As I write this, it’s Memorial Day, a day that means so much more than picnics and leisure time at the lake. So, let me first say a word of thanks for all of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. May we never forget them!
Being an avid cyclist, on this Memorial Day I’ve also been going down a bit of a rabbit hole, doing an online search as to how and where bicycles have been used in military service, and I’m fascinated by what I’ve found. For example, did you know that in World War II folding bicycles were sometimes parachuted to the ground alongside paratroopers so as to give them immediate and discreet mobility upon landing? And I found plenty of stories about bikes being used for running errands on military bases and carrying communications in various situations.
However, the story that caught my attention the most was not about any American cyclist/soldier. Rather, it was about an Italian cyclist named Gino Bartali who, during WWII, put his own life on the line to save the lives of hundreds of Jews.
So, how did he do it? Well, in the 1930’s, Gino was a star cyclist who not only won multiple races in Italy, but he also won the Tour de France in 1938. Then, when the Holocaust began and Italy’s fascist government under Benito Mussolini joined in the Nazi campaign to annihilate Jews, Gino (a devout Catholic) faced a dilemma. Should he continue his training in pursuit of greater fame, or should he join the Italian resistance in working to protect innocent lives?
Ultimately, Gino chose the latter path, and for the next few years he used his bicycle “training exercises” as a cover for smuggling photos and documents that would enable persecuted Jews to fake their identities and/or flee the country, hiding those precious items in the hollow of his bike frame. He also sheltered a family of Jews whom he knew personally in the basement of his home.
Of course, he did all this knowing full well that if he’d been caught, it would mean almost certain death. And even after the war was over, it was a secret that Gino kept to himself until he died of natural causes on May 5, 2000. Only afterwards did stories begin to surface about how this great cycling champion (who also won his second Tour de France in 1948) had risked everything to save others.
You can find more about Gino Bartali online, but what I want to highlight in this devotional is something that he said to his son, Andrea, late in his life, which pretty well sums up Gino’s philosophy:
“If you’re good at a sport, they attach the medals to your shirt and then they shine in some museum. That which is earned by doing good deeds is attached to the soul and shines elsewhere.”
If you ask me, that sounds a lot like what Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount:
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
So, go shine, my friends!
Dave Marty is a retired pastor who lives with his wife, Mary, in Brownsburg, Indiana. They have two beautiful daughters, two great sons-in-law, and two creative teenage grandchildren. In addition to cycling (including unicycling), Dave also enjoys gardening, Scrabble, hosting Holy Land tours with Mary, and tutoring kindergarteners at a nearby school