Gino Bartali
Gino Bartali, OMRI[1] (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdʒiːno ˈbartali]; 18 July 1914 – 5 May 2000),[2] nicknamed Gino the Pious and (in Italy) Ginettaccio, was a champion road cyclist. He was the most renowned Italian cyclist before the Second World War, having won the Giro d'Italia twice, in 1936 and 1937, and the Tour de France in 1938. After the war, he added one more victory in each event: the Giro d'Italia in 1946 and the Tour de France in 1948. His second and last Tour de France victory in 1948 gave him the largest gap between victories in the race.[3][4]
Personal information
Gino Bartali, OMRI
Gino the Pious
Ginettaccio
L'uomo di ferro (The Iron Man)
L'intramontabile (The Timeless)
18 July 1914
Ponte a Ema, Florence, Kingdom of Italy
5 May 2000 (aged 85)
Florence, Italy
Road
Rider
–
Tebag and Legnano
Bartali–Gardiol
Bartali–Ursus
Tebag and Bartali
Bartali
Bartali–Brooklin
In September 2013, 13 years after his death, Bartali was recognised as a "Righteous Among the Nations" by Yad Vashem for his efforts to aid Jews during World War II.[5]
Later life and death[edit]
Bartali stopped racing when he was 40, after being injured in a road accident.[6] By then he had lost much of his money. His wealth was "uncertain", said René de Latour.[12]
Bartali had a heart bypass operation and then died of a heart attack in May 2000, having received the last rites 10 days earlier. He left behind his wife, Adriana, two sons and a daughter. The prime minister, Giuliano Amato, sent condolences. Romano Prodi, president of the European Commission, called him "a symbol of the most noble sportsmanship." The Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) called for two days of mourning and silence was observed before sports events.