CAMPIONISSIMOS
Gino Bartali
Born: 18 July, 1914, Ponte a Ema, Florence
Died: May 5, 2000, Florence
Active: 1935 to 1954
Major victories: GC Giro d’Italia x3: 1936, ’37 and ’46; GC Tour de France x2: 1938 and 1948
Nickname: Gino the Pious
One of the sport’s finest, Gino Bartali was born in 1914 in the small Tuscan town of Ponte a Ema, near Florence, and began racing around the age of 13.
While his career will forever be entwined with that of compatriot and rival Fausto Coppi, Bartali had two of his three Giro victories under his belt before Coppi started his professional career.
Bartali’s first taste of the big time came in 1935, riding Milan-San Remo as an independent, finishing fourth and earning a ride with professional team Frejus, with whom he rode the Giro. Aged 20, he won a stage and the mountains classification.
Learco Guerra had seen Bartali at Milan-San Remo, and the next year asked
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