Giro d'Italia: The Story of the World's Most Beautiful Bike Race - Hardcover

O'Brien, Colin

3.68

263 ratings by Goodreads

9781781257166: Giro d'Italia: The Story of the World's Most Beautiful Bike Race

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1781257167 ISBN 13: 9781781257166

Publisher: Pursuit Books, 2017

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Born of tumult in 1909, the Giro d'Italia helped unite a nation.

Since then it has reflected it too; the race's capricious and unpredictable nature matching the passions and extremes of Italy itself.

A desperately hard race through a beautiful country, the Giro has bred characters and stories that dramatise the shifting culture and society of its home: Alfonsina Strada, who cropped her hair and raced against the men in 1924. Ottavio Bottecchia, expected to challenge for the winner's Maglia Rosa in 1928, until killed on a training ride, probably by Mussolini's Black Shirts. Fausto Coppi, the metropolitan playboy with amphetamines in his veins, guided by a mystic blind masseur; and his arch rival Gino Bartali; humble, pious and countrified (and brave: recently it emerged he smuggled papers for persecuted Jewish Italians). The Giro's most tragic hero - Marco Pantani, born to climb but fated to lose.

Halted only by World Wars, the Giro has been contested since 1909. The 2017 edition will be its one hundredth. This book celebrates it in all its kaleidoscopic glory.

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Review:

There is a feast of anecdote to enjoy ... a marvellous account ... and a tremendously exciting story. (Tim Parks Guardian 2017-05-06)

The Giro and Italy, Italy and the Giro: this book helps to explain how each has helped shape the other ... This book gives an excellent introduction to the history of the Giro and all that it means to Italy and cycling (Road.cc)

Packed with great stories and insights. (Bikes, etc.)

From the Author:

The 100th edition of the Giro d'Italia will generate huge attention from media and cycling fans|Author lives in Italy and has unrivalled access to riders past and present and race personnel; this will be the finest book on the subject|A beautifully produced and highly desirable book; perfect for the design-conscious cycling market|Tells the stories of the race and its riders with pace and flair

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