I believe that apart from his Resistance work, Bartali was probably the most underrated rider in history. Consider that he had his prime years stolen by WWII, yet still won three Giros and two Tours, plus Milan-San Remo, Giro di Lombardia, Tour de Romandie and Tour de Suisse. Bartali turned 24 during his first Tour Victory in 1938, so he was 34 when he won his second in 1948. Not over the hill exactly, but certainly beyond the prime age for winning grand tours. Imagine his palmres had the war not intervened and had he ridden the Tour and Giro from 1939 through 1947. I'm convinced he, rather than Anquetil, would have been the first 5 time Tour winner. I personally would rate him at least fifth all-time behind behind Merckx, Hinault, Coppi, and Anquetil. One might even argue he was a more rounded rider than Anquetil, who dominated mostly through time trialing. And had he and Coppi gone head to head for 10 years while Gino was still in his prime, Gino might even have proven the more successful.
How ironic that Coppi should be celebrated despite or perhaps because of his scandalous personal life, while Bartali seems almost to be distained by some for his religious and conservative nature. Too bad the world didn't see another decade of rivalry between them in their primes.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Big Spring, Texas, USA
> From: P.C. Kohler <kohl57@yahoo.com>
\r?\n> Subject: Re: [CR] I shall be riding my Bianchi Campionissimo tomorrow
\r?\n> To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
\r?\n> Date: Friday, January 1, 2010, 9:19 PM
\r?\n> Fred is correct about Gino Bartali's
\r?\n> role in the resistance in WW2 Italy. Then again, we should
\r?\n> remember that he, Coppi, Binda, Cinelli and the other greats
\r?\n> of Italian cycling of the 1930s-50s were all the products of
\r?\n> the Fascist regime's enormous support of cycling as a
\r?\n> "working class" sport designed to rival football. The sudden
\r?\n> dominance of Italians in cycle sport starting in the 1930s
\r?\n> was not accidental. Most of these young would be racers, in
\r?\n> their early teens, were nurtured from the beginning and many
\r?\n> races, both road and track, were sponsored by the OND (Opera
\r?\n> Nationazale Dopolavaro (literally "After Work") organisation
\r?\n> which was a government run replacement for trade unions with
\r?\n> sporting evenings, social affairs, sponsored cruises and
\r?\n> holidays. Recreational cycling and cycle touring blossomed
\r?\n> as a result. I suspect the first team cycling jerseys Coppi
\r?\n> and Bartali wore were emblazoned OND.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Mussolini himself was a passonate cycling enthusiast and
\r?\n> when he lifted the ban on Italian cyclists participating in
\r?\n> the Tour de France (which was imposed after League of
\r?\n> Nations sanctions against Italian imposed in 1936) in 1937,
\r?\n> he personally selected Gino Bartalli to lead the Italian
\r?\n> National team. Bartali's TdF win in 1938 was but one of many
\r?\n> Italian sporting triumphs of the era including winning the
\r?\n> FIFA World Cup in 1934 and 1938 and Primo Carnero's
\r?\n> heavyweight boxing championship and ranking near the top in
\r?\n> Olympic Medals in the 1932 and 1936 Games.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> In the wake of the 1936 sanctions, Italians distained any
\r?\n> foreign products or materials and the government encouraged
\r?\n> the development and use of Italian cycling components at
\r?\n> this time. Italian cycle racing continued throughout the
\r?\n> war.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Somewhere on Youtube there are old "Luce" newsreels of
\r?\n> cycling from this period and whatever ones views are of the
\r?\n> Fascist Regime, its enormous and positve role in the
\r?\n> development of Italian cycle sport and in nurturing that
\r?\n> amazing generation of riders cannot be disputed.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Peter Kohler
\r?\n> Washington DC USA