Giro d’Italia. Historia najpiękniejszego kolarskiego wyścigu świata

by Colin O'Brien

Jak gdyby trudności samej trasy działały niedostatecznie zniechęcająco, tłum szalał do tego stopnia, że dyrektor wyścigu musiał – jak donosili reporterzy – sięgnąć po bat, aby go poskromić. Na odcinku prowadzącym do Rzymu fani dopuścili się sabotażu – rozsypali na drodze gwoździe, aby spowolnić mniej popularnych zawodników. Ganna przetrwał ten wielki chaos i wygrał etap, finiszując na oczach 20 tysięcy kibiców zgromadzonych w stolicy.

Wyczyn ten powtórzył we Florencji, wjeżdżając samodzielnie na tamtejszy welodrom i wprawiając swoich kibiców w taką euforię, że ci wtargnęli na tor i zmusili sędziów do zakończenia tej części, jeszcze zanim Ganna przejechał ostatnie okrążenie. Trousseliera spowolniła poważna awaria roweru. Gdy wreszcie pojawił się na mecie, kończąc etap na 28. miejscu, było już jasne, że jego strata jest zbyt duża, aby mógł walczyć o końcowy triumf. W związku z tym wycofał się z zawodów.

Genres: Cycling, Sports, Nonfiction, History, Italy

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 13, 2017

Reviews

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Irlantilaisen Colin O'Brienin "Giro d'Italia : the Story of the World's Most Beautiful Bike Race" (Pursuit, 2018) teoksessa käydään läpi maineikkaan pyöräkilpailun vaiherikasta historiaa. Vuodesta 1909 ajetussa kilpailussa ovat ottaneet mittaa toisistaan lajin suurimmat nimet, ja sen tarinaan on liittynyt myös ripaus politiikkaa ja italialaisen yhteiskunnan kiemuroita.

Vaikka O'Brien kuljettaa kertomustaan eteenpäin kronologisesti, ei hän silti selosta jokaista kisaa läpi, vaan keskittyy erilaisiin teemoihin kuten Marco Pantanin traagiseen uraan tai Francesco Moserin ja Giuseppe Saronnin väliseen vastakkainasetteluun. Vaikka en ole asiantuntija, niin tarinoista osa on tullut vuosien varrella tutuksi muista teoksista. Lienee silti vaikea kirjoittaa lajin historiasta esittelemättä Fausto Coppin ja Gino Bartalin välistä kilpailua!

No, mahtuipa kirjaan ihan uuttakin tietoa, muun muassa vuoden 1924 kilpailussa pyöräilleestä Alfonsina Stradasta, ainoasta naisesta joka on ottanut osaa yhdellekään kolmesta ns. Grand Tourista!

[Shrike58 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I was not expecting this book to be the end all on the subject, and O'Brien seems to have been under no illusions that he was writing such a book, I found this a perfectly acceptable introduction to an institution of which I only had vague notions about its early history. It doesn't hurt that O'Brien is acutely aware of the more sketchy characteristics of the sport of cycling, and doesn't try to gloss them over, while always taking the actual racers seriously.

Actual rating: 3.5.

[Joe Surkiewicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

After watching three grand tours and a handful of classics all crammed into a single season, I got hold of this book...and enjoyed it. Yes, I'm a fanatic. If that's you, too, and you're not really up on the history of the sport, get this book. It's short, readable and informative, both on the Giro's (and bike racing's) early years, and the great racers and rivalries (like Coppi and Bartali) that followed. I also really got off learning more about the later era, racers I followed like Stephen Roche, Andy Hampsten, Moser, and Hinault (but almost nothing on Mario Cipollini, who never won the Giro but was one if its greatest sprinters; weird). Not into bike racing? This ain't for you. It's aimed at fans, which by and large rules out Americans. As Stephen Colbert quipped (back when he was funny) after Lance Armstrong retired, "Now Americans don't have to pretend they like bicycle racing." Not many did.

[Eric Folley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was more a history of some of the champions of the Giro than a history of the Giro itself. And the focus on the modern-day riders was more in-depth because of sometimes lengthy interviews that were reprinted in the book. That said, my favorite part was the chapter on Andy Hampsten, I rider that I knew very little about. My appreciation for some of the ingenious and novel strategems his 7-11 team employed, while now part of the standard playbook, proved that as little as 35 years ago it was still possible to innovate in important, race-changing ways. Now that everything is regimented, predictable, and data-driven, some of the excitement seems to have left the sport. But at the same time, it needs to be remembered that what was exciting to watch as a spectator was absolutely miserable for those actually riding.

[Gavin Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliantly written. Chapters range from iconic climbs to famous rivalries and characters and combine to make a great telling of the story of the race.

[Aneta · Rating 4 out of 5]

ENG/PL

ENG: As a long-time cycling fan, I have finally been convinced by the literature on the subject. The book is really well-written and the chapters are thoughtfully structured, so that the reader is fully able to familiarize himself with the long history of the Giro. I won't hide the fact that by its very nature it is my favorite cycling race, with that Italian temperament and the nature of Italy emanating from it.


PL: Jako długoletnia fanka kolarstwa w końcu przekonałam się do literatury w tym temacie. Książka jest naprawdę dobrze napisana a rozdziały są przemyślanie skonstruowane, dzięki czemu w pełni czytelnik jest w stanie zapoznać się długą historią Giro. Nie będę ukrywać, że przez swoją specyfikę jest to mój ulubiony wyścig kolarski, z którego bije ten włoski temperament oraz natura Italii.

[David Holoman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a love letter to a race and a work of great dedication. The author did a great job of not presenting a year-by-year recap of each Giro, trying to construct a better narrative. Lamentably, the prose could only occasionally raise three-dimensional characters from the cold statistics of the past. O'Brien excels, however, at bringing context to the iconic climbs.

I would have traded a few dozen pages of the lesser battles for more about what differentiates the Giro from the tour: the ownership of the race in the hearts of the Italians. It's not the same for the Tour or the Vuelta. It's mentioned in the epilogue, but might have been a unifying theme for the book. Maybe the historic anecdotes aren't available.

In any case, it is a book for enthusiasts only.

[Agenor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall a good read about the history of the Giro d'Italia. It is more a collection of short biographies and entertaining episodes and hence lacks a unifying theme to make it a cohesive story. However this is a natural limitation of the topic itself and the author has done well to make it engaging rather than a list of people, places and records.

[Łukasz Gąsior · Rating 4 out of 5]

Niezłe opracowanie, ale niestety wydawca zaprzepaścił okazję do zamieszczenia większej ilości archiwalnych zdjęć. Z ośmiu stron fotografii tylko jedna zawiera zdjęcia z XX wieku, a na pozostałych siedmiu tylko jedno jest sprzed 2010 roku. Byłoby wspaniale, gdyby czytelnik mógł obserwować, jak przez dziesięciolecia zmieniały się sprzęt, stroje, drogi...

[Tomi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Liian pinnallinen. Lukijalle ei välity kisojen tunnelma: minkälaista oli katsoa tai osallistua Giroihin vuosien varrella. Loppupäässä olevien urheilijahaastattelujen kautta tätä hetkittäin tavoitetaan, mutta suurimman osan ajasta O'Brien kuivasti ja pintapuolisesti kertoo, mitä kisoissa tapahtui.

[Massimo Carcano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se vi piace il ciclismo, se lo avete sempre seguito nonostante i troppi scandali, se le sfide vi appassionano, questo libro fa per voi. Si legge in un baleno e ripercorre la storia del nostro amato giro dagli albori ai giorni d'oggi.

[Filip Olšovský · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suprisingly inconsistent. Some of the chapters with stronger narratives are brilliant, some are even worth skipping. Great as an overall image of the race and an introduction to other, more detailed and specifically focused pieces.

[Mark Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A potboiler that gives some headlines of this event. Not imaginatively written it goes through in chronological order, sometimes simply giving descriptions of what happened each year.
It is at its best when taking a bit more time to recount some of the most significant events and individuals.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable overview of the Giro's history. A good place to start for any cycling enthusiast with a fun trip through history and lovely anecdotes on all the big names of the race's history. A good compact length also.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting format, rathr than just a chronicle of each year in chronological order, it was interesting. some minor foibles affected the rating

this was an early pandemic purchase that i hadn't got to read so a bit out of date by now.

[Stefano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good account of the Giro’s history. O’Brien’s clear knowledge of the grand tour, not to mention of Italy’s culture and bike-obsession permeates and helps depicting what the Corsa Rosa has always been about.

Clear, pleasant writing for an essential piece in everyday cyclist bookshelf

[Kasiek · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://kasiek-mysli.blogspot.com/2017...

[Matfiej · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miks historii kolarstwa z historią Włoch. Fascynująca lektura dla fanów sportu

[Keul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nederlandse versie, veel en leuke feiten die nooit tot een verhaal komen

[Bartek Mikolajczak · Rating 1 out of 5]

Zestaw historii, które nie tworzą historii. Czasami emocje jak przy czytaniu książki telefonicznej.

[Chris F · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last line of the book is particularly epic!

[Marcin Danak · Rating 5 out of 5]

great experience

[Jan Surquin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geschiedenis van de Ronde van Italië aan de hand van de levensloop van verschillende protagonisten doorheen de decennia. Interessant!

[Marcelina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dużo interesujących opisów kolarzy i super opis początku wyścigu 🚴🏻‍♂️🇮🇹

[Patrycja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mnie, jako osobę interesującą się kolarstwem pozycja ta zaciekawiła, pozwoliła bliżej poznać historię tego wyścigu, bardzo intrygująca książka, na pewno kiedyś do niej wrócę 😁🚲

[Owen Little · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative book and a cool history of the Giro, but pretty boring tbh. If I didn't like cycling probably would not have finished it

[Niekoniecznie Papierowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Takie 4 z małym minusem. Najlepiej czytać podczas Giro! <3

[Mateusz Siegieda · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a cycling fan, the Giro topic is certainly not unknown to you. Still, is this book worth reading? Definitely.

The book smoothly guides us through the history of one of the most famous races in the world. It describes how cycling as a sport has changed over the years, how routes, equipment, players and tactics have changed.

The author did his best to focus on the most important elements from over a hundred years of Giro history. He conducted dozens of interviews with people from the world of cycling who triumphed many years ago, but today boast stories "from the inside".

In my opinion, it is an interesting document, written in an accessible way, which brings us even closer to this beautiful sport of cycling. Unfortunately, this is not a book for everyone. It can be boring at times for some. However, it is worth reaching for it and seeing if you like it.

[Meg]

It would help if you know a little bit about the cycling world and it's stars but not necessary. I can't see this appealing to the general reader however. I was never a fan of the Tours until I started cycling more. Expect lots of stories of the drama of the Giro and of Italian cycling world. Doping? eh well. It was a thing - maybe they are better now.

[Harry · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a story that several others have told in recent years and I'm not sure what the author here brings to the telling that can not be found in earlier books about this race.