I haven't read Road to Valor but I did read (and re-read) an account of what Gino Bartali did on the bike during WW2. Bartali, a faithful Catholic, worked with the underground network to get Jews out of Fascist northern Italy. To get out, the Jews needed the papers to show to the border sentries like all other folk. (All except Bartali. He was too famous. Was welcome anywhere in Italy, either side at any time.)

Bartali used his fame to transport those life saving papers in the tubes of his bike frame from the monks of the monasteries (the Catholic monks who used their incredible calligraphy skills to mimic the required papers to save Jewish lives) to the underground contacts far from the monasteries. His fame allowed him to ride thorough checkpoints at speed, just waving to the guard who knew exactly who he was. And he used his fame for more. The Jews had to change trains in Fascist held stations. Many police checking all the passengers. Bartali at least once "just happened" to be riding into one such town when such a transfer was going to happen with a lot of Jews. He was immediately recognized, stopped, signed autographs and the usual huge crowd formed. Train station police came over to keep an eye on this. (Also to get their own view of the great Bartali.) Jews transferred without a hitch. Bartali moved on. Police never had a clue.

The whole time, Bartali's family, friends, teammates, etc. never had any idea what he was doing. He was just going for a training ride. He'd be back in a day or two. He knew full well that telling anybody was giving them the death sentence if anything went wrong. Stayed mum until years after retirement. His kids grew up never knowing.