Bartali-Ursus - Miniature racing cyclists

Gino Bartali

Gino Bartali was an Italian cyclist. He had a number of nicknames: the Mystic or the Monk, the Pious and the Silent. He was a supporter of the Catholic faith. He came from the region of Tuscany and had a preference for the Flemish classics. He was very popular with the tifosi.

From 1934 to 1954 he won three times the Giro d'Italia (1936, 1937, 1946) and two times the Tour de France (1938, 1948). In 1938 he won the Tour de France by more than 20 minutes ahead of the Belgian Félicien Vervaecke. He wore the pink jersey in the tour of Italy for 50 days, and the yellow jersey in the tour of France for 23 days.

And between the 1930s and 1950s he triumphed in many other races, including four times in Milan-San Remo and three times in the Tour of Lombardy. He won 168 races in his career.

His victory in the 1948 Tour de France has, according to many, helped to alleviate the climate of social tension in Italy. Because of his victory, the attention was distracted from the revolution in his country. That revolution was started after an attack on Palmiro Togliatti, the leader of the communist party in Italy.

After the war he received an award for his activities in favour of the Jews during the Second World War. At the request of Pope Pius XII, he helped Jews who had To hide in a monastery in Assisi. Bartali had an ingenious way of smuggling documents. He hid the papers in his bicycle frame. In this way he saved the life of more than 800 Jews. He was caught and arrested. But he was released again.

Bartali's career was strongly conditioned by the Second World War, which took place in his best years. Nicknamed Ginettaccio, he was a big opponent of Fausto Coppi, who was 5 years younger than Bartali. Coppi had started as a servant of Bartali, but outstripped him later. Their rivalry was legendary and it divided Italy in the post-war period, also because of the allegedly different political positions of the two.
In 1950 it looked as if Bartali would win the Tour de France for the third time. In the climb of the Col d'Aspin in the Pyrenees there were incidents. The 2nd World War was still very fresh in the memories of the people. The supporters along the road threatened the Italian riders. The Italian teams left the Tour de France that evening.
In 1954 Bartali ended his career. He had been a pro for 20 years. From then on he was involved in the production of motorcycles that carried his name.

His greatest victories:
general classification in the Tour de France: 1938 and 1948
Mountain classification in the Tour de France: 1938 and 1948
general classification in the Tour of Italy: 1936, 1937 and 1946
Green jersey in the Tour of Italy: 1935, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1946 and 1947
general classification in the Tour of Switzerland: 1946 and 1947
Italian champion on the road 1935,1937,1940, 1952
Zurich Championship: 1946 and 1948
Milan-San Remo: 1939, 1940, 1947 and 1950
Tour of Lombardy: 1936, 1939 and 1940
Tour de Romandie: 1949

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