Gino bartali bike
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Rescuer Story: Gino Bartali
Gino Bartali was an Italian cycling legend having won the gruelling Tour de France twice, once prior to and once after World War Two. But the true heroism of Bartali’s actions went far beyond his prowess on the bike, as he used his sporting fame to help save the lives of many Jewish people.
Born outside Florence in rural Tuscany in 1914, Bartali grew up in isolated poverty. He was happiest cycling through the hills around his home with his friends and by his early 20s had commenced a professional career in the sport. He quickly became very famous in Italy, hailed the ‘King of Cycling’ and his 1938 win of the Tour de France was thought by many to be the start of a very long reign at the top of the cycling world.
Even at this early stage of his life, Bartali had strong moral convictions and was a devout Catholic. Upon winning the 1938 Tour he chose not to dedicate his win to Mussolini, which was expected, even though another prominent cyclist who vocally criticised fascists was found dead around the same time. When war broke out in Europe in 1939,
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Gino Bartali: The cyclist who saved Jews in wartime Italy
"Mussolini believed that if an Italian rider triumphed in the Tour it would show that Italians too belonged to the master race," says Bartali's son Andrea in Jacoby's film.
"It was a matter of national pride and fascist prestige that my father won the 1938 Tour, so he was under real pressure."
Bartali was invited to dedicate his win to Mussolini, but refused. It was a grave insult to il duce and a big risk to take.
In the middle of that year's Tour, Mussolini had published a Manifesto on Race, which led later to Jews being stripped of citizenship or any position in government or the professions.
Italy remained, however, a country in which Jews could take refuge, until it surrendered to the allies in 1943. The German army then occupied northern and central parts of the country and immediately started rounding up Jews and sending them to concentration camps.
At this point Bartali, a devout Catholic, was asked by the Cardinal of Florence, Archbishop Elia Dalla Costa, to join a secret
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The Tour de France champion who saved hundreds of Jews
With this year's Tour de France starting in Florence, it's the perfect opportunity to celebrate the city's cycling hero: two-time Tour de France winner, Gino Bartali.
Piazzale Michelangelo, nicknamed "the balcony of Florence" for its expansive views over the Tuscan capital from its vantage point just over the Arno river, will take centre stage at the Tour de France’s Grand Depart on 29 June. This is where teams of elite cyclists will be presented to masses of fans before the official race departure from Piazza della Signoria in the historic city centre.
This is the Tour’s first departure from Italy, and locals simply cannot wait. For bicycle-mad Italy, having just hosted the Giro d’Italia, this is truly an occasion to be proud of.
"I am incredibly excited about the Grand Departure in Florence and believe that the Tour de France could only start from here and from the beauty of Tuscany, a true land of cycling," said Silvia Livoni, cycle tourism consultant for Tu
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