiring performance helps unite his fractured homeland and restore pride and spirit to a country still reeling from war and despair .
Set in Italy and France against the turbulent backdrop of an unforgiving sport and threatening politics, Road to Valor is the breathtaking account of one man’s unsung heroism and his resilience in the face of adversity. Based on nearly ten years of research in Italy, France, and Israel, including interviews with Bartali’s family, former teammates, a Holocaust survivor Bartali saved, and many others, Road to Valor is the first book ever written about Bartali in English and the only book written in any language to fully explore the scope of Bartali’s wartime work. An epic tale of courage, comeback, and redemption, it is the untold story of one of the greatest athletes of the twentieth century.
Gino Bartali is best known as an Italian cycling the man who not only won the Tour de France twice, but also holds the record for the longest time span between victories. During the ten years that separated his hard-won triumphs, his actions, both on and off the racecourse, ensured him a permanent place in Italian hearts and minds.
In Road to Valor, Aili and Andres McConnon chronicle Bartali’s journey, starting in impoverished rural Tuscany where a scrawny, mischievous boy painstakingly saves his money to buy a bicycle and before long, is racking up wins throughout the country. At the age of 24, he stuns the world by winning the Tour de France and becomes an international sports icon.
But Mussolini’s Fascists try to hijack his victory for propaganda purposes, derailing Bartali’s career, and as the Nazis occupy Italy, Bartali undertakes secret and dangerous activities to help those being targeted. He shelters a family of Jews in an apartment he financed with his cycling winnings and is able to smuggle counterfeit identity documents hidden in his bicycle past Fascist and Nazi checkpoints because the soldiers recognize him as a national hero in training.
After the grueling wartime years, Bartali fights to rebuild his career as Italy emerges from the rubble. In 1948, the stakes are raised when midway through the Tour de France, an assassination attempt in Rome sparks nationwide political protests and riots. Despite numerous setbacks and a legendary snowstorm in the Alps, the chain-smoking, Chianti-loving, 34-year-old underdog comes back and wins the most difficult endurance competition on earth. Bartali’s inspiring performance helps unite his fractured homeland and restore pride and spirit to a country still reeling from war and despair .
Set in Italy and France against the turbulent backdrop of an unforgiving sport and threatening politics, Road to Valor is the breathtaking account of one man’s unsung heroism and his resilience in the face of adversity. Based on nearly ten years of research in Italy, France, and Israel, including interviews with Bartali’s family, former teammates, a Holocaust survivor Bartali saved, and many others, Road to Valor is the first book ever written about Bartali in English and the only book written in any language to fully explore the scope of Bartali’s wartime work. An epic tale of courage, comeback, and redemption, it is the untold story of one of the greatest athletes of the twentieth century.
316 pages, Hardcover
First published June 12, 2012
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December 28, 2018
A very pleasant surprise, this book popped up on my radar screen out of nowhere - why didn't I see it when it came out? (since it's right up my alley)... Anyway, I was shopping for a copy of an old favorite (as a gift), and this showed up in the folks who bought that book also bought this one column, so I figured, why not?, and I'm glad I did.
I rated this 5 stars on the research and the story, which were both remarkable (and impressive and gratifying). In parts, the work is peppered with dollops/portions of biography, sports history, holocaust/WWII underground railroad testimonial, political thriller, travelogue, and ... more. Quite simply, the book covers a lot of ground. Sure, there's plenty of reasons to think of, by way of analogy, Laura Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit or Unbroken and, maybe Daniel James Brown's Boys In the Boat.... As I was reading it, I also kept thinking about Corrie Ten Boom's incredible The Hiding Place, and, on the fiction end of things, Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale, (although that's a lousy analogy). Heck, I was even reminded of Markus Zuzak's (yes, the one that wrote the deservedly popular The Book Thief) less well known book, I Am The Messenger (but now I'm free associating). Unlike much of the World War II and holocaust reading I've done - military history, chronicling of the holocaust, and, of course, fictional accounts of the era - this focused much more on Italy, Italian history, and of course, Italian politics, religion, and sport ... much of which proved novel and fresh and interesting and informative.
Reader's nit: a number of things about this book frustrated me to no end, and, if the story wasn't so incredible (and entertaining), I easily could have given up. Predominantly, but, among others: while this is a book about a cyclist and bicycle racing on the grandest stages, the authors aren't well, bicycle racing journalists and (even though one of them has experience writing for Sports Illustrated, ... and, apparently, they had help from at least one expert, but...) well, let's just say that they didn't write like they loved bikes or cycling racing (indeed, it felt like they were consistently apologizing for writing about, or because people cared about, bikes and racing ... and their coverage of races (minor and major) or the sport surely doesn't read like it's been pulled from the pages of Velonews, or Cycling News, or ProCycling, or.... For general readers, that's probably a good thing, but for bike geeks, there were innumerable stretches where I expect others will also want to pull their hair out (for example, during races - including lengthy, multi-day races - where no other riders' names were mentioned).
But here's the thing - and it's a big thing - I started the book with low expectations, but, after a few pages, I couldn't put it down. It sucked me in, the story was captivating, and the authors brought life to the players such that the whole steadily worked its magic throughout.
And a little trivia: one always wonders what brings authors together and, as I read this book, I simply assumed that the authors were spouses ... but I eventually figured out that's incorrect. (The book's official website acknowledges they're siblings, whereas nothing in the edition of the book I read clarified that.... Granted, the book is dedicated to "our mother and ... father," but that's pretty subtle, if you ask me.) As sibling collaborations go - at least to my mind, this one is a winner, and that collaboration makes the work and the overall achievement all the more impressive.
I rated this 5 stars on the research and the story, which were both remarkable (and impressive and gratifying). In parts, the work is peppered with dollops/portions of biography, sports history, holocaust/WWII underground railroad testimonial, political thriller, travelogue, and ... more. Quite simply, the book covers a lot of ground. Sure, there's plenty of reasons to think of, by way of analogy, Laura Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit or Unbroken and, maybe Daniel James Brown's Boys In the Boat.... As I was reading it, I also kept thinking about Corrie Ten Boom's incredible The Hiding Place, and, on the fiction end of things, Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale, (although that's a lousy analogy). Heck, I was even reminded of Markus Zuzak's (yes, the one that wrote the deservedly popular The Book Thief) less well known book, I Am The Messenger (but now I'm free associating). Unlike much of the World War II and holocaust reading I've done - military history, chronicling of the holocaust, and, of course, fictional accounts of the era - this focused much more on Italy, Italian history, and of course, Italian politics, religion, and sport ... much of which proved novel and fresh and interesting and informative.
Reader's nit: a number of things about this book frustrated me to no end, and, if the story wasn't so incredible (and entertaining), I easily could have given up. Predominantly, but, among others: while this is a book about a cyclist and bicycle racing on the grandest stages, the authors aren't well, bicycle racing journalists and (even though one of them has experience writing for Sports Illustrated, ... and, apparently, they had help from at least one expert, but...) well, let's just say that they didn't write like they loved bikes or cycling racing (indeed, it felt like they were consistently apologizing for writing about, or because people cared about, bikes and racing ... and their coverage of races (minor and major) or the sport surely doesn't read like it's been pulled from the pages of Velonews, or Cycling News, or ProCycling, or.... For general readers, that's probably a good thing, but for bike geeks, there were innumerable stretches where I expect others will also want to pull their hair out (for example, during races - including lengthy, multi-day races - where no other riders' names were mentioned).
But here's the thing - and it's a big thing - I started the book with low expectations, but, after a few pages, I couldn't put it down. It sucked me in, the story was captivating, and the authors brought life to the players such that the whole steadily worked its magic throughout.
And a little trivia: one always wonders what brings authors together and, as I read this book, I simply assumed that the authors were spouses ... but I eventually figured out that's incorrect. (The book's official website acknowledges they're siblings, whereas nothing in the edition of the book I read clarified that.... Granted, the book is dedicated to "our mother and ... father," but that's pretty subtle, if you ask me.) As sibling collaborations go - at least to my mind, this one is a winner, and that collaboration makes the work and the overall achievement all the more impressive.
June 9, 2017
Non sono mai stata una grande appassionata di ciclismo, eppure questo libro va al di là dello sport per soffermarsi sull’Uomo e sulla Storia, per illuminarci su anni assolutamente bui della storia italiana attraverso un racconto meraviglioso.
Questa biografia di Gino Bartali, concentrata in particolare negli anni della Seconda guerra mondiale, va ben oltre i successi agonistici di “Ginettaccio”, tanti e prestigiosi, conquistati con lo sport un tempo ritenuto nazionale, seguito dalle folle alla stregua di un’espressione popolare in grado di rappresentare gli umori di un’intera nazione. A renderlo eroico ai nostri occhi di posteri (ma anche ai contemporanei…) è, probabilmente, la sua normalità: il suo coraggio è stato sempre discreto, mai eclatante. Tutto questo deriva anche dall’educazione ricevuta, legata in particolare alla religione cattolica e ai valori socialisti trasmessi dal padre Torello.
I due fratelli McConnon autori del libro sono andati a scavare nei solchi delle vicende sportive di quegli anni, realizzando un libro assolutamente perfetto. Bartali vinse il Tour de France a istanza di 10 anni, nel 1938, poco prima dello scoppio della guerra, e nel 1948, dopo la fine della guerra, quando era dato per finito. E in questi 10 anni cosa è successo? Viene così ricostruita la storia di Bartali durante gli anni di dominio fascista, quando il corridore ha trionfato nella vita in maniera differente rispetto alle solite gare ciclistiche. Negli anni delle persecuzioni nazi-fasciste Bartali ha continuato ad allenarsi a modo suo, girovagando per la Toscana e le regioni vicine trasportando nel telaio della sua bicicletta documenti falsi per gli ebrei in Italia; Bartali era un anello fondamentale di un’associazione impegnata nel mettere al sicuro quanti più ebrei poteva, sottraendoli alle deportazioni di massa. Fu così che salvò delle vite, in silenzio, senza clamori, semplicemente facendo quello che gli riusciva meglio: pedalare.
Anche negli anni successivi alla fine della guerra Bartali non approfondì mai questo importante aspetto della sua vita: nella sua umiltà credeva che non fosse giusto dare risalto al suo ruolo, quando probabilmente ci furono persone che rischiarono maggiormente la vita o addirittura morirono. La bellezza di tutta la storia sta anche in questo, nella normalità e nella semplicità con cui ci viene raccontata: in questo modo l’umanità di Gino risplende, nonostante il suo carattere spesso scontroso e vulcanico.
Questa biografia di Gino Bartali, concentrata in particolare negli anni della Seconda guerra mondiale, va ben oltre i successi agonistici di “Ginettaccio”, tanti e prestigiosi, conquistati con lo sport un tempo ritenuto nazionale, seguito dalle folle alla stregua di un’espressione popolare in grado di rappresentare gli umori di un’intera nazione. A renderlo eroico ai nostri occhi di posteri (ma anche ai contemporanei…) è, probabilmente, la sua normalità: il suo coraggio è stato sempre discreto, mai eclatante. Tutto questo deriva anche dall’educazione ricevuta, legata in particolare alla religione cattolica e ai valori socialisti trasmessi dal padre Torello.
I due fratelli McConnon autori del libro sono andati a scavare nei solchi delle vicende sportive di quegli anni, realizzando un libro assolutamente perfetto. Bartali vinse il Tour de France a istanza di 10 anni, nel 1938, poco prima dello scoppio della guerra, e nel 1948, dopo la fine della guerra, quando era dato per finito. E in questi 10 anni cosa è successo? Viene così ricostruita la storia di Bartali durante gli anni di dominio fascista, quando il corridore ha trionfato nella vita in maniera differente rispetto alle solite gare ciclistiche. Negli anni delle persecuzioni nazi-fasciste Bartali ha continuato ad allenarsi a modo suo, girovagando per la Toscana e le regioni vicine trasportando nel telaio della sua bicicletta documenti falsi per gli ebrei in Italia; Bartali era un anello fondamentale di un’associazione impegnata nel mettere al sicuro quanti più ebrei poteva, sottraendoli alle deportazioni di massa. Fu così che salvò delle vite, in silenzio, senza clamori, semplicemente facendo quello che gli riusciva meglio: pedalare.
Anche negli anni successivi alla fine della guerra Bartali non approfondì mai questo importante aspetto della sua vita: nella sua umiltà credeva che non fosse giusto dare risalto al suo ruolo, quando probabilmente ci furono persone che rischiarono maggiormente la vita o addirittura morirono. La bellezza di tutta la storia sta anche in questo, nella normalità e nella semplicità con cui ci viene raccontata: in questo modo l’umanità di Gino risplende, nonostante il suo carattere spesso scontroso e vulcanico.
August 11, 2012
Well Researched, Inspiring
“Road to Valor” is a heartwarming story. I’m not someone who’s interested in bicycle racing but I love history. This book has both. Gino Bartali was born at a time, 1911, when the bicycle craze was at its peak. Even as a small boy all he seemed to think about was riding a bicycle as fast and for as long as possible and he was good at it. Of course so were many other Italian boys but not all of them had Gino’s discipline and drive. Prior to World War II he began making his name known. During the war he officially and unofficially rode missions for the sake of Italy. He’d always been a devote catholic and believed in democracy so he was conflicted when fascist Mussolini was in power. He searched his soul and found a solution. He combined his faith and his politics and joined with some local priests in shuttling false ID information to printers to help smuggle Jews and other political prisoners to safety. He even personally housed and protected a Jewish family. These activities were gravely dangerous.
Of course none of this was known during most of his lifetime. His bicycle racing prowess made his name. He won the famous Tour de France in 1938 and, miraculously, for such a mature man, in 1948. The ’48 race was won at the express request of his government. It was a time of social unrest when the communist leader, Palmiro Togliatti, had been shot and it was feared he’d die. The Prime Minister, Alcide de Gasperi, telegraphed Bartali during the race and asked him to help quell the rioting by giving his countrymen a reason to join together. Bartali was up to the task but at great cost to himself. This is an inspiring story but as I said the detailed racing information stalled the story somewhat. Over all it was an inspiring story.
This review was based on an e-galley supplied by the publisher.
“Road to Valor” is a heartwarming story. I’m not someone who’s interested in bicycle racing but I love history. This book has both. Gino Bartali was born at a time, 1911, when the bicycle craze was at its peak. Even as a small boy all he seemed to think about was riding a bicycle as fast and for as long as possible and he was good at it. Of course so were many other Italian boys but not all of them had Gino’s discipline and drive. Prior to World War II he began making his name known. During the war he officially and unofficially rode missions for the sake of Italy. He’d always been a devote catholic and believed in democracy so he was conflicted when fascist Mussolini was in power. He searched his soul and found a solution. He combined his faith and his politics and joined with some local priests in shuttling false ID information to printers to help smuggle Jews and other political prisoners to safety. He even personally housed and protected a Jewish family. These activities were gravely dangerous.
Of course none of this was known during most of his lifetime. His bicycle racing prowess made his name. He won the famous Tour de France in 1938 and, miraculously, for such a mature man, in 1948. The ’48 race was won at the express request of his government. It was a time of social unrest when the communist leader, Palmiro Togliatti, had been shot and it was feared he’d die. The Prime Minister, Alcide de Gasperi, telegraphed Bartali during the race and asked him to help quell the rioting by giving his countrymen a reason to join together. Bartali was up to the task but at great cost to himself. This is an inspiring story but as I said the detailed racing information stalled the story somewhat. Over all it was an inspiring story.
This review was based on an e-galley supplied by the publisher.
August 23, 2021
I don't often read nonfiction, but this account was actually quite interesting. It was essentially a history of bicycles, cycling as a sport, and Gino Bartali's life. The story began with his life as a small boy (1920s) and went until the end of his cycling career (early 1950s), including within this time his experiences living through WWII. There were also pictures dispersed throughout the novel, which I found to be fascinating, as they provided a great deal of insight into the time period, at times much more so than mere words could have possibly provided.
I have never followed cycling, and know practically nothing about the sport. I've watched, at the very most, 5 minutes of various Tour de France's throughout my entire life, as it's just never been an interest of mine. However, it was very interesting to learn about it in this novel, and I had no idea what an important role it played in European society in this time. It was also interesting to learn about the political connections between prestigious bike races and a country's, specifically Italy's, racers.
Something else I'd never thought of before was the fact that Hitler and Mussolini worked hand in hand during WWII. For some reason, I'd always thought of them separately, and as having power at different times, so I'm very glad that I was able to be enlightened on that topic by this novel.
This book also covered the underground resistance work that Gino Bartali participated in during WWII via his bicycle, and I thought that this was one of the most fascinating parts of the book. What I was reading were real experiences of people who helped to save others by risking their own lives, and it was extremely touching to hear about. It was exactly like something that I would have read in a historical fiction novel, except that it was real, and that made it all the more powerful.
This book helped me to realize things that I'd never even considered prior to now, many of which I doubt I would have looked into it if not for this book. So I'm glad that I read it and was able to learn so many interesting facts about Italy, WWII, cycling, and Gino Bartali.
I have never followed cycling, and know practically nothing about the sport. I've watched, at the very most, 5 minutes of various Tour de France's throughout my entire life, as it's just never been an interest of mine. However, it was very interesting to learn about it in this novel, and I had no idea what an important role it played in European society in this time. It was also interesting to learn about the political connections between prestigious bike races and a country's, specifically Italy's, racers.
Something else I'd never thought of before was the fact that Hitler and Mussolini worked hand in hand during WWII. For some reason, I'd always thought of them separately, and as having power at different times, so I'm very glad that I was able to be enlightened on that topic by this novel.
This book also covered the underground resistance work that Gino Bartali participated in during WWII via his bicycle, and I thought that this was one of the most fascinating parts of the book. What I was reading were real experiences of people who helped to save others by risking their own lives, and it was extremely touching to hear about. It was exactly like something that I would have read in a historical fiction novel, except that it was real, and that made it all the more powerful.
This book helped me to realize things that I'd never even considered prior to now, many of which I doubt I would have looked into it if not for this book. So I'm glad that I read it and was able to learn so many interesting facts about Italy, WWII, cycling, and Gino Bartali.
February 27, 2016
This book is a truly remarkable story that is likely to be of most interest if you are a cyclist or a Jew - and particularly if you are a Jewish cyclist ...
December 27, 2024
Fascinating story about the history of cycling and one of the sports biggest stars. More intriguing was learning about the history of Italy’s involvement in World War II.
November 25, 2012
Road to Valor: A True Story of WWII Italy,the Nazis, and the Cyclist Who Inspired a Nation, by Aili and Andres McConnon was a page-turner for me. Once I began it, I couldn’t put it down. I was mesmerized and captivated by the compelling, intense, and true story of Gino Bartali, an Italian cyclist. But, he was much more than that, as it turned out, as I read with hardly a break between pages.
Born of poverty, in the small town of Ponte a Ema, in 1914, he would eventually become larger than life, a legend in his own time. Yet, little was known about his other passion, helping to save Jews during World War II. He was a silent hero.
From the moment he saved up enough money to buy his first bicycle, along with a bit of family financial help, cycling became the love of his life. He would cycle the mountainsides, the hillsides, the winding roads, inhaling the countryside, becoming one with the landscape. He dreamed of cycling, and was determined to win the Tour de France. Not only did he accomplish that goal, he did it twice, ten years apart, first in 1938 and again in 1948!
The lapse in winning was due to World War II, when cycling took a back stage to the events of war, and due to the fascist situation in Italy. When he did cycle, it became political motivation, which was not his intention. He did not side with fascism or with the Nazis. In fact, as the story unfolds we read otherwise.
Bartali risked his life during the war to shelter Jews and to save them by helping pass false identity cards that he hid in his bicycle. He not only incurred risk for his own life and their lives, but also for his family. He would meet various individuals in secret locations and pass the identity cards to them. Often times, he would not see their faces, which was intentional, so nobody could be identified if ever questioned by the authorities.
Within the pages, the reader also gets glimpses of how cycling overtook Italy as a form of transportation, due to the economic situation and political pressures. The reader is given insight into Italian World War II history, including fascism, Mussolini, the horrific hardships that the nation, as a whole, faced during this tumultuous time period. It depicts the horrendous treatment of the Jews of Italy by the ruling factions. It also evokes the integrity and humanity of every day individuals under extreme duress.
The war cost him chances to engage in varied cycling events, but he never gave up hope of winning the Tour de France a second time. He persevered, and in it he did, with ferocious strength, which at the time was thought impossible due to his age. In his eyes, though, that win was the lesser of his accomplishments.
He would eventually tell his son, “If you’re good at a sport, they attach medals to your shirts and then they shine in some museum. That which is earned by doing good deeds is attached to the soul and shines elsewhere.“
Those words encompass Bartali’s train of thought, and the reader feels it reign supreme throughout the story. His cycling journey took him to journeys of the soul, of the spirit of mankind. His life was one of humaneness and goodness, within his often boisterous presentation to those in the cycling world. Little did they know of his kindness and risk taking in order to rescue Jews.
I have been enriched, emotionally and historically speaking through reading Road to Valor, by Aili and Andres McConnon. Their contribution to Italian history during prewar and the war itself, is immeasurable. Their research was more than thorough, and their interviews and other factors of information gathering was an endeavor of high accomplishment.
I highly recommend Road to Valor: A True Story of WWII Italy,the Nazis, and
Born of poverty, in the small town of Ponte a Ema, in 1914, he would eventually become larger than life, a legend in his own time. Yet, little was known about his other passion, helping to save Jews during World War II. He was a silent hero.
From the moment he saved up enough money to buy his first bicycle, along with a bit of family financial help, cycling became the love of his life. He would cycle the mountainsides, the hillsides, the winding roads, inhaling the countryside, becoming one with the landscape. He dreamed of cycling, and was determined to win the Tour de France. Not only did he accomplish that goal, he did it twice, ten years apart, first in 1938 and again in 1948!
The lapse in winning was due to World War II, when cycling took a back stage to the events of war, and due to the fascist situation in Italy. When he did cycle, it became political motivation, which was not his intention. He did not side with fascism or with the Nazis. In fact, as the story unfolds we read otherwise.
Bartali risked his life during the war to shelter Jews and to save them by helping pass false identity cards that he hid in his bicycle. He not only incurred risk for his own life and their lives, but also for his family. He would meet various individuals in secret locations and pass the identity cards to them. Often times, he would not see their faces, which was intentional, so nobody could be identified if ever questioned by the authorities.
Within the pages, the reader also gets glimpses of how cycling overtook Italy as a form of transportation, due to the economic situation and political pressures. The reader is given insight into Italian World War II history, including fascism, Mussolini, the horrific hardships that the nation, as a whole, faced during this tumultuous time period. It depicts the horrendous treatment of the Jews of Italy by the ruling factions. It also evokes the integrity and humanity of every day individuals under extreme duress.
The war cost him chances to engage in varied cycling events, but he never gave up hope of winning the Tour de France a second time. He persevered, and in it he did, with ferocious strength, which at the time was thought impossible due to his age. In his eyes, though, that win was the lesser of his accomplishments.
He would eventually tell his son, “If you’re good at a sport, they attach medals to your shirts and then they shine in some museum. That which is earned by doing good deeds is attached to the soul and shines elsewhere.“
Those words encompass Bartali’s train of thought, and the reader feels it reign supreme throughout the story. His cycling journey took him to journeys of the soul, of the spirit of mankind. His life was one of humaneness and goodness, within his often boisterous presentation to those in the cycling world. Little did they know of his kindness and risk taking in order to rescue Jews.
I have been enriched, emotionally and historically speaking through reading Road to Valor, by Aili and Andres McConnon. Their contribution to Italian history during prewar and the war itself, is immeasurable. Their research was more than thorough, and their interviews and other factors of information gathering was an endeavor of high accomplishment.
I highly recommend Road to Valor: A True Story of WWII Italy,the Nazis, and
June 30, 2025
finalllllyyyyt finished this one. This was a good story but I struggled to stay in it for most of it. Idk if it was the writing style but I found it difficult to read quickly. Wonderful story though - they should make it a movie.
August 4, 2013
This was a book which I was eager to read following its 2012 publication. As a long time fan of road cycling's Grand Tours and the many fascinating characters who've risen to the top of that sport over the years, as well as always having an interest in history, especially that of the 20th century which is within living memory (or at least perhaps only at one generation's distance), I thought that this intriguingly titled book would be a certain winner. Please forgive my lengthy comments here - I found it too difficult to sum this one up with much brevity...
Gino Bartali was already a hero of mine. He won the Tour de France in 1938, and then again - an almost professional career's worth of ten years later in 1948! To win cycling's greatest race twice is some achievement, but to do so after such a long gap between the victories is something extraordinary. It had never been done before and hasn't been done since. I doubt it ever will. No doubt, if it weren't for the war interrupting his career when at its peak, he would have won several more Tours. I had also heard a little about his anti-Fascist persuasion before and during WWII, but really knew nothing of it. And finally, there was his fierce rivalry with compatriot Fausto Coppi. Some consider Coppi the greatest cyclist of all time... their rivalry probably was.
(SPOILERS AHEAD)
Road To Valor tells the story of Gino's conservative and traditionally Catholic upbringing in the Florence district of Tuscany. Together with his brother he becomes an avid fan of cycling and loves the independence that owning his first hard-earned bicycle gives him. He has a job in a local bike workshop. Here he makes the acquaintance of a Giacomo Goldenberg. As the sibling authors tell of Gino's rapid rise through the ranks of Italian semi-professional and then professional cycling, we learn a little more of life under Mussolini's Fascist regime. Gino isn't particularly affected by it until he starts to compete in Italian national colours in the Tour de France. When in 1938 he is denied the chance to win his third Giro d'Italia in a row, the Fascist cycling authority insist he is kept back so that he will compete for the more international honour of winning the Tour. Honour for the regime of course - as seen when the Italian football team wins the World Cup in both '34 & '38, for which the Fascists claim an integral role in the success.
After his beloved brother's earlier untimely death in a car accident, Gino had devoted himself increasingly to the church and is quite involved with Catholic Action - one of the few non-Fascist organisations permitted at the time. He counts Bishops and Monsignors among his friends. Upon managing to succeed in the 1938 Tour with only the second ever Italian victory in that event, Gino's victory speech is seen in the Fascist press back home as a thinly disguised anti-regime attack - after all he thanks the church and of course God for his achievement, but neglects to praise Il Duce at all. Gino's card has been marked in some quarters.
As the war spreads, and Italy joins the battle against the western allies, professional cycling fizzles to a halt. In 1940, aged 26 and at what should have been his professional peak, the war is brought home to Gino when he receives the call-up notice:
As part of Gino's mobilisation, he was first required to undergo a routine medical checkup to determine his specific assignment...The military doctor listened to his heart and found it was beating irregularly, a condition that Gino was unaware of, but that had never seemed to impede his cycling. Still, the doctor was puzzled, and called in a colonel for a second opinion. The colonel looked at the heart rate and rejected Gino as unfit for military service, unaware that he was evaluating one of the nation's cycling stars.
The irony - a Tour de France winner only two years earlier rejected as unfit for active service in Mussolini's forces! Gino is assigned to serve as a bicycle courier rider in the Tuscany region where he lived. One could say this was a fairly cushy option, given that there were no longer competitive races, he could at least stay fit as he could carry on the lengthy training runs so crucial to maintaining his stamina and fitness.
The parallel story of the Jewish Goldenberg family in Florence is told over the same period. Giacomo had been kept in an internment camp early in the war, but subsequently released. As the war progressed, and Mussolini's regime eventually collapsed in 1943, the Nazi Reich took a direct role in controlling the puppet Salo regime - with the mighty Il Duce at its head of course. After his earlier release from the camp Giacomo no longer heard from his cousins and feared they'd been re-arrested by the newly revitalised German-backed police state. Fearing for his family's safety he arranged to split them up, and sent his 11 year old son to a religious boardinghouse which covertly cared for Jewish children on the Archbishop of Florence's request. But what for the rest of his family? After reaching out to his old friend Sizzi (the bike mechanic where young Gino had once worked) who wished to help, but lacked any resources, Giacomo was put in touch with Gino himself.
At a time when informing on Jews' whereabouts could be rewarded by four times as much money as could be 'earned' by doing likewise with an escaped Allied prisoner, it had become potentially punishable by death to shelter Jews. After a fairly lackadaisical attitude towards their Jewish citizens early in the war, the new regime was now actively deporting people to the death camps. With a young wife and baby son to support, Gino didn't know what path to take. He wanted to help, but the danger involved was certainly overwhelming. He sought counsel with his friend the Archbishop of Florence, and contemplated the choice before him in the peace he could only find at his brother's graveside. Without involving his wife, and without implicating her at all, he came to a decision: He would hide them in the cellar of a downtown Florentine apartment he was the co-owner of.
Gino didn't stop there. His unique position as a friend of the Archbishop and other high ranking church officials, as well as his privileged courier role in the Army, allowed him the rare opportunity of acting as a valuable go-between. He was carefully brought in by other brave men of the church to act as the courier of vital papers and photographs for the purposes of forging life-saving identification cards and other documents. With the confidence of a local Florentine family printers' firm, Gino would collect the valuable papers from a given safe house or other location, stash them inside the frame tubing on his bike - beneath the saddle post - and then (via the forger's printing press to produce the required items) ride several hundred kilometres (as only a Tour de France champion could!) cross-country to the ring's HQ at the Abbey in Assisi where the other end of the operation would pass the documents on to the desperate Jews waiting to get out of the country to safety.
For Jews in Italy like the Goldenbergs, life had entered a new nightmare phase. The Germans and their Fascist collaborators ratcheted up the intensity of their persecution, even as it became increasingly clear that they would be defeated in the war. In addition to raiding convents and monasteries, Nazis invaded old-age residences and hospitals looking for Jews. The numbers soon illustrated the results of their murderous zeal. By the spring of 1944, little more than six months into the occupation, more than 6500 Jews (both foreign and Italian) had been carried by train from Italy to Auschwitz alone.
Gino Bartali was directly responsible for saving at least three Jews from certain death, and was indirectly responsible as an integral cog in a machine of brave and selfless individuals for saving up to eight hundred other Jews who were in hiding. Think of that - eight hundred of whom presumably many went on to have families and roles in society in various different ways...
This alone would be enough material for many a fine book, but Gino's story didn't end there. With his resurrected career in seemingly terminal decline
after the war's end, Gino was beaten by the younger Fausto Coppi at the 1947 Giro d'Italia (although Gino was King of the Mountains and won two stages - even dismounting once mid-stage to punch an anti-Catholic slurring spectator, before remounting to claim the day's victory!) and did not even enter that year's Tour de France - the first since the end of hostilities. In the build-up to the '48 Tour his chances were written off by the press.
Post-war Italy was a very volatile place, and the country was split down the middle in support for either the Communists or the more conservative Christian Democrats. This at the time of Churchill's 'Iron Curtain' speech, and the fast-emerging Cold War, Italy's role in Europe was central in more ways than one. When in July 1948 an unstable Fascist shot the Communist Leader of the Opposition the country, and all of Europe, held its breath. There was even a bomb threat at St Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. There were riots and demonstrations in the big northern Italian cities. With that year's Tour at it's most crucial stages in the mountainous Alpine passes, the Christian Democrat Prime Minister rang Gino in his hotel, and begged him to win the Tour if he could - for Italy.
What follows in the book is a very well written passage of chapters concerning the dramatic victory Gino achieved, against the odds, in the worst cold and wet altitude conditions that the notorious Col d'Izoard and Col du Galibier passes could throw at him. The glory was his, and back home in Italy the country collectively exhaled, the wine was brought out, and everybody danced!
The Tour director, who had also doubted Gino, offered his own poetic account of all that had passed. "From snowstorm, water, and ice, Bartali arose like a mud-covered angel, wearing under his soaked tunic the precious soul of an exceptional champion."
In the calmer years following the end of his glorious career Gino would avoid discussing what had happened during the war for much of his life.
Gino justified his silence as a matter of respect for those who had suffered more than he had during the war: "I don't want to appear to be a hero. Heroes are those who died, who were injured, who spent many months in prison."
Overall, I enjoyed this book tremendously, though I admit I am a tiny bit disappointed that certain aspects weren't given more pages. For example - much of Gino's career was either not ever mentioned, or possibly edited out. Apart from the early rapid rise to the top, we only really get discussion of his two Tour wins and little else. Not enough was made of his great rivalry with Coppi. It would seem that the authors made a conscious decision to focus on the wartime exploits of this fascinating man, and that is understandable. On the whole, it is very well-written, and a truly enthralling story of a genuinely impressive man.
Some of his associates during the war, who'd helped orchestrate the rescue/escape of hundreds of Jews-in-hiding, have since been given the highest honour by the State of Israel - each made a 'Righteous Among the Nations'. There is an avenue of the righteous at Yad Vashem, the Jerusalem Holocaust Memorial, where beautiful trees commemorate those brave souls who risked their lives to save others. In 2012 a Cycling News article reported that Yad Vashem was now formally investigating the evidence, and considering awarding the honour of 'Righteous Among The Nations' to Gino:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/barta.......
Gino Bartali would tell his son Andrea -
"If you're good at a sport, they attach the medals to your shirts and then they shine in some museum. That which is earned by doing good deeds is attached to the soul and shines elsewhere.
Gino Bartali was already a hero of mine. He won the Tour de France in 1938, and then again - an almost professional career's worth of ten years later in 1948! To win cycling's greatest race twice is some achievement, but to do so after such a long gap between the victories is something extraordinary. It had never been done before and hasn't been done since. I doubt it ever will. No doubt, if it weren't for the war interrupting his career when at its peak, he would have won several more Tours. I had also heard a little about his anti-Fascist persuasion before and during WWII, but really knew nothing of it. And finally, there was his fierce rivalry with compatriot Fausto Coppi. Some consider Coppi the greatest cyclist of all time... their rivalry probably was.
(SPOILERS AHEAD)
Road To Valor tells the story of Gino's conservative and traditionally Catholic upbringing in the Florence district of Tuscany. Together with his brother he becomes an avid fan of cycling and loves the independence that owning his first hard-earned bicycle gives him. He has a job in a local bike workshop. Here he makes the acquaintance of a Giacomo Goldenberg. As the sibling authors tell of Gino's rapid rise through the ranks of Italian semi-professional and then professional cycling, we learn a little more of life under Mussolini's Fascist regime. Gino isn't particularly affected by it until he starts to compete in Italian national colours in the Tour de France. When in 1938 he is denied the chance to win his third Giro d'Italia in a row, the Fascist cycling authority insist he is kept back so that he will compete for the more international honour of winning the Tour. Honour for the regime of course - as seen when the Italian football team wins the World Cup in both '34 & '38, for which the Fascists claim an integral role in the success.
After his beloved brother's earlier untimely death in a car accident, Gino had devoted himself increasingly to the church and is quite involved with Catholic Action - one of the few non-Fascist organisations permitted at the time. He counts Bishops and Monsignors among his friends. Upon managing to succeed in the 1938 Tour with only the second ever Italian victory in that event, Gino's victory speech is seen in the Fascist press back home as a thinly disguised anti-regime attack - after all he thanks the church and of course God for his achievement, but neglects to praise Il Duce at all. Gino's card has been marked in some quarters.
As the war spreads, and Italy joins the battle against the western allies, professional cycling fizzles to a halt. In 1940, aged 26 and at what should have been his professional peak, the war is brought home to Gino when he receives the call-up notice:
As part of Gino's mobilisation, he was first required to undergo a routine medical checkup to determine his specific assignment...The military doctor listened to his heart and found it was beating irregularly, a condition that Gino was unaware of, but that had never seemed to impede his cycling. Still, the doctor was puzzled, and called in a colonel for a second opinion. The colonel looked at the heart rate and rejected Gino as unfit for military service, unaware that he was evaluating one of the nation's cycling stars.
The irony - a Tour de France winner only two years earlier rejected as unfit for active service in Mussolini's forces! Gino is assigned to serve as a bicycle courier rider in the Tuscany region where he lived. One could say this was a fairly cushy option, given that there were no longer competitive races, he could at least stay fit as he could carry on the lengthy training runs so crucial to maintaining his stamina and fitness.
The parallel story of the Jewish Goldenberg family in Florence is told over the same period. Giacomo had been kept in an internment camp early in the war, but subsequently released. As the war progressed, and Mussolini's regime eventually collapsed in 1943, the Nazi Reich took a direct role in controlling the puppet Salo regime - with the mighty Il Duce at its head of course. After his earlier release from the camp Giacomo no longer heard from his cousins and feared they'd been re-arrested by the newly revitalised German-backed police state. Fearing for his family's safety he arranged to split them up, and sent his 11 year old son to a religious boardinghouse which covertly cared for Jewish children on the Archbishop of Florence's request. But what for the rest of his family? After reaching out to his old friend Sizzi (the bike mechanic where young Gino had once worked) who wished to help, but lacked any resources, Giacomo was put in touch with Gino himself.
At a time when informing on Jews' whereabouts could be rewarded by four times as much money as could be 'earned' by doing likewise with an escaped Allied prisoner, it had become potentially punishable by death to shelter Jews. After a fairly lackadaisical attitude towards their Jewish citizens early in the war, the new regime was now actively deporting people to the death camps. With a young wife and baby son to support, Gino didn't know what path to take. He wanted to help, but the danger involved was certainly overwhelming. He sought counsel with his friend the Archbishop of Florence, and contemplated the choice before him in the peace he could only find at his brother's graveside. Without involving his wife, and without implicating her at all, he came to a decision: He would hide them in the cellar of a downtown Florentine apartment he was the co-owner of.
Gino didn't stop there. His unique position as a friend of the Archbishop and other high ranking church officials, as well as his privileged courier role in the Army, allowed him the rare opportunity of acting as a valuable go-between. He was carefully brought in by other brave men of the church to act as the courier of vital papers and photographs for the purposes of forging life-saving identification cards and other documents. With the confidence of a local Florentine family printers' firm, Gino would collect the valuable papers from a given safe house or other location, stash them inside the frame tubing on his bike - beneath the saddle post - and then (via the forger's printing press to produce the required items) ride several hundred kilometres (as only a Tour de France champion could!) cross-country to the ring's HQ at the Abbey in Assisi where the other end of the operation would pass the documents on to the desperate Jews waiting to get out of the country to safety.
For Jews in Italy like the Goldenbergs, life had entered a new nightmare phase. The Germans and their Fascist collaborators ratcheted up the intensity of their persecution, even as it became increasingly clear that they would be defeated in the war. In addition to raiding convents and monasteries, Nazis invaded old-age residences and hospitals looking for Jews. The numbers soon illustrated the results of their murderous zeal. By the spring of 1944, little more than six months into the occupation, more than 6500 Jews (both foreign and Italian) had been carried by train from Italy to Auschwitz alone.
Gino Bartali was directly responsible for saving at least three Jews from certain death, and was indirectly responsible as an integral cog in a machine of brave and selfless individuals for saving up to eight hundred other Jews who were in hiding. Think of that - eight hundred of whom presumably many went on to have families and roles in society in various different ways...
This alone would be enough material for many a fine book, but Gino's story didn't end there. With his resurrected career in seemingly terminal decline
after the war's end, Gino was beaten by the younger Fausto Coppi at the 1947 Giro d'Italia (although Gino was King of the Mountains and won two stages - even dismounting once mid-stage to punch an anti-Catholic slurring spectator, before remounting to claim the day's victory!) and did not even enter that year's Tour de France - the first since the end of hostilities. In the build-up to the '48 Tour his chances were written off by the press.
Post-war Italy was a very volatile place, and the country was split down the middle in support for either the Communists or the more conservative Christian Democrats. This at the time of Churchill's 'Iron Curtain' speech, and the fast-emerging Cold War, Italy's role in Europe was central in more ways than one. When in July 1948 an unstable Fascist shot the Communist Leader of the Opposition the country, and all of Europe, held its breath. There was even a bomb threat at St Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. There were riots and demonstrations in the big northern Italian cities. With that year's Tour at it's most crucial stages in the mountainous Alpine passes, the Christian Democrat Prime Minister rang Gino in his hotel, and begged him to win the Tour if he could - for Italy.
What follows in the book is a very well written passage of chapters concerning the dramatic victory Gino achieved, against the odds, in the worst cold and wet altitude conditions that the notorious Col d'Izoard and Col du Galibier passes could throw at him. The glory was his, and back home in Italy the country collectively exhaled, the wine was brought out, and everybody danced!
The Tour director, who had also doubted Gino, offered his own poetic account of all that had passed. "From snowstorm, water, and ice, Bartali arose like a mud-covered angel, wearing under his soaked tunic the precious soul of an exceptional champion."
In the calmer years following the end of his glorious career Gino would avoid discussing what had happened during the war for much of his life.
Gino justified his silence as a matter of respect for those who had suffered more than he had during the war: "I don't want to appear to be a hero. Heroes are those who died, who were injured, who spent many months in prison."
Overall, I enjoyed this book tremendously, though I admit I am a tiny bit disappointed that certain aspects weren't given more pages. For example - much of Gino's career was either not ever mentioned, or possibly edited out. Apart from the early rapid rise to the top, we only really get discussion of his two Tour wins and little else. Not enough was made of his great rivalry with Coppi. It would seem that the authors made a conscious decision to focus on the wartime exploits of this fascinating man, and that is understandable. On the whole, it is very well-written, and a truly enthralling story of a genuinely impressive man.
Some of his associates during the war, who'd helped orchestrate the rescue/escape of hundreds of Jews-in-hiding, have since been given the highest honour by the State of Israel - each made a 'Righteous Among the Nations'. There is an avenue of the righteous at Yad Vashem, the Jerusalem Holocaust Memorial, where beautiful trees commemorate those brave souls who risked their lives to save others. In 2012 a Cycling News article reported that Yad Vashem was now formally investigating the evidence, and considering awarding the honour of 'Righteous Among The Nations' to Gino:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/barta.......
Gino Bartali would tell his son Andrea -
"If you're good at a sport, they attach the medals to your shirts and then they shine in some museum. That which is earned by doing good deeds is attached to the soul and shines elsewhere.
May 2, 2023
Very interesting history covering Bartali's racing career and time during WWII. the story us time with an engaging narrative which makes it an enjoyable read.
October 11, 2013
I picked up this book thinking UNBROKEN, a WWII/world class athlete/hero story I loved. And then you throw in the Italy setting, and I was hooked. But the war in ROAD takes place largely off-scene, and Gino Bartali's heroics, unlike Louis Zamperini's, are confined for the most part to athletics (in his case, cycling), and the McConnons are no Laura Hillenbrand. So all in all, the tale doesn't match up. Still, the parts of the book devoted to Gino's cycling achievements are engrossing and the achievements impressive. For instance, his cycling career was interrupted by the war, but the "old man" came back in 1948 to win the grueling Tour de France after last winning it ten years earlier, the longest span of time ever between victories by an individual. Regardless of what the cover implies, what he did for the war effort is more elusive, less concrete, smaller in scope, and takes up much less of the story. If you read the book, read it as a story of wonderful sports achievement and persistence. You'll be impressed by Gino's efforts for the Italian resistance, but don't expect to be knocked over.
August 26, 2016
Firstreads giveaway: The title definitely intrigued me as I am bound to read anything to do with WWII. It's interesting to learn about other aspects of that particular time period, especially since my knowledge of Italy's involvement is limited. All in all, I found this account of Bartali's life to be very thorough and quite engaging at times. Will I read more about Bartali specifically? Probably not. However, it was eye-opening and I recommend it to anyone wanting a new perspective on Italy during WWII or people who actually know who Gino Bartali is.
July 25, 2023
This one took me a long time to read. What a great and inspiring story. It is great to see two things that I love my Catholic faith and cycling. Gino Bartali certainly epitomizes what it means to be a Saint. His story of triumph on the roads and his heroism in saving Jews during WWII at the risk of his own life is incredible. I will forever be a fan of Gino.
I gave this book four stars because it could be better written. After reading some excellent biographies, I feel that this compilation did not entirely due justice to the story.
I gave this book four stars because it could be better written. After reading some excellent biographies, I feel that this compilation did not entirely due justice to the story.
May 1, 2016
Good book about cycling in Italia and France in pre-war, during and after World War II. It gave me a lot of insight into origins of cycling itself which I did not fully expect. It is about the history of Bartali but the writers did a wonderfull job of providing a lot of background stories which only added to this book.
July 28, 2017
Great true story of an athlete who stood up to the Nazis by helping the Jews. He also won the Tour de France (more than once) and the Giro (Italy's bike race). Great story especially if you're a fan of the Tour de France.
February 9, 2020
After recently reading a couple of novels based in WWII and the death camps, a cycling friend happened to lend me this biography of one of Italy’s cycling heroes. Gino Bartali was a poor boy with great cycling talent, who lost his prime competitive years to the war (he holds the record for the longest time between Tour de France victories, one before the war, one after). During the war, he risked his life by using his cycling ability to transport false identity papers for Jews hiding from the Nazis, and even helped shelter some Jewish acquaintances. All in all, a good story for those who like bicycle racing and/or WWII history, especially what transpired in Italy.
December 4, 2018
Road to Valor had so many fascinating separate themes I was interested in, making for an easy five star rating. From a history of the Tour de France to World War 2, Italian history in the 40's, and Nazi occupation of Florence. The story of Gino Bartali's involvement in smuggling fake documents through Tuscany on his bicycle and his TDF victories in 1938 and 1948 made for a powerful read.
April 24, 2020
This as an amazing story which is TRUE! Gino Bartali was an Italian who won the Tour de France in 1938 and 1948 - a record that’s not been broken (10 years between wins). During the war years he helped the Resistance in a few different ways which was amazing. It reads like Seabiscuit- you know the end but you are compelled to read and it reads like fiction.
November 15, 2020
Bought for me as a present: an excellent read. The story has 3 phases to it : prewar cycling, war time work for the resistance , and then post war cycling. Fascinating, at times it reads like a novel. Nice easy read, and although 300+ pages, it's only 260 pages excluding the notes and references. Of particular interest was how relatively sophisticated life was in the pre war years....
January 18, 2023
A story of a 2 time winner of the Tour de France and his experiences /perspective/contribution to Italy's liberation from the Nazi occupation - mainly in the Tuscany area of Italy. It is a perfect book to read prior to visiting the area.
May 7, 2024
Beste wielrenboek dat ik tot nu toe gelezen heb :-)
February 7, 2018
inspiring and a little boring, then inspiring again. but a great story.
September 11, 2017
This book tells the compelling story of Gino Bartoli, an Italian who lived a humble childhood, and then went on to win the Tour de France twice. The description of his assistance of those persecuted during World War II, particularly his work as a courier of identity papers which he hid in his bicycle frame, was very uplifting.
April 28, 2023
Introduction:
Born in Ponte a Ema, Italy, 1914, Gino Bartali remains one of Italy’s greatest cycling icons and Catholic advocates to this very day. During his prolific career, spanning 20 years, Gino competed in a plethora of competitions, including the prodigious Tour de France, picking up countless victories and tragic losses along the way. At the height of World War II, Gino’s cycling career was forced into a quiescent period, but this didn’t stop the cyclist from using his physical endurance to provide relief for Jews hiding from Nazi’s in Fascist Italy.
Book Content:
Gino Bartali grew up in a time when cycling was just beginning to captivate the attention of the Italian public. Bicycles were becoming ubiquitous on the streets of his hometown, and Gino was eager to join the crowd and propel his cycling career to fruition. In his final year of schooling, Gino was gifted a bicycle from his father so that he could attend his sixth form in the city of Florence. After receiving this momentous gift, it didn’t take long for the young Italian to become a cycling aficionado, winning his first competition at the age of 17 and turning professional only 4 years later.
Only one year into his career, Gino was hit with devastating news that would force him to reconsider his passion; his younger brother, Giulio, had tragically died in a cycling tournament while trying to emulate Gino. This event acted as a massive turning point in Gino’s life as he abandoned cycling for the time being and transitioned into a heavy practitioner of Catholicism. Gino’s talent for cycling, however, was indisputable and soon his friends and family began convincing him to hop back on the saddle to rekindle his fruitful career. With support and backing, Gino returned stronger than ever and in 1937 he pledged to win both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in the same year; an unprecedented achievement at the time. After winning the Giro d’Italia for the second time (1936 and 1937), Gino entered his first Tour de France, a race amounting to over 2740 miles, where he would have to conquer both the Alps and the Pyrenees in the same race.
Gino’s first Tour De France proved to be rather lacklustre. After suffering from an accident, the Italian Cycling Federation withdrew him from the tour for health reasons. Gino would later claim that this decision was the “greatest injustice suffered in [his] career.” Nevertheless, Gino would fully avenge himself the following year, placing first in the Tour whilst simultaneously silencing his critics in France. Surprisingly, however, Gino was more tentative about the critics from his home country. At the time, Italy was progressing into an oppressive and fascist dictatorship led by Mussolini. The fact that Gino was an outspoken Catholic clashed with the Fascist’s ideology and, subsequently, his victory was suppressed by the Italian media. Additionally, around this time Mussolini was beginning to enforce a number of anti-semitic laws; citizenships were stripped and Jews were prohibited from a number of professions. To make matters worse, the following year, 1939, Gino was robbed of the chance to defend his Tour de France title after Italy pulled out of the tournament due to hostile relations with France. War seemed almost inexorable.
In 1940 the inevitable became a reality when Italy declared war on both England and France. Gino was assigned as an army messenger near an aeroplane factory on the shores of Lake Trasimeno; a rather fortunate placement. To add to this serendipity, Gino was given permission to use a bike instead of a scooter on errands so he could continue training; he was even permitted to take frequent leaves to compete in races. With more time on his hands, Gino capitalised and began pursuing a romantic endeavour. He married his sweetheart, Adriana, in 1940 and the two conceived a son, Andrea, the following year.
It wasn’t until 1943 that things took a turn for the worse in Italy. The year started off well for Gino, the Allies landed in Sicily and placed ‘Il Duce’ under arrest forcing Italy to surrender. This News delighted Gino, he had no allegiance towards Mussolini, nor the war for that matter. However, these celebrations proved to be premature when German paratroopers landed and rescued Mussolini from prison. The Fascist leader was given a renewed inauguration as leader of Italy but, in reality, this was a masquerade; the Nazi’s were using him as a puppet to cover for their recent occupation of the country. Germany and Italy were now ‘allies’ once again and many of the Italian soldiers, including Gino, who had rejoiced after Italy’s surrender were now forced back into service to fight for the unwanted Germans.
With German reconnaissance now unfolding in Italy, many Jewish refugees began flooding into Florence, looking to slip across the Alps to Switzerland. Dalla Costa, Cardinal and good friend of Gino at the time, reached out to the cyclist for support. He explained that many of the refugees required food, shelter and false identity documents in order to survive and implored Gino to help him transport counterfeit identification papers across Tuscany. Gino accepted on the spot, knowing fully well that if he was caught helping Jews there was a palpable chance that he would be imprisoned by the Nazi regime.
By Spring, 1944, more than 6500 Jews had been transported by train from Italy to Auschwitz. The Nazi’s were wreaking havoc in Italy before the inevitable arrival of the Allies; pasta and flour mills were demolished in Florence; telephone exchanges were destroyed with corrosive acids and electricity stations were eviscerated, leaving cities shrouded in darkness. To top things off, Hitler, in archetypal fashion, ordered all bridges to be destroyed except “the most artistic one”, and curfew was taken to the extreme with laws stating that anyone who left their house in Florence would be shot. Life was miserable for Gino during this time, his country was in ruins and his second expected son was stillborn. Filled with emotion, Gino took the body of the baby and buried it beside his brother, Giulio, and wept.
In the summer of 1944, the bells of churches and monasteries around Italy began to chime, signalling the return of the Allies along with the eradication of the Germans. On estimate, over 600 Jews had been saved by the efforts of Cardinal Dalla Costa, Gino and their associates, however, it should be noted that some fifteen percent of the Italian Jewish community had been killed. Hoping to rejuvenate his career, Gino travelled to Milan to obtain parts for his bicycle. Upon arrival, he witnessed the hanging corpse of the deceased Mussolini that had been mutilated by the citizens of Milan, “It was an obscene spectacle”, Gino would later say, “a savage testimony of the cruelty of the times.” Nevertheless, Gino had to stay focused on his cycling career and make up for the years lost during the war. Revitalising his career would prove to be an arduous journey. Gino wasn’t as young as he used to be and the press were fully aware of this, branding him with the sobriquet ‘Il Vecchio’, the old one. On top of that, Gino was beginning to suffer from a slow heartbeat; a problem which Gino’s doctor advised could be solved with cigarettes and coffee before a race. Gino knew that winning the Tour de France was the optimal way to re-cement his prestigious position once again, so in 1948, a decade after his last Tour win, Gino entered into the cycling odyssey. No sane person thought he would win.
It should come as a surprise then, to any rational reader, that Gino did in fact win the 1948 Tour de France thanks to his indomitable endurance on the Alps that saw him convert a twenty-one-and-a-half-minute deficit into just sixty-six seconds away from the lead. It seemed that Gino was driven by an unstoppable force during the Tour, one journalist even commented that: “He [Gino] was overheated by an interior flame that consumed him for ten years, and nothing could extinguish the fire that had set his heart ablaze.” As Gino crossed the finish line he had not only accomplished a second Tour de France win but, with a decade between the two achievements, he held the largest gap between victories in the race - that remains undefeated to this day.
Conclusion:
Gino’s second tour win also had an impact at a national level. At a time when riots were breaking out frequently in Italy between the Catholic and Communist ideologies, Gino’s victory was able to reunite the country for a short spell as his fans and countrymen marvelled at ‘Il Vecchio’s’ accomplishments. Indeed, after this impressive feat, Gino’s career would slowly decline into entropy. He retired in 1955 and spent the rest of his years with his beloved wife and children until passing away on May 5th, 2000. His body can be found in his hometown, Ponte a Ema, resting next to his parents; his stillborn son, Giorgo, and his cherished brother, Giulio. Although gone for more than two decades now, the legacy of the Tour de France champion and, maybe more importantly, liberator of Jews lives on. Perhaps Gino put it best:
"If you’re good at a sport, they attach the medals to your shirt and then they shine in some museum. That which is earned by doing good deeds is attached to the soul and shines elsewhere."
Born in Ponte a Ema, Italy, 1914, Gino Bartali remains one of Italy’s greatest cycling icons and Catholic advocates to this very day. During his prolific career, spanning 20 years, Gino competed in a plethora of competitions, including the prodigious Tour de France, picking up countless victories and tragic losses along the way. At the height of World War II, Gino’s cycling career was forced into a quiescent period, but this didn’t stop the cyclist from using his physical endurance to provide relief for Jews hiding from Nazi’s in Fascist Italy.
Book Content:
Gino Bartali grew up in a time when cycling was just beginning to captivate the attention of the Italian public. Bicycles were becoming ubiquitous on the streets of his hometown, and Gino was eager to join the crowd and propel his cycling career to fruition. In his final year of schooling, Gino was gifted a bicycle from his father so that he could attend his sixth form in the city of Florence. After receiving this momentous gift, it didn’t take long for the young Italian to become a cycling aficionado, winning his first competition at the age of 17 and turning professional only 4 years later.
Only one year into his career, Gino was hit with devastating news that would force him to reconsider his passion; his younger brother, Giulio, had tragically died in a cycling tournament while trying to emulate Gino. This event acted as a massive turning point in Gino’s life as he abandoned cycling for the time being and transitioned into a heavy practitioner of Catholicism. Gino’s talent for cycling, however, was indisputable and soon his friends and family began convincing him to hop back on the saddle to rekindle his fruitful career. With support and backing, Gino returned stronger than ever and in 1937 he pledged to win both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in the same year; an unprecedented achievement at the time. After winning the Giro d’Italia for the second time (1936 and 1937), Gino entered his first Tour de France, a race amounting to over 2740 miles, where he would have to conquer both the Alps and the Pyrenees in the same race.
Gino’s first Tour De France proved to be rather lacklustre. After suffering from an accident, the Italian Cycling Federation withdrew him from the tour for health reasons. Gino would later claim that this decision was the “greatest injustice suffered in [his] career.” Nevertheless, Gino would fully avenge himself the following year, placing first in the Tour whilst simultaneously silencing his critics in France. Surprisingly, however, Gino was more tentative about the critics from his home country. At the time, Italy was progressing into an oppressive and fascist dictatorship led by Mussolini. The fact that Gino was an outspoken Catholic clashed with the Fascist’s ideology and, subsequently, his victory was suppressed by the Italian media. Additionally, around this time Mussolini was beginning to enforce a number of anti-semitic laws; citizenships were stripped and Jews were prohibited from a number of professions. To make matters worse, the following year, 1939, Gino was robbed of the chance to defend his Tour de France title after Italy pulled out of the tournament due to hostile relations with France. War seemed almost inexorable.
In 1940 the inevitable became a reality when Italy declared war on both England and France. Gino was assigned as an army messenger near an aeroplane factory on the shores of Lake Trasimeno; a rather fortunate placement. To add to this serendipity, Gino was given permission to use a bike instead of a scooter on errands so he could continue training; he was even permitted to take frequent leaves to compete in races. With more time on his hands, Gino capitalised and began pursuing a romantic endeavour. He married his sweetheart, Adriana, in 1940 and the two conceived a son, Andrea, the following year.
It wasn’t until 1943 that things took a turn for the worse in Italy. The year started off well for Gino, the Allies landed in Sicily and placed ‘Il Duce’ under arrest forcing Italy to surrender. This News delighted Gino, he had no allegiance towards Mussolini, nor the war for that matter. However, these celebrations proved to be premature when German paratroopers landed and rescued Mussolini from prison. The Fascist leader was given a renewed inauguration as leader of Italy but, in reality, this was a masquerade; the Nazi’s were using him as a puppet to cover for their recent occupation of the country. Germany and Italy were now ‘allies’ once again and many of the Italian soldiers, including Gino, who had rejoiced after Italy’s surrender were now forced back into service to fight for the unwanted Germans.
With German reconnaissance now unfolding in Italy, many Jewish refugees began flooding into Florence, looking to slip across the Alps to Switzerland. Dalla Costa, Cardinal and good friend of Gino at the time, reached out to the cyclist for support. He explained that many of the refugees required food, shelter and false identity documents in order to survive and implored Gino to help him transport counterfeit identification papers across Tuscany. Gino accepted on the spot, knowing fully well that if he was caught helping Jews there was a palpable chance that he would be imprisoned by the Nazi regime.
By Spring, 1944, more than 6500 Jews had been transported by train from Italy to Auschwitz. The Nazi’s were wreaking havoc in Italy before the inevitable arrival of the Allies; pasta and flour mills were demolished in Florence; telephone exchanges were destroyed with corrosive acids and electricity stations were eviscerated, leaving cities shrouded in darkness. To top things off, Hitler, in archetypal fashion, ordered all bridges to be destroyed except “the most artistic one”, and curfew was taken to the extreme with laws stating that anyone who left their house in Florence would be shot. Life was miserable for Gino during this time, his country was in ruins and his second expected son was stillborn. Filled with emotion, Gino took the body of the baby and buried it beside his brother, Giulio, and wept.
In the summer of 1944, the bells of churches and monasteries around Italy began to chime, signalling the return of the Allies along with the eradication of the Germans. On estimate, over 600 Jews had been saved by the efforts of Cardinal Dalla Costa, Gino and their associates, however, it should be noted that some fifteen percent of the Italian Jewish community had been killed. Hoping to rejuvenate his career, Gino travelled to Milan to obtain parts for his bicycle. Upon arrival, he witnessed the hanging corpse of the deceased Mussolini that had been mutilated by the citizens of Milan, “It was an obscene spectacle”, Gino would later say, “a savage testimony of the cruelty of the times.” Nevertheless, Gino had to stay focused on his cycling career and make up for the years lost during the war. Revitalising his career would prove to be an arduous journey. Gino wasn’t as young as he used to be and the press were fully aware of this, branding him with the sobriquet ‘Il Vecchio’, the old one. On top of that, Gino was beginning to suffer from a slow heartbeat; a problem which Gino’s doctor advised could be solved with cigarettes and coffee before a race. Gino knew that winning the Tour de France was the optimal way to re-cement his prestigious position once again, so in 1948, a decade after his last Tour win, Gino entered into the cycling odyssey. No sane person thought he would win.
It should come as a surprise then, to any rational reader, that Gino did in fact win the 1948 Tour de France thanks to his indomitable endurance on the Alps that saw him convert a twenty-one-and-a-half-minute deficit into just sixty-six seconds away from the lead. It seemed that Gino was driven by an unstoppable force during the Tour, one journalist even commented that: “He [Gino] was overheated by an interior flame that consumed him for ten years, and nothing could extinguish the fire that had set his heart ablaze.” As Gino crossed the finish line he had not only accomplished a second Tour de France win but, with a decade between the two achievements, he held the largest gap between victories in the race - that remains undefeated to this day.
Conclusion:
Gino’s second tour win also had an impact at a national level. At a time when riots were breaking out frequently in Italy between the Catholic and Communist ideologies, Gino’s victory was able to reunite the country for a short spell as his fans and countrymen marvelled at ‘Il Vecchio’s’ accomplishments. Indeed, after this impressive feat, Gino’s career would slowly decline into entropy. He retired in 1955 and spent the rest of his years with his beloved wife and children until passing away on May 5th, 2000. His body can be found in his hometown, Ponte a Ema, resting next to his parents; his stillborn son, Giorgo, and his cherished brother, Giulio. Although gone for more than two decades now, the legacy of the Tour de France champion and, maybe more importantly, liberator of Jews lives on. Perhaps Gino put it best:
"If you’re good at a sport, they attach the medals to your shirt and then they shine in some museum. That which is earned by doing good deeds is attached to the soul and shines elsewhere."
September 5, 2017
I don't like non fiction books - this one read like fiction. True page turner, incredible, true story.
January 20, 2020
This story is one that could be told in a much more effective way, in my non-writing opinion. While many of us know the Bartali biker I think few know about this WWII activities. Why skip over that so quickly? A lot of more research could have been done on that & I think that’s where the majority of the book should have centered. Otherwise entertaining
August 23, 2015
Wow!! What a story.
I am a fan of cycling autobiographies and have a keen interest in WW2 history but have never been a huge biography lover. That said, how can a book fail to impress when telling this story!
I knew little abaout Gino Bartali before reading this, for me he was another name in the record books of a sport I love but from an era I knew little about.
Born to a poor but loving family in a small town outside Florence, Gino worked hard to earn the promise of his own bicycle as a boy. Once he had his own bike, like many boys it became his passion and he loved racing his friends around Tuscant but was forbidden by his family to race seriously.
When Gino constantly pleading and various local cycling figures making suggestions, his father finally relented, allowed him to race. Gino soon realised his talent and started a successful career as a professional athlete winning the Tour de France and Giro D'Italia with brief hiatus' after the death of his younger brother (in a cycle race) and internal politics from his fascist government messing with his race programme before the onset of war.
During the war, Gino saved countless lives both directly (harbouring the family of a Jewish friend he had met whilst working as a bike mechanic) and indirectly, by aiding the Italian resistance, carrying fake ID cards and papers for sheltering Jewish families within his bike frame and causing distrubances to distract gaurds whilst fleeing familes were train hopping. For his part Gino was interogated by Fascist officals but was realeased after revealing nothing about his activities and continued his work until peacetime.
After the war, Gino resumed racing but with his best years lost to the fighting he was written off as too old by the press during the 1948 Tour de France, however, with the backdrop of riots and political unrest back home in Italy after the attempted assasnation of the leader of the opposition party, Gino received a phone call from the then Prime Minister and personal friend, urging him to win the the Tour for Italia.
Gino reacted by trouncing his opposition the following day, turning a 20 min deficit, until a 60 secoind one and would repeat the feat the following day to take the Yellow Jersey and win the tour. 10 years after his original victory.
The book also gives much history into Musolini and Hitlers allegiance, in particular the role of Florence and then the seige of Florence when the allies liberated the city.
I believe that the book could have been written better...... But the story is pure gold and I highly recommend this book to cycling fans, historians, readers on the hollcaust and general lovers of underdog stories.
I am a fan of cycling autobiographies and have a keen interest in WW2 history but have never been a huge biography lover. That said, how can a book fail to impress when telling this story!
I knew little abaout Gino Bartali before reading this, for me he was another name in the record books of a sport I love but from an era I knew little about.
Born to a poor but loving family in a small town outside Florence, Gino worked hard to earn the promise of his own bicycle as a boy. Once he had his own bike, like many boys it became his passion and he loved racing his friends around Tuscant but was forbidden by his family to race seriously.
When Gino constantly pleading and various local cycling figures making suggestions, his father finally relented, allowed him to race. Gino soon realised his talent and started a successful career as a professional athlete winning the Tour de France and Giro D'Italia with brief hiatus' after the death of his younger brother (in a cycle race) and internal politics from his fascist government messing with his race programme before the onset of war.
During the war, Gino saved countless lives both directly (harbouring the family of a Jewish friend he had met whilst working as a bike mechanic) and indirectly, by aiding the Italian resistance, carrying fake ID cards and papers for sheltering Jewish families within his bike frame and causing distrubances to distract gaurds whilst fleeing familes were train hopping. For his part Gino was interogated by Fascist officals but was realeased after revealing nothing about his activities and continued his work until peacetime.
After the war, Gino resumed racing but with his best years lost to the fighting he was written off as too old by the press during the 1948 Tour de France, however, with the backdrop of riots and political unrest back home in Italy after the attempted assasnation of the leader of the opposition party, Gino received a phone call from the then Prime Minister and personal friend, urging him to win the the Tour for Italia.
Gino reacted by trouncing his opposition the following day, turning a 20 min deficit, until a 60 secoind one and would repeat the feat the following day to take the Yellow Jersey and win the tour. 10 years after his original victory.
The book also gives much history into Musolini and Hitlers allegiance, in particular the role of Florence and then the seige of Florence when the allies liberated the city.
I believe that the book could have been written better...... But the story is pure gold and I highly recommend this book to cycling fans, historians, readers on the hollcaust and general lovers of underdog stories.
November 25, 2022
What a book! So well researched and a history buffs dream (which I am!)! And then to have a cyclist (which I am) who’s bravery against the odds wins the day, what’s not to love in this historical account? 🚴
January 6, 2023
The story of Gino Bartali is an incredible one. Even without an ounce of what he did for the Jews during WWII, Bartali would have been a legend. His feats as a cyclist were unmatched, and the timing of his wins on the world stage were inspirational to the world, but most importantly to Italy as it was rebuilding as a defeated nation. His efforts to save Jewish families at his own peril added, in perhaps the most important way to his legacy. He saved many lives.
While the story of Bartali is amazing, the writer's style of subjective addendums and conclusions were at times a superfluous and unnecessary. They likley served the purpose of adding the quirky thoughts and actions of Bartali or others in order to give them depth or humanity, as this is a posthumous biographical tale not based on corroborated records. The anecdotes didn't always add much to the story or the personalities of Bartali and others. At other times, they seemed almost fabricated or too bombastic or dramatic to be true.
Otherwise, the writing achieved the objective of a biography, and told the story in a memorable and cohesive manner. I felt inspired enough by Gino's experiences that I will tell others about him if relevant subjects arise in my own life's conversations. On a purely human level, he added a great deal more than other man of fame, and he should absolutely be remembered for being such an exemplary individual.
While the story of Bartali is amazing, the writer's style of subjective addendums and conclusions were at times a superfluous and unnecessary. They likley served the purpose of adding the quirky thoughts and actions of Bartali or others in order to give them depth or humanity, as this is a posthumous biographical tale not based on corroborated records. The anecdotes didn't always add much to the story or the personalities of Bartali and others. At other times, they seemed almost fabricated or too bombastic or dramatic to be true.
Otherwise, the writing achieved the objective of a biography, and told the story in a memorable and cohesive manner. I felt inspired enough by Gino's experiences that I will tell others about him if relevant subjects arise in my own life's conversations. On a purely human level, he added a great deal more than other man of fame, and he should absolutely be remembered for being such an exemplary individual.
July 17, 2012
I have never heard of Gino Bartali until I read this book. What I found more fascinating then Gino was about the Tour de France and the job he had as a bike messenger during the war to help the Jews. Gino was alright but at times his competitive nature overshadowed him and made him have a bit of a bad attitude. Not that I am saying that competition is a bad thing as I can get really competitive when it comes to certain things but there is a line to draw and you have to know when to turn it off at times. Of course, if it was not for Gino's never give up attitude then he would not have won the Tour de France twice and been an icon in the cycling world.
Learning how the Tour de France got its start was cool, especially learning where the idea of the leader wearing the color yellow came from. I have never watched the race but after hearing what Gino had to go through as each stage got harder and harder is amazing. I do have to give big props to the winner. Gino's time as a bike messenger during the war was interesting, although I would have liked to get to know more about his role. I felt that this section of the book was hurried along and glossed over. I could tell however that Aili and Andres McConnon did their research. They introduced Gino, the person, icon, war bike messenger, father, and husband. Overall an interesting read.
Learning how the Tour de France got its start was cool, especially learning where the idea of the leader wearing the color yellow came from. I have never watched the race but after hearing what Gino had to go through as each stage got harder and harder is amazing. I do have to give big props to the winner. Gino's time as a bike messenger during the war was interesting, although I would have liked to get to know more about his role. I felt that this section of the book was hurried along and glossed over. I could tell however that Aili and Andres McConnon did their research. They introduced Gino, the person, icon, war bike messenger, father, and husband. Overall an interesting read.
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