Just 27 days after Nazi Germany invaded France, with the world on the brink of catastrophe, the Giro d’Italia made its first pilgrimage to the Passo Falzarego, perched at an altitude of 2,105m among the twisted grey turrets of the Dolomites. The date was 5th June 1940 and the race’s 17th stage would be the tappone – the hardest day – a 110km odyssey over the Falzarego, Pordoi and Sella passes. On this dramatic day, the slopes of the Falzarego hosted a special moment of cycling history: the beginning of the fierce but respectful rivalry between Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali.
The Italians were teammates at Legnano, but Bartali was supposed to be the alpha. Aged 25, he was a
