A Champion Cyclist Against the Nazis

A Champion Cyclist Against the Nazis
Author: Alberto Toscano
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2020-05-30
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1526753421

Italy, 1943. Although allied with Hitler, there were those who refused to accept the fascist policies of racial discrimination and deportation. Among them was Gino Bartali. A champion cyclist, he won the Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy) three times and the Tour de France twice. But these weren’t his only achievements. Deeply religious, Bartali never spoke about what he did during those dark years, when he agreed to work with the Resistance and pass messages from one end of the country to the other. Despite the dangers, Bartali used his training as a pretext to criss-cross Italy, hiding documents in the handlebars and saddle of his bicycle, all the while hoping that each time he was searched they wouldn't think to disassemble his machine. As a result of his bravery, 800 Jews — including numerous children — were saved from deportation. He died in Florence in 2000 and was recognized as one of the 'Righteous Among the Nations' in 2013. In this book, Alberto Toscano shares the incredible story of this great sportsman and recalls the dramatic moments in Italy and Europe in the twentieth century.

Cycling Champion

Cycling Champion
Author: Martin Powell
Publisher: Raintree
Total Pages: 73
Release: 2017-07-13
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 147473247X

Austin, eager to prove himself and win a sports trophy like his older brothers, joins a local cycling club and enters a Tour-de-France-style bike race. Not only does he have to find a bike, train and learn the course, but he also has to deal with a bully who wants him out of the club. For Austin, it feels like a race just to get to the starting line!

Major Taylor: World Cycling Champion

Major Taylor: World Cycling Champion
Author: Charles R. Smith Jr.
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 51
Release: 2023-09-12
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1536234583

A Coretta Scott King Award winner and a Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor winner pair up for a rousing picture book biography-in-verse of legendary African American cyclist Marshall “Major” Taylor and the Six-Day Race. One hundred years ago, one of the most popular spectator sports was bicycle racing, and the man to beat was Marshall “Major” Taylor, who set records in his teens and won his first world championship by age twenty. The first African American world champion in cycling and the second Black athlete to win a world championship in any sport, Major Taylor faced down challenge after challenge, not least the grueling Six-Day Race, a test of speed, strength, and endurance. With energy, heart, and pounding verse, Charles R. Smith Jr. evokes the excitement of the crowd at Madison Square Garden as Major powered through exhaustion, hallucinations, and racist abuse from fellow riders, who tried to crash his bike throughout the competition. Leo Espinosa’s dynamic illustrations capture the action, and as day six draws to a close, and Major’s odds narrow, there is little doubt that his triumphant rise and legacy as an international cycling champion are assured—whatever the outcome of one race—in this high-octane tribute to a trailblazing athlete.

Mountain Bike Like a Champion

Mountain Bike Like a Champion
Author: Ned Overend
Publisher: Rodale
Total Pages: 244
Release: 1999-08-27
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 9781579540814

A legendary mountain biking champion offers practical instructions, accompanied by entertaining anecdotes and reminiscences, on the essential techniques, skills, and tactics of mountain biking, offering tips on safety, developing a training program, equipment, and more. Original. 20,000 first printing.

Major Taylor, Champion Cyclist

Major Taylor, Champion Cyclist
Author: Lesa Cline-Ransome
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 40
Release: 2012-08-21
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1442481048

Discover the inspiring true story of extraordinary professional cyclist Major Taylor in this nonfiction picture book from Coretta Scott King Award winners Lesa Cline-Ransome and James E. Ransome. In 1891, Marshall Taylor could ride his bike forward, backward, even perched on the handlebars. When his stunts landed him a job at the famous Indiana bike shop Hay and Willits, folks were amazed that a thirteen-year-old black boy could be such a crackerjack cyclist. Little Marshall Taylor would use his dedication, undeniable talent, and daring speed to transform himself into Major Taylor, turning pro at the age of eighteen, winning the world championship title just three years later, and battling racism and the odds to become a true American hero.

Major Taylor

Major Taylor
Author: Andrew Ritchie
Publisher: JHU Press
Total Pages: 338
Release: 1996-02
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780801853036

World champion at 19 . . . One of the first black athletes to become world champion in any sport . . . 1-mile record holder . . . American sprint champion in 1898, 1899, 1900 . . . triumphant tours of Europe and Australia . . . Victories against all European champions . . . Until now a forgotten, shadowy figure, Marshall Walter "Major" Taylor is here revealed as one of the early sports world's most stylish, entertaining, and gentlemanly personalities. Born in 1878 in Indianapolis, the son of poor rural parents, Taylor worked in a bike shop until prominent bicycle racer "Birdie" Munger coached him for his first professional racing successes in 1896. Despite continuous bureaucratic—and, at times, physical—opposition, he won his first national championship two years later and became world champion in 1899 in Montreal. This beautifully illustrated, vividly narrated, and scrupulously researched biography recreates the life of a great international athlete at the turn of the century. Based on ten years of research—including extensive interviews with Major Taylor's 91-year old daughter—this is the dramatic story of a young black man who, against prodigious odds, rose to fame and stardom in the tempestuous world of international professional bicycle racing a century ago.

A Champion Cyclist Against the Nazis

A Champion Cyclist Against the Nazis
Author: Alberto Toscano
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
Total Pages: 148
Release: 2020-05-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1526753405

The true story of the Tour de France winner who cycled all over Mussolini’s Italy in a secret quest to rescue hundreds of Jewish lives. Cyclist Gino Bartali won the Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy) three times and the Tour de France twice. But these weren’t his only achievements. Deeply religious, Bartali quietly agreed during the dark years of fascist rule to work with the Resistance and pass messages and papers from one end of the country to the other. Despite the dangers, Bartali used his training as a pretext to criss-cross Italy, hiding documents in the handlebars and saddle of his bicycle, hoping each time he was searched that they wouldn’t think to disassemble his machine. As a result of his bravery, eight hundred Jews—including numerous children—were saved from deportation. In this book, Alberto Toscano shares the incredible story of this great sportsman, recognized as one of the “Righteous Among the Nations” by Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem Memorial after his death in Florence in 2000, and recounts a story of humble heroism, real-life suspense, and twentieth-century European history. “An informative testament to the kinds of risks and sacrifices [of] the anti-Nazis in Mussolini’s Italy during World War II . . . an extraordinary story of an extraordinary man in extraordinary times.” —Midwest Book Review

The Wrong Side of Comfortable

The Wrong Side of Comfortable
Author: Amy Charity
Publisher:
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2017-09-04
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 9780999224601

The Wrong Side of Comfortable is intended to guide you through identifying what it is that inspires you, consider what it will take to get there, map out the critical steps to making it happen, and ultimately find the gumption to take the plunge.This book captures the key lessons of a journey from cycling as a hobby to racing on a professional cycling team. The principles can be applied to anyone who has a dream and is willing to take a risk and spend time on the wrong side of comfortable. By reading this book filled with stories of characters, emotions, obstacles and successes, you will be inspired to take a step back and ask yourself if you are living your life to your fullest potential.

The Art of the Cycling Jersey

The Art of the Cycling Jersey
Author: Chris Sidwells
Publisher: Rodale
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2017-06-13
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1623367379

The Art of the Cycling Jersey celebrates the cycling jersey in all its forms. Cycling enthusiast and author Chris Sidwells explores the most important designs in cycling history, as well as the teams, riders, and races where each piece was worn. Organized chronologically, this is the story of the cycling jersey from the first simple garments that early cyclists wore in the 1900s, to the technology-laden jerseys top riders and Tour de France winners wear today. Cycling jerseys represent many different things. For a cyclist they must be functional. For team sponsors they must stand out and increase brand awareness. For cycling fans they help pick out their favorite riders and identify a race or competition leader. Jerseys show who is a world or a national champion, and in some races, jerseys represent a competitor's nationality. But cycling jerseys have evolved into something bigger. They can evoke good times or bad times, success or failure. Above all, jerseys mark the great occasions of cycling and speak of its history, personalities, and style. With more than 200 color photographs and insightful commentary, The Art of the Cycling Jersey is a must-have book for any style-conscious, road-racing enthusiast.