The relationship between sport, history, politics and wider culture is always a fascinating one. In Pedalare! Pedalare! John Foot explores the centrality of cycling in the Italian consciousness with reference to Fascism, the Cold War and the two World Wars. The sport’s development is investigated alongside changes in wider Italian society, from the poor peasants who took up cycling in the early, pioneering period, to the slick, professional sport of today. Scandals and controversy appear throughout the book as constant features of the connection between fans, journalists and cycling.Concluding with an examination of doping, which has helped to destroy what was at one time the most popular sport of all, Pedalare, Pedalare is an engrossing history of a national passion, and essential reading for anyone who wants to know more about the history of cycling in Italy.