cover image The Beautiful Race: The Story of the Giro D’Italia

The Beautiful Race: The Story of the Giro D’Italia

Colin O’Brien. Pegasus, $26.95 (240p) ISBN 978-1-68177-664-4

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.)