Good is something you do, not something you talk about’ once said Gino Bartali.
With this eloquent quote, Ginettaccio, as he was known in Italy, perfectly summed up everything he stood for. A champion cyclist, on his day invincible, yet his legacy and impact far exceeds that which he did on the global sporting stage.
Gino the Pious, as he was often nicknamed, was born on 18th July 1914 in Ponte a Ema in Florence. Gino, son of a smallholder, grew up in poverty but a release from his family’s financial struggles was found very early on, and it came in the form of cycling. His passion for the sport only intensified when he began to work in a bicycle shop at the age of 13 and he soon began to race competitively. After 8 years of commitment to the sport, Gino made the leap to professional cycling, having already developed a sterling reputation on the amateur scene.
Gino made an impact almost immediately with a significant stage victory in his first year of professional racing at the 1935 Giro d’Italia, whilst simultaneously being declared King of the Mountains. He would go on to win this award 6 more times across his illustrious career.
Gino’s meteoric rise to the summit of professional cycling soon took a hit, as he experienced a sobering return to reality in 1936 when his brother, Giulio died in a racing accident. Despite this tragedy, Gino’s unwavering determination pushed him back into the saddle.
Soon after, however, having won the Giro for the second time in 1937, he suffered another career threatening setback. He was determined to prove his ability outside of Italy and hence entered the 1937 Tour De France.
Unfortunately, in the valley that leads to Briançon, Bartali fell off his bike and into a river below, impacting his chest and suffering cuts to an arm and knee. He refused to allow this injury to define his race and he fought on to finish the stage. He returned the following year, with a point to prove - he did exactly that by winning the Tour De France and in the process winning the hardest stage by 5 minutes. Gino Bartali, supported by his entire nation, had conquered cycling’s most coveted race.
Notably, in the aftermath of this huge success, he refused to dedicate his win to Mussolini, even though another prominent cyclist had been found dead around the same time having vocally criticised the fascist regime. This truly was an act of pure bravery, a characteristic which would be connected very closely to Gino’s legacy.
When World War II broke out in 1939, Gino was conscripted into the military service as a bike messenger. As the war progressed, the Italian Social Republic soon started to persecute Jews. Bartali refused to be passive in the face of discrimination of his fellow countrymen. Despite understanding the risks of imprisonment or death, he embarked on near to 40 journeys between Florence and Assisi, hiding cargo and money in his bike’s frame and handlebars to be distributed amongst the Jews hiding. His national popularity allowed him to slip through checkpoints as guards looked on in awe at their hero.
Gino’s unfaltering desire to help was further underscored when he agreed to hide his Jewish friend, Giacomo Goldenberg, and his family in his own apartment. Gino’s actions were truly remarkable, a testament to his humanity. He did not act to benefit himself, rather risked his own life to do the right thing.
His awe-inspiring endeavours took both an emotional and physical toll on him, yet he conquered the world of cycling one last time. In true fairytale fashion, Bartali won the Tour De France title in 1948.
In his typically selfless manner, Gino did not want his exploits to be revealed publicly. They were only disclosed when he died in 2000. In 2010, he was declared Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem (Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust), which recognised him to be a hero in the darkest years of Jewish history.
Gino Bartali was a man defined by passion, determination and compassion. He conquered the cycling world and was a national hero, yet he risked it all to save others. What he did during World War II was nothing short of remarkable.
