Henri Desgrange Trophy 1948

Description

It is one of the most historically significant pieces . It is the prize received by Bartali for winning the 1948 Tour de France. The object has dual sporting and historical significance. From a sporting point of view it represents a record that is difficult to equal , Gino in fact won the Tuor de France 10 years after his previous victory in 1938 at the age of 34 . From a historical point of view, on the other hand, Bartali's victory helped save Italy from civil war . The assassination attempt on Palmiro Togliatti , president of the PCI , by Antonio Pallante had triggered street riots and led to clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement that claimed 30 lives . Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi called Bartali , the most famous Italian sportsman at the time , asking him to try to win in Tuor in the hope that the people would take to the streets to celebrate and not to wage war . Bartali was second in the standings at more than 22 minutes , but the next day the mountains would come , Gino attacked immediately and won the stage recovering almost all the disadvantage from the first . In the following days he took the jersey and carried it all the way to Paris .