The Beautiful Race: The Story of the Giro d'Italia

by Colin O'Brien

Overview

Born of tumult in 1909, the Giro d’Italia helped unite a nation. Since then, it has reflected its home country—the Giro’s capricious and unpredictable nature matches the passions and extremes of Italy itself.

A desperately hard race through a beautiful country, the Giro has bred characters and stories that dramatize the shifting culture and society of its home. There was Alfonsina Strada, who cropped her hair and raced against the men in 1924, and Ottavio Bottecchia, expected to challenge for the winner’s “Maglia Rosa,” the famed pink jersey, in 1928, until he was killed on a training ride—most likely by Mussolini’s Black Shirts.

And what would a book about the Giro d’Italia be without Fausto Coppi, the metropolitan playboy with amphetamines in his veins, guided by a mystic blind masseur, who seemed to glide up the peaks. But let us not forget his archrival Gino Bartali—humble, pious, and brave. It recently emerged that he smuggled papers for persecuted Jewish Italians. Then there is the Giro’s most tragic hero, Marco Pantani, born to climb but fated to lose.

Halted only by the two World Wars, the Giro has been contested for over a century, and The Beautiful Race is a richly written celebration of this legendary sporting event.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643131580
Publisher:	Pegasus Books
Publication date:	05/14/2019
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	274
Sales rank:	956,181
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.58(d)

About the Author

Colin O'Brien is an Irish sports writer based in Rome. His passion for cycling and the European professional racing scene was ignited when Marco Pantani and the world's best riders came to Dublin with the 1998 Tour de France. He contributes to leading publications worldwide, including Rouleur, Peloton, Cyclist, and ProCycling.

Table of Contents

Preface // vii

Introduction // 1

1 The Giro is born // 7

2 The early years // 17

SALITA FAMOSA Roccaraso, Abruzzo // 26

3 Alfredo Binda: Il Grande Antipatico // 29

4 The Devil wears wool shorts // 40

SALITA FAMOSA Croce d’Aune, Veneto // 45

5 Fascism and the Giro // 48

6 Bartali and Coppi, Coppi and Bartali // 62

7 Magni: Il Terzo Uomo // 80

SALITA FAMOSA Passo dello Stelvio, Trentino-Alto Adige // 98

8 Gracious Gimondi and merciless Merckx // 102

SALITA FAMOSA Blockhaus, Abruzzo // 112

9 The Sheriff and the Rifle Shot // 115

SALITA FAMOSA Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Veneto // 135

10 Enter the Americans // 138

11 The Sappada Affair // 149

12 1988: Fear and loathing in Lombardy // 168

13 Marco Pantani // 180

SALITA FAMOSA Colle delle Finestre, Piemonte // 191

14 A decade of difficulty // 194

SALITA FAMOSA Colle dell’Agnello, Piemonte // 200

15 Then and now // 204

Epilogue // 218

Acknowledgements // 225

List of winners // 227

List of illustrations // 231

Index // 234

Editorial Reviews

"O'Brien wonderfully captures the colorful characters and landscapes that have shaped a century of Italy's national cycling race. An excellent, detailed narrative that expertly places the Giro within the context of modern Italian history."--Publishers Weekly

"There is a feast of anecdote to enjoy. A marvelous account and a tremendously exciting story. "--The Guardian

"The Giro and Italy, Italy and the Giro: this book helps to explain how each has helped shape the other. It is clear that the Giro has been an important feature of Italian sport--and indeed the country--since 1909; some have even suggested that 'the race has done more to unite Italy than Garibaldi's Risorgimento ever managed.' An excellent introduction to the history of the Giro and all that it means to Italy and cycling." --Road Magazine

From the Publisher

11/27/2017
O’Brien, an Irish sportswriter living in Rome, wonderfully captures the colorful characters and landscapes that have shaped a century of Italy’s national cycling race. As he explains, the adage goes that the Giro, which started in 1909, did more to unite Italy than Giuseppe Garibaldi’s Risorgimento in 1870. There is plenty here to support that assertion, especially through the 1950s, when the stars of the Corsa Rosa—the Pink Race, so named for the pink jersey worn by the race leader—were primarily Italian and came from all over the country. Founding director Armando Cougnet oversaw a grueling race that contrasted with the established and rigid Tour de France; the Giro immediately drew swarms of passionate cycling fans. O’Brien hits the historical highlights of the race, starting with the 1920s dominance of Alfredo Binda, then details the 1950s rivalry between Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi, which symbolized two sides of midcentury Italy (Bartali was a religious Florentine; Coppi came from working-class Turin), and the globalization of the race in the 1960s with riders such as Belgian Eddy Merckx. The author provides seven “Salita Famosa” sections that illustrate how formidable climbs have influenced racing (the Passo Croce d’Aune inspired the quick-release lever design, for example). O’Brien has written an excellent, detailed narrative that expertly places the Giro within the context of modern Italian history. Photos. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"The Giro and Italy, Italy and the Giro: this book helps to explain how each has helped shape the other. An excellent introduction to the history of the Giro and all that it means to Italy and cycling. "

Road Magazine

"There is a feast of anecdote to enjoy. A marvelous account and a tremendously exciting story. "

The Guardian