Tragic death of extreme biker Andreas Tonelli

Andreas Tonelli, 48, an extreme biker and influencer with more than 120,000 followers on Instagram, died after a bike fall in the Vallunga area of Val Gardena, South Tyrol. Tonelli plunged about 200 meters while he was soloing down a very impassable section. It is therefore difficult to reconstruct the exact dynamics of the’accident, which is being handled by the Carabinieri. Tonelli had gone out for a ride in the late afternoon and the’alarm went off shortly after 9 p.m. because the cyclist did not return. At 7:15 p.m. Tuesday the ’last ‘story’ on Instagram, a video at the end of a 2,905-meter climb on Piz Duleda, smiling, bike on his shoulder and a dizzying look over the valley. Calling for help was a friend who had already begun the search.

Mountain Rescue and the Aiut Alpin’s helicopter beat the area until late at night, when, around 1 a.m., the man&#8217s lifeless body was spotted in a gully, in an area difficult for rescuers to reach at night. The search was also complicated by weather conditions, with heavy rain and freezing temperatures. Operations to recover the body therefore took place this morning. Support was also provided by the Selva di Val Gardena volunteer fire department, carabinieri and the emergency psychological support service, which assisted the victim&#8217s friends. Tonelli also organized bicycle trips to different parts of the world and was a big fan of photography and splitboarding.

He was born in Fiè allo Sciliar, a tiny village at the foot of the Sciliar, one of the most famous mountains in the Dolomites. “The area where I grew up and live is called South Tyrol, the northernmost province in’Italy. But since I spend 7 months a year traveling, I also call home all the other places in the world where I feel happy and free” he wrote. In an autobiography of sorts written for Norrona Adventure, with which he has been working since 2023, Andreas recalled, among the highlights of his life, when he “quit his boring office job to become a full-time bike guide (in 2014, ed.) and a worldwide sports travel organizer”.

The ascent of the’Ojos de Salado (6,893 meters) in Chile, the world&#8217s highest active volcano, and the first time on the’Hokusai Wave, one of the longest ice climbing routes in the Dolomites, are among the adventures he held in his heart. These days, from Saturday 11 to Saturday 18, according to the schedule published on the Norrona Adventure website, Tonelli was to be involved in the challenging (risk level 4 out of 6) Dolomites Enduro Mountain Biking Adventure with a group of 4-6 people from Val Gardena to then undertake the west-east traverse of the Dolomites. “We are very sorry” replied to ANSA a representative of the Norwegian tour operator who, he anticipates, will post a remembrance of Tonelli on social channels.