Giro Handbike, three stages in Lombardy | Gazzetta delle Valli

Milan – “The Giro Handbike is this one-of-a-kind competition, a point of reference for Paralympic cycling. It is an event that demonstrates, once again, how disability is no longer an obstacle. In any sport, as in the life of all groups”. This was underlined by the President of the Regional Council Federico Romani this morning at Palazzo Pirelli at the presentation of the first Lombard stage of the Giro Handbike.

The Vice President of CONI Lombardy spoke at the press conference Claudio Pedrazzini, iPresident of CIP Lombardy Pierangelo Santelli and the President of Federciclismo Lombardia Stefano Pedrinazzi.

There first stop in Lombardy will be held on Sunday July 14th in Dairago (MI) and will be the hundredth stage in fourteen editions of the Giro Handbike.

“An extraordinary result that coincides with the centenary of the Dairaghese cycling club – highlighted Federico Romani. An achievement that demonstrates the energy, strength and dynamism of Lombard sports associations. It is from here, from basic sport, that every athlete, professional or not, begins their “career”. And they are the associations that support an idea of ​​competition based on the desire to win, but also on respect for others. Sports associations teach great athletes, especially the younger ones, that in sport and in life you can only get to the end if you have the goal clearly in mind, respecting roles and rules.

This is the best message that the Giro handabike can give.”

Three out of six stages will take place in Lombardy, after Dairago it will be the turn of Pioltello (MI) and Como.

“This year we are reaching an important milestone: the hundredth stage of the Giro Handbike – underlines Fabio Pennella, President of SEO, the association that organizes the Giro -. 14 years of uninterrupted activity during which we have had the opportunity to experiment, to propose new projects and international stages and to push ourselves beyond our limits, just like our athletes. All this has led us to have acted as a trailblazer for other organizers and, in part, to have contributed to the success and growth of the paracycling movement in Italy. We are proud and more determined than ever to further grow this fantastic adventure”.

Mauro Scarpari, a 49-year-old athlete from Brescia who has participated in ten editions of the Giro Handbike, spoke as testimonial of the “Campioni di Vita” project created with the aim of promoting awareness of Paralympic sport.

“For me the Giro Handbike – said Mauro Scarpari – is the emotion of rebirth after the accident I suffered in a motocross race. Doing sports, especially hand biking, for a disabled person means starting again, starting to live again. And with the handbike I found my dimension because it is a hard sport, it is synonymous with effort”.

The Giro Handbike started last March 17th from Genoa, the 2024 European Capital of Sport. The second stage, on May 12th, took place in Friuli Venezia Giulia, in Monfalcone. After the Dairago stage, the Giro Handbike will resume after the summer in Lombardy, in Pioltello (MI) on 22 September and then in Noicattaro, in the province of Bari, on 6 October. The race will end on October 20th on the shores of Lake Como with the sixth and final stage. There are around one hundred athletes registered.

The Vice President of CONI Lombardia Claudio Pedrazzini, the President of CIP Lombardia Pierangelo Santelli and the President of Federciclismo Lombardia Stefano Pedrinazzi spoke at the press conference.