Farewell to Alex Zanardi, Cordiano Dagnoni and Federciclismo pay tribute to the great champion

A minute’s silence before all weekend cycling races under the aegis of the FCI: this is the formal tribute wanted by the Federciclismo and its president, Cordiano Dagnoni, to honor the memory of Alex Zanardi, the great Paralympic champion who, among his other achievements, managed to exponentially increase the popularity of handbike riding, “transforming the perception of disability,” as said by the Federation itself in the condolence note published Saturday.

“The president of the Italian Cycling Federation Cordiano Dagnoni, having learned the news, expressed to his wife Daniela and son Niccolò the senses of the deepest condolences, also on behalf of the Federal Council, the General Secretary Marcello Tolu and the whole big family of cycling,” the FCI note further reads.

“Alex was able to transform the culture of our country,” Dagnoni explained in the first person, “he gave joy and happiness to the people who were lucky enough to know him and hope to so many people in Italy and around the world. I think these are the most important achievements, even more than his many incredible sporting successes. Without him we are all a little more lonely. What remains is his smile, an imperishable legacy and a spur to never give up, to look at life with the eyes and joy of a child.”

Zanardi, after his serious accident in 2001, had reentered the world of racing by driving cars with steering wheel controls, but by the end of the first decade of the new century he had discovered handbiking, becoming so passionate about it that he entered paracycling competitions and won no less than six Olympic medals between 2012 and 2016, in addition to countless successes in the Italian and international arena.