Gino Bartali: The cyclist who saved Jews in wartime Italy

[DougieAB]

Link to BBC article - http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27333310

Amazing story, wonderful words from Bartali.

 

[Scoosh]

Brings tears to the eyes, that does.

What a wonderful human being. Serious respect.

 

[laurence]

the book is very good

 

[Ganymede]

His son said: "When I asked my father why I couldn't tell anyone, he said, 'You must do good, but you must not talk about it. If you talk about it you're taking advantage of others misfortunes' for your own gain.'"

This is true moral heroism. Wonderful story.

 

[glenn forger]

Moving story. As an aside, I wonder why nobody's written a book about the role of the bicycle in WW2. Popular with partisans and the resistance, used by escaped POWs and underground workers like Bartali. Used to great effect by the Japanese in Singapore.

The war is the reason bikes got lighter:

In 1941 the average weight of a bicycle designed for adults was 57 pounds. A 57 pound bike was not considered heavy, but simply an average sized bicycle for the time. In 1942 the government ordered the bicycle manufacturers to make some mandatory cut-backs to preserve valuable metals so they could be used for the War effort.

http://www.examiner.com/article/how-rationing-during-world-war-ii-led-to-lighter-bicycles

 

[laurence]

Moving story. As an aside, I wonder why nobody's written a book about the role of the bicycle in WW2. Popular with partisans and the resistance, used by escaped POWs and underground workers like Bartali. Used to great effect by the Japanese in Singapore.

The war is the reason bikes got lighter:

In 1941 the average weight of a bicycle designed for adults was 57 pounds. A 57 pound bike was not considered heavy, but simply an average sized bicycle for the time. In 1942 the government ordered the bicycle manufacturers to make some mandatory cut-backs to preserve valuable metals so they could be used for the War effort.

http://www.examiner.com/article/how-rationing-during-world-war-ii-led-to-lighter-bicycles

weren't the beaches of normandy mapped by a cycling spy? i seem to remember that story - a french cyclist, quite famous, would go for training runs along the coast and map it, hiding the drawings in the seat-tube.

i also recall that some of the first troops ashore on d-day had bikes to speed their advance.

 

[glenn forger]

Canadians:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7098/7196120174_4976555872_o.jpg

View looking east along 'Nan White' Beach, showing personnel of the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade landing from LCI(L) 299 of the 2nd Canadian (262nd RN) Flotilla on D-Day / Vue ouest-est de la plage « Nan White » et du personnel de la 9e Brigade d'infante

http://www.armchairgeneral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126000

 

[glenn forger]

I don't know the spy story, I tried Google but just got loads of cycle tour links.

 

[Ganymede]

Didn't someone post something the other day about a cyclists' war memorial from WWI? Or did I see that somewhere else? I suppose I'd better go and look...

 

[Ganymede]

Here we are, Meriden, CTC does a memorial rally there: http://www.ctc-heartofengland.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=471&Itemid=248

 

[classic33]

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/world-war-1-and-cyclists.154558/#post-3039839
Memorial day, this year, 18th May.

 

[Bobby Mhor]

Touching story of a man who could have been elevated to 'enjoy' the superstar lifestyle accorded by being one of Benito's stooges.
An inspiration and the e-book is ordered.....