Fabio Cannavaro he is still in everyone’s eyes while as captain of our national team he raises the bar 2006 World Cup. A triumph that earned him the Golden Ball in the same year. After finishing his career as a footballer, he began his career as a coach, but in the meantime Cannavaro also became a passionate cyclist.
We met him on the eve of the Tour de France on the occasion of the Italian presentation of the new Trek Madone Gen 8 (Fabio is an ambassador for the American brand) and we asked him a few questions about his relationship with the bike.
Here’s what Fabio Cannavaro, the “cyclist”, told us, who at 51 years old sees the bike above all as a means of having fun, doing physical activity and staying in shape…
– Fabio, how did you get into cycling?
– As a child I always had a passion for cycling, but obviously as I was doing another sport I didn’t go much, just for fun.
During my time as a coach in China I bought myself a MTB from Decathlon and started cycling on my own. I have a cartilage problem in my knee and cycling is one of the few sports I can do without problems.
– And how did you go from MTB to racing bike?
– Was Ivan Basso who saw my data on Strava. I was already doing 70-80 km and so he advised me to switch to a road bike and put me in contact with Trek (in those years Aurum had not yet been born and Basso was linked to Trek, ed.).
Trek sent me a racing bike to China, I started going out with friends and day after day I became more and more passionate about it.
– How many kilometers do you usually travel?
– My goal is to do 300-400 km a week, but as you know it takes time and I don’t always succeed. But in the end, if you want time, you can cut it out.
In any case, regardless of the kilometers and performance, cycling for me is a way to feel good and to be able to eat something extra (laughs).
– We saw that you also took it to Ibiza…
– Yes, I try to take it everywhere. The bike has become my wife’s nightmare…
– You come from high level football, from competition. Do you like shooting when you go out, challenging yourself with friends?
– I like it, but without excesses. I ride more for wellbeing. When we go out in a group I manage to keep a good pace (in June 2023, for the Napoli championship, in the company of friends he went from Rome to Naples: 254 km at over 37 km/h on average, ed.), but when the competition gets too much I take a step back.
I think that a bike made in a certain way can help you feel good both physically and mentally, while excesses, if you are not a high level athlete, are harmful…
– Do you prefer to go out alone or in company?
– Every now and then I like being alone, but I prefer going out in company. But not with those who chat too much otherwise you won’t pedal… (laughs)
– What made you so passionate about this sport?
– The bike made me discover many places that I didn’t know or at least made me see them from a different point of view. Vesuvius, for example: going there by bike for the first time, seeing the whole city from another perspective was exciting.
– What is your favorite ride?
– From Naples we go towards Castel Volturno, where you have a bit of altitude difference, you can do 100 km with 700-1,000 m of altitude difference. The tour I do most often is that one. Then when I want to suffer a bit I go up on Vesuviuswhich is definitely my favorite climb.
– What is your relationship with traffic?
– I move well in traffic because in Naples I am used to using a scooter, but you have to be careful. Cycling is a fantastic sport, but it requires caution and attention, especially in Italy.
Now I’m in Spain and I notice that cars stay behind for minutes until they find the right moment to overtake. There is more respectthey understood that those who ride bicycles are more vulnerable.
– Have you already tried the new Trek Madone?
– Not yet, I will definitely try it in the next few days. Up until now I have been riding a Madone Gen 7 which I am very happy with.
HERE you can find Fabio Cannavaro’s Strava profile, where you can see his releases.
Below, instead, the interview with Claudio Marchisio, another former footballer who like Ravanelli, Grosso and many others has taken up cycling:
Claudio Marchisio on road safety: individual responsibility and reasoned interventions
