By the beginning of World War II, Gino Bartali was already one of Italy’s most beloved cyclists, having won the Giro d’Italia twice and the Tour de France once. After Nazi Germany occupied much of Italy in 1943, Bartali joined an underground network helping Jews avoid arrest and deportation. Using his bicycle training as cover, he rode hundreds of miles between cities carrying forged documents and photographs hidden inside his hollow bicycle frame.

A YouTube Short about Bartali’s secret rides shows how one of Italy’s biggest sports stars was able to move through Nazi-occupied Italy without raising suspicion.

Gino Bartali was already a cycling legend

Bartali bought his first bicycle when he was 11 years old. A few years later, he began racing and won his first event at 17. He turned professional in 1935, followed by victories in Giro d’Italia in both 1936 and 1937.

In 1938, Bartali won the Tour de France, one of cycling’s most demanding races.

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