Coppi vs Bartali: The Rivalry That Split Italy

In the years after the Second World War, Italian cycling fans had to pick a side. You were either a coppiano or a bartaliano.

The riders

• Gino Bartali: won the Giro d’Italia in 1936, 1937 and 1946, and the Tour de France in 1938 and 1948.
• Fausto Coppi: won the Giro five times (1940, 1947, 1949, 1952 and 1953), the Tour in 1949 and 1952, and the world title in 1953.

The big moments

• 1946 Giro: Bartali beat Coppi by a narrow margin.
• 1948 world championships: both climbed off, and both were suspended for it.
• 1949 Tour: Coppi let Bartali win the stage to Briançon and take the yellow jersey. Coppi took the lead the next day and kept it to Paris, with Bartali second and everyone else nearly half an hour back.
• 1950: Coppi stayed away from the Tour rather than ride it with Bartali.
• 1952, Col d’Izoard: the two shared a bottle on the climb. Who handed it to whom is still argued about.

Why it still matters

Coppi also won the first ever Tour summit finish, on Alpe d’Huez in 1952. Between them, the two won the Tour four times and the Giro eight times.

Ride like it matters

For the mountains these riders fought over, see our Climbs jerseys, and for the plain look of the old days, the Classics Midnight Black jersey in a men’s and women’s cut. Every piece is made to order, with free personalization.

More rivalries: cycling’s greatest rivalries.