{"product_id":"the-beautiful-race-the-story-of-the-giro-ditalia-9781643131580","title":"The Beautiful Race: The Story of the Giro d'Italia","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBorn of tumult in 1909, the Giro d'Italia helped unite a nation. Since then, it has reflected its home country--the Giro's capricious and unpredictable nature matches the passions and extremes of Italy itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA desperately hard race through a beautiful country, the Giro has bred characters and stories that dramatize the shifting culture and society of its home. There was Alfonsina Strada, who cropped her hair and raced against the men in 1924, and Ottavio Bottecchia, expected to challenge for the winner's \"Maglia Rosa,\" the famed pink jersey, in 1928, until he was killed on a training ride--most likely by Mussolini's Black Shirts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd what would a book about the Giro d'Italia be without Fausto Coppi, the metropolitan playboy with amphetamines in his veins, guided by a mystic blind masseur, who seemed to glide up the peaks. But let us not forget his archrival Gino Bartali--humble, pious, and brave. It recently emerged that he smuggled papers for persecuted Jewish Italians. Then there is the Giro's most tragic hero, Marco Pantani, born to climb but fated to lose.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHalted only by the two World Wars, the Giro has been contested for over a century, and \u003cem\u003eThe Beautiful Race \u003c\/em\u003eis a richly written celebration of this legendary sporting event.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eO'Brien, Colin:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eColin O'Brien\u003c\/b\u003e is an Irish sports writer based in Rome. His passion for cycling and the European professional racing scene was ignited when Marco Pantani and the world's best riders came to Dublin with the 1998 Tour de France. He contributes to leading publications worldwide, including \u003ci\u003eRouleur, Peloton, Cyclist\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eProCycling\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Pegasus Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50493096591634,"sku":"9781643131580","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_462399fb-dee5-40d3-b46f-9323c00d7854.jpg?v=1730628004","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-beautiful-race-the-story-of-the-giro-ditalia-9781643131580","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}