7 July 1937 Gino Bartali takes the yellow jersey for the very first time
Gino Bartali was already a two-time Giro d’Italia winner (1936 and 1937) when he first entered Tour de France in the summer of 1937.The years before World War II witnessed the growing political-military tension in Europe. In 1936, the year when Germany violated the Treaty of Versailles (1919) by sending troops into the demilitarized Rhineland, Germany and Italy boycotted Tour de France. But in 1937 they were back again. Fascist leaders are usually obsessed with sport successes, and the prototype of all modern fascists leaders, Benito Mussolini was not different. He wanted an Italian Tour de France victory. ((At this time, Italy had already a Tour de France winner cyclist, two-time champion (1924 and 1925)… Read More »7 July 1937 Gino Bartali takes the yellow jersey for the very first time