What does Cycling mean to an Italian?

As an American, it is clear that Italians love cycling, but why they have such a deep connection is an interesting story.  When I asked one of the primary Formigli dealers in Tuscany, Nicolo Maggi,  the question, “Why are Italians so passionate about cycling?”, this was the response I received:

“The reasons why the Italians are so connected to cycling are many, most of them are tied to the period of the World War 2 (and immediately after) because of Coppi and Bartali.  I think the myth of these two gentlemen created the basis of the love for the sport, in a period when people needed to have hopes and positives examples.”
Nicolò Maggi

Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali weren’t the best or most legendary rider of Italian history. Coppi and Bartali had multiple wins of the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France that made them great, but their importance in the history of cycling for Italy lies much deeper than their victories.   Coppi and Bartali became symbols for Italy’s pride and hope for their future.
In the late 40’s and early 50’s Italy had just come out of the second World War and a long dictatorship.  For 5 years the country had suffered destruction and humiliation and was in desperate need of redemption and reconstruction.  They found this redemption in the two great champions Coppi and Bartali.
The two champions, thanks to their victories at home but especially abroad, became the “unofficial ambassadors” of the country.  Coppi and Bartali were among the biggest symbols of the period in Italian history called “primo miracolo economico” (“First economical miracle”).

As if the war hadn't left Italy with enough of a struggle, on July the 14th, 1948, Italy found themselves at the brink of civil war when the secretary of the local Communist Party (PCI), Palmiro Togliatti, was shot and seriously wounded by an extremist. 

Dave Moulton an ex-framebuilder tells the story:

“It has been said that Gino Bartali’s 1948 Tour de France win helped subdue political unrest in Italy, even possible civil war.

Bartali took the yellow jersey in the first stage with a win in the finishing sprint.
During this civil unrest in Italy, Bartali wore the yellow jersey in the first stage in the Tour de France with a win in the finishing sprint.
In the following stages the lead was taken by Lousion Bobet, a rising young French star riding his second Tour.

Bobet emerged from the Pyrenees with a nine minute overall lead, and Bartali was some twenty minutes down.

Meanwhile back in Italy, Palmiro Togliatti, Secretary of the Italian Communist Party had been seriously wounded in an assassination attempt, which resulted in large scale civil unrest, protests, and rioting in the streets throughout Italy.

Bartali received a phone call from a friend, Alcide de Gaspari, a Deputy in the Italian Christian Democratic Party. He told Gino of the unrest back home and told him he needed him to win a stage. Such a win would distract the population from the political turmoil.

Bartali told him, “I’ll do better than that; I will win the whole race.” The next day was Cannes to Briançon, and included three major climbs, the Allos, Vars and Izoard. It took Bartali just ten hours, nine minutes and twenty eight seconds to cover the 274 kilometers, (170 miles.) crossing the three mountain passes with a total climbing amount of over 5300 meters. (17,388 feet.)

It was more than six minutes when the second rider came in. When Bobet finished, in twelfth place, over eighteen minutes had passed, and Bartali was now second overall, just 1min. 6sec. behind his young French rival.

This was only the beginning of Bartali’s softening up process; he dominated the race the following day. Major climbs, over the Col du Galibier and the Col de la Croix de Fer before a final attack on the Col de Porte saw him finish in Aix-les-Bains once again six minutes ahead of his nearest rival. Bobet's tenure on the Yellow Jersey was over; Bartali now led by over eight minutes.


Stage 15 to Lausanne, and Bartali was again a solo victor; he was totally dominating the race. Gino Bartali had gone from twenty minutes behind in Cannes, to an overwhelming lead of 32 minutes. He lost time in later time-trail stages but still came away the clear winner by 26 minutes at the end of the Tour.

Winning a total of seven stages, Bartali won with one of the most dominant displays ever seen in the Tour de France.

The population of Italy watched enthralled and by time Bartali arrived victorious in Paris, the political heat in that country had noticeably cooled.

De Gaspari's instincts had been right, Bartali had won the Tour, and in doing so, provided a distraction from his country’s political unrest. Never can a race have mattered so much.”
Dave Moulton’s Blog
http://davesbikeblog.squarespace.com/blog/2008/1/21/gino-bartali-a-cyclist-who-saved-a-nation.html