What I admire the most about Bartali's doing during WWII is how humble and discrete he was about it. That quote you gave us had a second part: "You must do good things, not say it"
Amazes me just how tough those guys were. Just incredible. Never knew about Bartali putting his life on the line like that to help save others. What a fantastic person
Fiorenzo Magni In the 1956 Giro d’Italia, stage 12, Fiorenzo Magni famously broke his left clavicle and still managed to finish second overall. At the hospital he refused a plaster cast and refused to abandon the Giro in the year of his announced retirement. Magni continued the race with his shoulder wrapped in an elastic bandage. To compensate for his inability to apply force with his left arm, he raced while holding a piece of rubber inner tube attached to his handlebar between his teeth for extra leverage-Source Wikipedia
But wait, the story continues: unable to use his left hand, Magni crashed hard again in stage 16, fell on the broken collarbone, broke his arm, passed out in pain, only to wake up later in the ambulance, get back on the bike and ride to finish the stage and all the remaining stages of the race. Tough enough?
Cadel Evans!! One of the toughest tour wins I’ve ever seen! Responding to all of the mountain attacks without help from a team day after day!! Throw a world championship, a giro and a big handful of other stage races in the mix and you have yourself one TOUGH Aussie!
Who's the guy that held the Highest Annual Mileage record until about a year ago? And still holds the fastest record to pedal 100,000 miles? Tommy Godwin. If you wanted to beat his 1939 record you would have to ride about 205 miles a day. EVERY SINGLE DAY. FOR A YEAR. But that was on an old bike, bad roads, worse tires, etc. Think he did it w/ a 3 speed internal hub. And during wartime food rationing. There are ample tough folk in this sport but, to me, he's up there.
You missed off Matt Stephens! Yep, he crashed a couple of days into his first GT (Giro) and was on a stretcher in an ambulance when he climbed out, asked for his bike and carried on! He got rave reviews in the Italian media for his grit. Nice one, Matt 👍
Gino is probably the only one on the list than transcends cyclism by being such a legend of a human being, besides there's out there much more tougher non professional riders riding thousands of kilometers by themselves with no support like Mike Hall (RIP), Kristof Allegaert, Juliana Buhring, Jesse carlson, Sarah Hammond and many more "ordinary" humans that do amazing feats by themselves.
Dan Martin 100% my favourite rider maybe cos I’m irish I would not say he is tougher than king kelly as of yet let’s wait until he retires and we can fully evaluate his career. Also what bout Stephen Roche I mean the man nearly killed himself going up the mountain was unconscious for 15 mins cos he clawed A 1:30 deficit to 7 secs and went on and won the tour although maybe not the toughest rider I think he deserves an honorable mention
I wonder if the painkillers the team made him took were legal, sorry he could've been a tough cyclist but we didn't know if he took only legal medication, as we all know his team didn't really mind a bit of cheating. It would be wrong to include him in this list together with Eddy Merckx, Hinault etc...
Pretty sure we'll be able to add Mathieu Van der Poel to the list after his career. What he did in Flanders, I haven't seen anyone do in a classic in the last decade. Tough as nails.
Joaquim Agostinho crashed in a time trial and fractured is head. After the crash, he picked his bike and finished the stage. The next morning he went into coma and was pronounced dead 12 days after the crash.
Thank you, Matt, great selections. And for your next list of tough customers, please consider a couple of American greats, Major Taylor and Greg LeMond, with a nod of respect to Andy Hampsten and his 7-Eleven mates, not to mention the other new arrivals to the pro peloton in the '80s, that great decade of old v. new school.
@@Shadowboost because this channel would never salute a rider from the epo era.... Stupid if you ask me.... In tdf and pro cycling, drugs has been there since the beginning and was looked upon as necessery AND professional up until 60'ish....
I think bartali continued mountain stages in the giro after crashing and breaking his collarbone. He wrapped a tube around the side of the handlebar where the fracture was so he could pull on the bar while climbing. He had the tube between his teeth! Google the photos. He was a hard man.
Geraint Thomas for doing the whole of the tour with a broken pelvis. Adam Hansen for doing a stupid number of grand tours in a row, the last year with a bad saddle sore. And how about Mark Beaumont? Nuff said!
On behalf of Jewish cyclists everywhere, thank you for mentioning Bartali’s heroics during World War 2. The book Road to Valor does an excellent job describing how he repeatedly put his own life at risk to save his fellow countrymen.
I got that book out from the library a while back. I had never heard of Gino Bartali before. You are right, it is an excellent read. Bartali truly was an inspirational man. lee a dorney - you are an idiot.
Did you know "this Jew" (me) hasn't seen a red cent from it? Go to hell, you racist f***. "The Jews" don't own the Fed....the major banks (corporations) have all the shares. And yes, I wish we had shut them AND the Fed down in 2008. RIP Gino, you were a great man and truly your brother's keeper.
Maybe if folks just try being a cyclist instead of particular groups we can all get along without causing flames. I'm a quarter Scottish,half Irish Yorkshire man of no religion but none of that means jack sh1t to me.I am not a Christian,Muslim,Hindu or Jewish Cyclist.I am a Cyclist and to me if you are on two wheels then you are too.Makes life simple.
Anyone who raced in the early TDF's, was waaaaaay tougher than ANY modern day racers. The bikes, the distances, the roads, lack of support, made their efforts MONUMENTAL!
Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor would be a great addition to this list with all the adversity he rode through and what he accomplished. Please check him out!!
People (like Bartali) who used their toughness to help others are, for me, significantly tougher than those (like Armstrong?) who were simply tough to promote themselves at others’ expense.
The toughest of all was the Portugese rider Joaquin Agostinho. When asked if cycling was tough, he reminded people of the war in Mozambique he had fought in, that was tough. In his last race he fell a few kilometers before the finish over a dog crossing the road. He broke his skull but remounted his bike and died shortly after finishing.
Emanual and Thomas Goguen. Thomas, Emmanual and myself have Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic lung disease. We do hours of therapy everyday to keep our lungs up and running. We race for RaceCF, a team raising awareness for Cystic Fibrosis. We strive to encourage and inspire other Cystic Fibrosis patients, and show them how beneficial an active lifestyle is toward living a long, heathly life with Cystic Fibrosis.
"G" must be getting close to top hard man status, 15 stages of TdF with a broken pelvis. Far too many small injuries to count and never seems to abandon until he needs hospital treatment.
Jacky Durand dislocating his shoulder and putting it back in and jumping back on the bike and just always attacking. Jens Voigt ...such an impressively strong rider who made everyone suffer... but how many other riders have crashes and just jump back on as if it's nothing...just so many.
Fiorenzo Magni Giro '56: hard crash and broken left clavicle, decides to continue the race holding a inner tube attached to the handlebar with his theets, because his left arm had no power for driving the bike. few days later another hard crash, broken humerus: he passes out and wakes up on a ambulance, says the docs to leave him alone and gets back on the bike. he will finish that giro 2nd overall. he was also known for being extremely solid in bad weather conditions: won 3 tours of flanders with cold and rain. Passed away in 2012 aged 92: LEGEND.
Alberto Contador. Highly successful, stood up to Lance on Astana, succeeded some more, broke his leg in the Tour in 2014 and then went to win La Vuelta the same year.
Um... I think you're fogetting Fiorenzo Magni. Came 2nd in the 1956 Giro, after breaking his collarbone, having to ride an ITT while pulling on his handlebars using an inner tube with his teeth; crashed on Stage 16, broke his elbow and passed out from the pain only to stop the ambulance and continue the race. He then fought through blizzards and still continued to finish on the podium because he's a hard bastard
I'll give you a tough cyclist. Ed Jesson in 1900 wanted to be at the goldfields in the Yukon/Alaska territory in the spring. using a single speed bike, warm clothes, newspapers and a few blankets and food he set off down the frozen Yukon river for over 1000 miles in the dead of winter and made it averaging 40 miles or so a day and sleeping in snowbanks or shacks along the way. Hard man status by any standard.
I was expecting to see some ultra endurance cyclists on this list. Kristoff Alegart, Sarah Hammond, Mike Hall - all have achieved some incredible feats... Sarah Hammond was the ONLY finisher in the Race to the Rock in 2016 after hike a biking for miles and miles through knee deep mud, and won it in 2017.
Robert Gesink and Annemiek van Vleuten. Robert has suffered numurous crashes and even heart problems and is now again on the way back! Annemiek van Vleuten fell during the Rio Olympics on her way to a certain victory. After just a few weeks she won the first race she partcipated in, a prologue.
I would vote Greg LeMond. The guy gets shot by his brother in law while turkey hunting and manages to comeback and win two tours with lead shot still in his body. Not bad.
Johnny Hoogerland who was hit by a car, landed fullspeed into barbed wire and finished the stage to win the mountain jersey in TdF!
Exactly what I thought of when I saw the last sec. In the Video
And after getting stitched back together,,, i think it was 90+ finished the TDF
Maarten van Woudenberg I remember watching that live. His leg looked like it was filet with a steak knife! Made the car strike just prior look mild...
Was wondering if Hooger made this guy's list.
Wow!
What I admire the most about Bartali's doing during WWII is how humble and discrete he was about it. That quote you gave us had a second part: "You must do good things, not say it"
King Kelly, what a legend! My dad gave him one of his first pro bikes
Sean Kelly, start to finish year after year always in contention in the great classics consistent personified, toughest of all
The King
Amazes me just how tough those guys were. Just incredible. Never knew about Bartali putting his life on the line like that to help save others. What a fantastic person
Fiorenzo Magni
In the 1956 Giro d’Italia, stage 12, Fiorenzo Magni famously broke his left clavicle and still managed to finish second overall. At the hospital he refused a plaster cast and refused to abandon the Giro in the year of his announced retirement. Magni continued the race with his shoulder wrapped in an elastic bandage. To compensate for his inability to apply force with his left arm, he raced while holding a piece of rubber inner tube attached to his handlebar between his teeth for extra leverage-Source Wikipedia
Magni was the toughest ever IMHO!
Holy cow. Now thst is a hard man.
But wait, the story continues: unable to use his left hand, Magni crashed hard again in stage 16, fell on the broken collarbone, broke his arm, passed out in pain, only to wake up later in the ambulance, get back on the bike and ride to finish the stage and all the remaining stages of the race. Tough enough?
Cadel Evans!! One of the toughest tour wins I’ve ever seen! Responding to all of the mountain attacks without help from a team day after day!! Throw a world championship, a giro and a big handful of other stage races in the mix and you have yourself one TOUGH Aussie!
... and finished a tour with a torn ACL.
EPO
Who's the guy that held the Highest Annual Mileage record until about a year ago? And still holds the fastest record to pedal 100,000 miles? Tommy Godwin. If you wanted to beat his 1939 record you would have to ride about 205 miles a day. EVERY SINGLE DAY. FOR A YEAR. But that was on an old bike, bad roads, worse tires, etc. Think he did it w/ a 3 speed internal hub. And during wartime food rationing. There are ample tough folk in this sport but, to me, he's up there.
If that storys true then yes, he would be a contender.
You missed off Matt Stephens! Yep, he crashed a couple of days into his first GT (Giro) and was on a stretcher in an ambulance when he climbed out, asked for his bike and carried on! He got rave reviews in the Italian media for his grit. Nice one, Matt 👍
Gino Bartali's advise, is one of the best I've heard in my entire life.
Gino is probably the only one on the list than transcends cyclism by being such a legend of a human being, besides there's out there much more tougher non professional riders riding thousands of kilometers by themselves with no support like Mike Hall (RIP), Kristof Allegaert, Juliana Buhring, Jesse carlson, Sarah Hammond and many more "ordinary" humans that do amazing feats by themselves.
Johnny Hoogerland stands out in recent times.
Saw his jersey in his local cafe the other day. Surprised it wasn't ripped and covered in blood!
First name that came to my mind as well
Johnny molded his career by being a hardmen.
Agreed!
Me !! I had a three mile paper round to do every morning in all weather's and I had to ride my mum's bike with a 3 speed sturmy archer
'Shut up legs'! Suffered plenty for others, not only for own opportunities!
Toughest female cyclists please! :)
How about Dan Martin for getting in the top 10 of this year’s Tour with (in effect) a broken back! 😮
Maybe not one of the toughest cyclists ever, but definitely one of the toughest in today's peloton!
beigemaster86 agree that was a real effort
Trust me, you do when they become infected. And they would have to be bad for Kelly to quit with 4 stages to go.
beigemaster86 Dan Martin is one of greatest.
Dan Martin 100% my favourite rider maybe cos I’m irish I would not say he is tougher than king kelly as of yet let’s wait until he retires and we can fully evaluate his career. Also what bout Stephen Roche I mean the man nearly killed himself going up the mountain was unconscious for 15 mins cos he clawed A 1:30 deficit to 7 secs and went on and won the tour although maybe not the toughest rider I think he deserves an honorable mention
I was expecting to see Mark Beaumont on this list.
100% agree - If he's not a tough rider who is?
christoph strasser :)
Same
geryon he is not tough, he is the Toughness itself. The man is a beast, I have an enormous respect for Beaumont.
Museeuw. Nearly died two times and twice came back to win Roubaix two more times
Ewout Everaert Paris Roubaix is not race... It's war. Everyone who cross the finish line is hero.
Ewout Everaert hmmm. With all the wasps to help.....
Definitely Marco Pantani. One of the toughest ever!
Tyler Hamilton won a stage in the '03 TDF with a fractured collar bone. That's pretty tough!
jtl909 I've seen Tyler do this, it was awesome
Cool profile picture dude
I think Tyler was also 2nd or 3rd in giro 2002 with a broken shoulder blade . He can endure pain like no one else.
I wonder if the painkillers the team made him took were legal, sorry he could've been a tough cyclist but we didn't know if he took only legal medication, as we all know his team didn't really mind a bit of cheating. It would be wrong to include him in this list together with Eddy Merckx, Hinault etc...
jtl909 I do remember that year. Impressive no doubt
Never heard of Gino Bartali, but mad respect! That quote was something else.
Never heard of Bartali????????????... do you cycle?
Pretty sure we'll be able to add Mathieu Van der Poel to the list after his career. What he did in Flanders, I haven't seen anyone do in a classic in the last decade. Tough as nails.
The last of the hardmen to retire - Tom ' Tommeke' Boonen. 4 Roubaix, 3 Flanders, Green jersey and Worlds. Hardman.
Joaquim Agostinho crashed in a time trial and fractured is head. After the crash, he picked his bike and finished the stage. The next morning he went into coma and was pronounced dead 12 days after the crash.
Thank you, Matt, great selections. And for your next list of tough customers, please consider a couple of American greats, Major Taylor and Greg LeMond, with a nod of respect to Andy Hampsten and his 7-Eleven mates, not to mention the other new arrivals to the pro peloton in the '80s, that great decade of old v. new school.
Andrei Tchmil is one of those hardmen, and of course Mr Paris-Roubaix who won all classics Roger De Vlaeminck !
Greg Lemond for winning two Tours after being shot on a hunting trip, and Dan Martin for finishing this Tour with two fractured Vertebrae
Jens Voigt?!
Shutup legs!
DO WHAT I TELL YOU!
How did he not make this list
Voigt was a savage who love to make people suffer hehe , tough , brave and very entertaining to watch
@@Shadowboost because this channel would never salute a rider from the epo era.... Stupid if you ask me.... In tdf and pro cycling, drugs has been there since the beginning and was looked upon as necessery AND professional up until 60'ish....
I think bartali continued mountain stages in the giro after crashing and breaking his collarbone. He wrapped a tube around the side of the handlebar where the fracture was so he could pull on the bar while climbing. He had the tube between his teeth! Google the photos. He was a hard man.
Geraint Thomas for doing the whole of the tour with a broken pelvis. Adam Hansen for doing a stupid number of grand tours in a row, the last year with a bad saddle sore. And how about Mark Beaumont? Nuff said!
On behalf of Jewish cyclists everywhere, thank you for mentioning Bartali’s heroics during World War 2.
The book Road to Valor does an excellent job describing how he repeatedly put his own life at risk to save his fellow countrymen.
And did you know you're an absolute fool?
I got that book out from the library a while back. I had never heard of Gino Bartali before. You are right, it is an excellent read. Bartali truly was an inspirational man.
lee a dorney - you are an idiot.
Did you know "this Jew" (me) hasn't seen a red cent from it? Go to hell, you racist f***. "The Jews" don't own the Fed....the major banks (corporations) have all the shares. And yes, I wish we had shut them AND the Fed down in 2008.
RIP Gino, you were a great man and truly your brother's keeper.
I loved that book! What a story...
Maybe if folks just try being a cyclist instead of particular groups we can all get along without causing flames. I'm a quarter Scottish,half Irish Yorkshire man of no religion but none of that means jack sh1t to me.I am not a Christian,Muslim,Hindu or Jewish Cyclist.I am a Cyclist and to me if you are on two wheels then you are too.Makes life simple.
Kelly is the toughest of the lot !! Absolute King ❤️
For Hinault, you should have put the picture of him about to punch the protester! :)
Which time?
I was just aware of one. lol. Spring race, LaVie Claire jersey.
Adam Hansen, nuff said
Anyone who raced in the early TDF's, was waaaaaay tougher than ANY modern day racers.
The bikes, the distances, the roads, lack of support, made their efforts MONUMENTAL!
bloody good video Matt I didn't know that about gino bartali
I'm pretty new to this sport and I love learning about its icons. Thanks for this video.
Tom Last - it's tough not so to see him appear on screen :(
Johnny Hoogerland for sure in recent times- that was an epic launch into barbwire and he kept riding! He needs to be recognized for that
I went through the back of a car windshield in the caravan, lost a tonne of blood and rode 60 more kilometres! Does that get me on the list?
Scott English is it on Strava 😉
Maybe the list of guys not to follow by less than a bike length...
Happened to Davis Phinney too, and he didn't make it either, so at least you're in good company.
Greg Lemond. Returned with shotgun pellets in him and was still great.
Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor would be a great addition to this list with all the adversity he rode through and what he accomplished. Please check him out!!
Gino Bartali. Favourite of these four because his reported actions and values indicate eternal and selfless wisdom.
Fiorenzo Magni, fought his way out of an ambulance with a broken clavicle to finish second at the Giro!
All I got to say is that I'm still not going out if there is a drop of ☔️
Brilliant, GCN hooked me up again on cycling. And few months ago I was so lucky to draft on the wheel os Sean Kelly. Thanks Matt
A very tough sport, something way beyond the comment warriors of the UA-cam comment section.
Arya Semiyari why did you delete your other comment, is it because you were being a comment warrior yourself?
Because I commented something wrong by accident
Steve Bauer ....you know the story!
Beautiful. So happy to know all this. Thank you so much.
Tommy Simpson should certainly be in the next video
Bartali lost his best years because of the war and was able to win both before and after it. The man was a freak on the bike
Jacques Anquetil is on my list.
Probably most of Merckxs Domestiques and the 3 or4 guys he used to batter off his wheel in the spring classics
Greg Lemond without a doubt ! Never any support from his French team .. Always told to back off when Hinault was dropped.
These cyclists torqued the torque.
Alejandro Valverde for a consistence fitness throughout a racing season, also throughout his career. One of the most toughest cyclist in 21st century.
Me!! I once rode to the corner store and then back with a news paper in my left hand!! 2 long blocks!!! 😮
Sorry, no can do. You should have been holding that paper with both hands, reading it while riding.
I hope the physical demands of that trip didn't leave you with permanent injuries!
You did it twice? In that case, definitely.
newspapers are heavy man
People (like Bartali) who used their toughness to help others are, for me, significantly tougher than those (like Armstrong?) who were simply tough to promote themselves at others’ expense.
The toughest of all was the Portugese rider Joaquin Agostinho. When asked if cycling was tough, he reminded people of the war in Mozambique he had fought in, that was tough. In his last race he fell a few kilometers before the finish over a dog crossing the road. He broke his skull but remounted his bike and died shortly after finishing.
Pantani
Jens Voigt,he might not have the titles,but staying in the front for as long as he did, it's remarkable
Marco Pantani please.
I nominate Mark Beaumont. Especially for his comments about saddle sores.
Nice video, BTW the accent in Bartali is on the first a.
Hello :)
Only want to ask you if you also can (and want) make a video about the top females cyclist of all time?
Have a great day :)
Agreed!
Very good idea.
Emanual and Thomas Goguen. Thomas, Emmanual and myself have Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic lung disease. We do hours of therapy everyday to keep our lungs up and running. We race for RaceCF, a team raising awareness for Cystic Fibrosis. We strive to encourage and inspire other Cystic Fibrosis patients, and show them how beneficial an active lifestyle is toward living a long, heathly life with Cystic Fibrosis.
Evan Bulock
The fact that you can race with CF inspires me. Chapeau.
"G" must be getting close to top hard man status, 15 stages of TdF with a broken pelvis. Far too many small injuries to count and never seems to abandon until he needs hospital treatment.
Noddy. I've never seen a clay doll ride like such a boss.
Greg LeMond. Raced,...got shot,....came back and crushed Fignon in the most exciting final stages in Your history!!!!
Good short list. I would add Charly Gaul and Roger de Vlaeminck.
Lance Armstrong is featured on the video "World's Greatest Cycling Cheats" Don't miss it!!
Jacky Durand dislocating his shoulder and putting it back in and jumping back on the bike and just always attacking. Jens Voigt ...such an impressively strong rider who made everyone suffer... but how many other riders have crashes and just jump back on as if it's nothing...just so many.
Lawson Craddock, Johnny Hoogerland, Cadel Evans.
Great video. Contains the three cyclists I like and admire most
Adam Hansen with his 18 consecutive grand tour completions needs to be considered.
Best GCN video ever. Nailed it. 4 out of 4.
Fiorenzo Magni Giro '56: hard crash and broken left clavicle, decides to continue the race holding a inner tube attached to the handlebar with his theets, because his left arm had no power for driving the bike. few days later another hard crash, broken humerus: he passes out and wakes up on a ambulance, says the docs to leave him alone and gets back on the bike. he will finish that giro 2nd overall. he was also known for being extremely solid in bad weather conditions: won 3 tours of flanders with cold and rain. Passed away in 2012 aged 92: LEGEND.
Lawson Craddock finished the tour with a broken shoulder
Alberto Contador. Highly successful, stood up to Lance on Astana, succeeded some more, broke his leg in the Tour in 2014 and then went to win La Vuelta the same year.
Um... I think you're fogetting Fiorenzo Magni.
Came 2nd in the 1956 Giro, after breaking his collarbone, having to ride an ITT while pulling on his handlebars using an inner tube with his teeth; crashed on Stage 16, broke his elbow and passed out from the pain only to stop the ambulance and continue the race. He then fought through blizzards and still continued to finish on the podium because he's a hard bastard
I'll give you a tough cyclist. Ed Jesson in 1900 wanted to be at the goldfields in the Yukon/Alaska territory in the spring. using a single speed bike, warm clothes, newspapers and a few blankets and food he set off down the frozen Yukon river for over 1000 miles in the dead of winter and made it averaging 40 miles or so a day and sleeping in snowbanks or shacks along the way. Hard man status by any standard.
Greg LeMond should be in this column for his comeback from his hunting accident.
Excellent music choice
Museuew (or however he spells his name!) What a comeback, what guts. And Andy Hampsten in that Giro OMG!
I was expecting to see some ultra endurance cyclists on this list. Kristoff Alegart, Sarah Hammond, Mike Hall - all have achieved some incredible feats... Sarah Hammond was the ONLY finisher in the Race to the Rock in 2016 after hike a biking for miles and miles through knee deep mud, and won it in 2017.
Laurent Jalabert, Joop Zoetemelk, Johan Musseuw, Zdenek Stybar, Erik Zabel, Paolo Bettini.
It would be nice to have some career retrospectives with interviews with the rider(s) if possible? Gilberto Simoni would be a great start.
They didn't just "talk the talk", they "torque'd the tourque"
So nice to have some solid cycling history here on GCN.
Stephen Roche in 1987, a tough Giro against spectators, TDF against Delgado.
I would like to see a video of the toughest road cyclists of the modern area.
Fully agree with the 4 choices.
Fantastic video.
Brilliant. Couldn't go past your selection. Contemporary hard men would be interesting also
Robert Gesink and Annemiek van Vleuten. Robert has suffered numurous crashes and even heart problems and is now again on the way back! Annemiek van Vleuten fell during the Rio Olympics on her way to a certain victory. After just a few weeks she won the first race she partcipated in, a prologue.
I would vote Greg LeMond. The guy gets shot by his brother in law while turkey hunting and manages to comeback and win two tours with lead shot still in his body. Not bad.
My top three toughest in recent years are Jens Voigt, Laurent Jalabert and Johan Museeuw.
you went a different way to what i thought with this one, boonen and cancellara came to mind at first but after watching the video jensie is the man
Jens „Shut up legs“ Voigt has to be on the next list.
Bartali was a straight up hero. And, you are only 'tough if you win?