Top 25 All Time Tours:

1948: Gino “the Pious” an Inspirational Win

CR Timeline 1948 [also see Special Notes below]

The history of the Tour de France can be put into “tables and lists” of riders who have won grand victories in the overall classification, climbing or sprinting classifications, but there are other amazing stories within the TdF that transcend sports. These stories enter the politics and emotions of a nation. Athletic accomplishments have always given us distractions during hard time. There are the stories of Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees during the “Great Depression” of the thirties, Jesse Owens grand Gold Medals in the 1938 Berlin Olympics, and Joe Lewis knocking out Hitler's “wunderkind” Max Schmelling during WW2. Cycling history in Europe has many similar stories that helped distract “a nation's” attention from the problems at hand. The 1948 TdF is one such story in cycling history.

Ten years after his 1938 TdF victory, one of the "old boys," Gino Bartali would reappear from Italy to take on the younger generation and give one of the most dominating and inspirational cycling performances in TdF history. Yet this year's race would not be remembered for the margin of victory, but instead for the effect it would have on the Italian people and a nation struggling to stabilize its political disorder.

Due to a poor performance in the 1948 Giro d'Italia, the cycling experts wrote off Gino Bartali as over the hill at age 34. Few people believed that Bartali could be a challenger in such a large and important race. It did not take Bartali long to prove the pundits wrong by winning the stage 1 sprint over Belgian Brik Schotte.

Through the Pyrenees Mountains young , French superstar Louison Bobet took the Maillot Jaune (race leader's Yellow Jersey) and opened a nine-minute lead on second place and over twenty minutes on Bartali.

Gino "the Pious" Bartali, a strong Catholic, started to take back time on the leader by winning on stage 7 to holy city of Lourdes . He continued the charge on stage 8, Lourdes to Toulouse , with another sprinting stage win. However, Bobet had extended his race lead by grabbing his second stage win in Cannes . Bartali was still trailing the talented Frenchman by more than twenty minutes.

Resting at the hotel in Cannes that night, the telephone rang for Bartali. The call was from Alcide de Gaspari, a Deputy (and future leader) of the Italian Christian Democratic Party. Bartali was a very active member of the Party and took great interest in the political upheaval in Italy .

-"Gino," he said, sounding worried, "we need you."

De Gaspari was concerned about the widespread civil unrest and perhaps even a civil war because of the shooting of political rival Palmiro Togliatti, Secretary of the Italian Communist Party.

-"But what can I do? I'm here to race the next stage of the Tour de France, not to come home to Italy ."

-"Exactly," de Gaspari replied. "You can do a lot by winning a stage. If you win it will create a diversion. It will motivate the Italian people towards happier feelings. A distraction, believe me we need it."

-"Listen," Bartali said, "I will do even better than that, I will win the whole Tour."

The next day was stage 13, 274 km from Cannes to Briancon, featuring major climbing over the Col d'Allos, Col de Vars, and Col d'Izoard. An inspired Gino “the Pious" rode in dominating style. He finished over eighteen minute ahead of the race leader Bobet and climbing into second place in the overall classification, just 1'06" behind the young Frenchman.

Stage 14 featured Bartali again riding an inspired race, aggressively pushing the pace on the grand Col du Galibier and the Col de la Croix de Fer. He eventually broke clear of the remaining pack on the Col de Porte and by the time he reached the finish in Aix-les-Bains the lead was six minutes on his nearest rival. Race leader Bobet finished a distant sixth on the stage, 7'09” behind Bartali. The Frenchman gave up his Maillot Jaune for good.

Still riding emotionally for Italy on stage 15, Aix les Bains to Lausanne , Bartali rode solo to victory. In the process he gained an additional two minutes on his main rivals and generating an overall lead that would not be challenged for the remainder of the Tour. (Note : Gino Bartali was the last rider to win 3 stages in a row until Mario Cipollini went one better in 1999.)

In Italy a nation watched with great interest and enthusiasm. The Italian excitement grew with each Bartali stage win (7 total) and the taking of the coveted Maillot Jaune. By the time he reached the finish in Paris for the overall Tour de France victory, Italy 's political tensions had quieted. The victory gave Italian's a national hero to rally around.

Something mystical, something magical happened in the summer of 1948 that helped a stumbling nation find its way to renovation and reconciliation. It was a great cycling victory in the Tour de France for Gino Bartali and a great victory in spirit for Italy .

TdF 1948 Recap

Return to the CyclingRevealed ToC