Sunday, March 6, 2011

Book: "The Story of the Giro d'Italia"


Bill & Carol McGann write to inform that "The Story of the Giro d'Italia", A Year-by-Year History of the Tour of Italy, Volume One: 1909 - 1970, will be in fact be released this month, mid-March.

ISBN: 978-0984311767
Suggested print version retail price: $18.95
Kindle ebook: $5.95
6 x 9 paperback, 308 pages
Publisher: McGann Publishing

Bill and Carol McGann follow up on their "Story of the Tour de France" with the "The Story of the Giro d’Italia", Volume I. In this volume they cover the Giro’s debut in 1909 through Eddy Merckx's convincing 1970 victory. As Bill McCann decribes it:

"This work of patient research, passionate writing, and insightful analysis lays out the struggles, battles, and rivalries in detail and sweep that have made Italy’s grand tour endure.

The great rivalry between Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali is well known, mostly because of their adventures in the Tour de France. But for much of bike racing’s history the Alps have been a high wall and Italian sponsors preferred to keep their racers at home where they could earn valuable publicity. Because of this, there is a whole world of great athletes who are virtually unknown to the non-Italian cycling fan. How about Giovanni Valetti? In 1939 Valetti beat Bartali when Gino was at the very peak of his powers. Has anyone heard of Giuseppe Enrici, the Giro winner who was born in Pittsburgh? Alfonsina Strada was the only woman who entered (and unofficially finished) a Grand Tour. And there was Giordano Cottur, who won a Giro stage in Trieste while guns blazed. And the American audience can read about Joseph Magnani―a native of LaSalle, Illinois―who rode in the 1946 Giro on the Olmo team and quietly made history as the first U.S. rider to compete in one of the grand tours in the era of dusty roads against Italy’s heroes Bartali and Coppi.

Clearly, this is a story that had to be told and it's all in The Story of the Giro d'Italia."

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1 comment:

  1. Bill let Larry read a draft of Volume 1 and he can't wait to see it in print! Anyone who enjoyed the TdF books will REALLY enjoy this one -- but of course we're biased in favor of pretty much anything ITALIAN.

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