Gino Bartali

The post war years

Their rivalry split Italy right down the centre: Bartali, conservative and deeply religious, a product of cycling's old school, was venerated in the rural, agrarian south. Coppi, more worldly, secular, an innovator who introduced modern ideas of diet and training to the sport, the hero of the urban, industrial north.

The first full season of racing after the war was 1946. Bartali had spent the war in Italy while the younger Coppi, who in 1942 had taken the World Hour Record in conditions of some secrecy, had been a Prisoner of War in North Africa for 18 months. Determined to make up for lost time, Coppi trained for 7000 kilometres in early 1946 and was rewarded with an epic solo victory in Milan - San Remo, the opening classic of the year. Bartali's grim look when told of the scale of his defeat spoke volumes, and his reply was soon in coming. In the Championship of Zurich, the two rivals broke away together, with Bartali easily winning the final sprint. Next race was Coppi's turn to win, the Giro di Romagna. Then the Giro...

It was a dramatic race, with Bartali building up an early advantage after strong riding on the stage to Naples. By the Dolomites, Coppi was back on form, with the two great rivals massacring the field to place Bartali in the lead with Coppi fourth, but 4 minutes behind. The next day Coppi attacked again and after a chase of more than 150 kilometres, Bartali just saved his pink jersey by 2' 46". It should have been enough, but on the final mountain stage, Bartali punctured with 30 kilometres to go. Coppi instantly attacked to the finish; now all eyes were on the stopwatch. Thirty seconds, a minute, one minute thirty... Finally Bartali raced home, 1' 59" down, but with the Pink Jersey his by a slender 47 seconds. A third Giro was Gino's.

The next two seasons carried on with the two rivals carrying all before them. Bartali scored two wins in the Tour of Switzerland, a Milan - San Remo and, sensationally, the Tour de France in 1948, 10 years after his last appearance in the race. Coppi replied with victory in the 1947 Giro, the Tour of Lombardy, the Grand Prix des Nations... Their rivalry split Italy right down the centre: Bartali, conservative and deeply religious, a product of cycling's old school, was venerated in the rural, agrarian south. Coppi, more worldly, secular, an innovator who introduced modern ideas of diet and training to the sport, was the hero of the urban, industrial north.

The end of an era

1949 saw the beginning of the end of Bartali's reign as Coppi reached the peak of his powers. The two clashed first in the Giro, an Homeric struggle in which Coppi plays Achilles to Bartali's Hector. It was Coppi who emerged the victor, laying waste to the peloton after a solo break across the Cols de Larche, Vars, Izoard, Montegenèvre and Setrières. Bartali finished second on the stage, and eventually second overall, but twenty minutes behind Coppi, the new Campionissimo. Yet in the 1949 Tour de France, still raced with national teams, only some delicate diplomacy by team manager Alfredo Binda kept Coppi in the race after he fell behind in the early stages. "Not a man of the Tour", wrote Jacques Goddet. Yet in the Alps, the impossible happened. The two rivals worked together to destroy the field, once again over the Cols de Vars and Izoard. When Coppi punctured on the Izoard, Bartali waited for him. When Bartali punctured on the rough descent, Coppi similarly waited. On the last climb to the citadel in Briançon, Coppi allowed Bartali to win on what was his 35th birthday. Bartali took what was his final Tour de France Yellow Jersey, but Coppi took the lead the next day after Bartali punctured with 25 miles of the stage still remaining: this time Binda let his new champion off the leash.

That was the last of the great Bartali, now known as "Il vecchio" - the old man. He returned to the Tour de France four more times, twice finishing fourth, and eleventh in his final Tour at the age of 39. He retired at the end of the following season, having won 158 of the 836 races he had started in. For 45 years more he was a familiar figure at Italian races: with Bobet when the latter retired from his final Tour de France, a mourner at Coppi's funeral, a commentator on the passing of Gimondi, Merckx, Moser, Sarroni, Pantani. Bartali, il pio, il vecchio, a hero from another age...