Road to Valor: A True Story of World War II Italy, the Nazis, and the Cyclist Who Inspired a Nation

The “impeccably researched and thrillingly told” (Globe and Mail) story of Gino Bartali, the cyclist who made the greatest comeback in Tour de France history and secretly aided the Italian resistance during World War II

“A moving example of moral courage.”—Elie Wiesel, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and bestselling author of Night

WINNER: The Canadian Jewish Book Award, the Christopher Award, the Mazzei Award

Italian cycling legend Gino Bartali won the Tour de France twice, setting the record for the longest time span between victories—but his exploits off the course might be the most remarkable of all. Based on nearly ten years of research, Road to Valor chronicles Bartali’s journey, from an impoverished childhood in rural Tuscany to his first triumph at the 1938 Tour de France and beyond. As World War II ravaged Europe, Bartali undertook dangerous activities to help those being targeted in Italy, including sheltering a family of Jews and smuggling counterfeit identity documents in the frame of his bicycle. After the grueling wartime years, the chain-smoking, Chianti-loving, 34-year-old underdog came back to win the 1948 Tour de France, an exhilarating performance that helped unite his fractured homeland.

The first book to explore the full scope of Bartali’s wartime work, Road to Valor is the untold story of one of the twentieth century’s greatest athletes and an epic tale of courage, resilience, and redemption.