Gino Bartali: Cycling's Hero

Gino Bartali

, Italian cyclist (born July 18, 1914, Ponte a Ema, near Florence, Italy—died May 5, 2000, Ponte a Ema), became a national hero and helped unite Italy during a period of political upheaval when he won the 1948 Tour de France 10 years after he had first won cycling’s premier event; despite having his 20-year career (1935–54) interrupted by World War II, the “Iron Man of Tuscany” won more than 180 other races, including the Giro d’Italia (three times), the Milan–San Remo race (four times), the Tour of Switzerland (twice), the Tour of Lombardy (three times), and the Italian national championships (four times).