Giro d’Italia 2021, Stage 13: Ravenna – Verona. The ‘supreme poet’ of cycling

Following a nasty crash at the start of the race and the unexpected rise of his novice domestique, he had to settle for the role of a sensible guardian, reluctantly. His support and encouragement helped the young Fausto succeed. On the Pieve di Cadore-Ortisei stage, his protégé bonked along the steep ramps of the Pordoi, during a two-man breakaway. Gino prompted him to carry on, rubbed some snow on his neck and then took him all the way home. Gino finished in first, Fausto finished in second, and Legnano retained the leader’s jersey.

Two days later, the Giro landed in Verona for the second to last stage. Bartali still wanted to leave his mark, just to disprove whoever had thought the Giro that year was a handover for the old ace. Within sight of the finish in Verona, the short climb of the Torricelle, just a minor impediment, was enough to spark his flair for climbing. So off he went, controlling all his opponents. «The king of the mountain aimed at winning on this small, emotional climb as well. That was no major effort: he struggled as little as a weightlifting world champion would do when picking up a hardboiled egg. Not only did he conquer the Dolomites, the French Alps and the Pyrenees, but also this climb – where the local parish priest goes for a walk, holding his breviary in his hands», Oriani wrote. Two days later, on 10 June 1940, Italy entered the war, and the fate of Coppi, Bartali and everyone else was bound to change forever.