I'm a doctor specializing in sports medicine, and I'll graduate in November. Sports have always been a common thread in my life: since I was a child, thanks to my parents, I've been accustomed to various sports. My main sport was swimming until I was 21, competing competitively with good results at the national level. During my studies, I stopped competing, but I've always maintained a good level of physical activity.

About two years ago, I started thinking about doing something outside the box. I'm a versatile athlete, from the sea to the mountains, but cycling is my main passion. I started putting together something that could encompass all these environments. Last year, I brought the idea to fruition.

During this journey, I suffered an injury, and I found myself unable to do all the activities I wanted. Furthermore, as a sports medicine specialist, I find myself in situations where I have to break the bad news to patients who, at least temporarily, are forced to stop exercising or competing.

I've increasingly seen these situations of sports interruption firsthand, and I can relate to them. I'm a person, a doctor, who invests heavily in the relationship with my patient, and I value human connection. I've taken these situations to heart, thinking, "If this were to happen to me, it would be devastating news for someone like me who almost never stops."

Exactly. What initially began as a personal challenge has become something aimed at a greater purpose than just athletic performance. The fundraising idea was organized at the last minute because, due to work commitments, I had a limited time window and had to deal with the weather, which is crucial in an undertaking like this.

Only at the beginning of the week, seeing favorable weather, did I organize everything in a flash. I started a GoFundMe with an Instagram reel explaining who I am and my intentions. There was a great response on social media from the first few days, and in the end, a good amount was raised.

I'm very sensitive to environmental issues. In my winter activities, ski mountaineering, over the years I've increasingly realized how challenging it is to find snow. I've already seen drastic changes in the snow conditions in our Alps. For this reason, I've also decided to support a nonprofit organization that raises awareness of environmental issues related to the outdoor world, splitting the proceeds between the two causes.

I left Genoa on May 31st at 16:00 PM with a dive to -20 meters offshore, which was the most concerning part of the dive, but which turned out to be the easiest part. A diving school volunteered for the cause, organizing everything, including safety.

At 17:30 PM, I set off by bike from Genoa for a 222-kilometer route with 2.700 meters of elevation gain, reaching the hamlet of Staffal at the top of the Gressoney Valley, at an altitude of 1.800 meters. During this journey, which lasted from 17:30 PM until 3:15 AM on June 1st, I was escorted by my father, brother-in-law, and nephew, who passed me food and water. I pedaled for about nine hours.

There I changed gear. A friend of mine accompanied me on foot to 2.700 meters, where Francesco De Fabiani and other friends had brought their ski mountaineering gear in a Jeep. At 6:3.600 a.m., we began the ascent: a more technical first section with Francesco, who knows the trails well, then from 4.556 meters we climbed to 15 meters at the Margherita Hut, arriving around 15:22 p.m. In total, it took 23-XNUMX hours of activity.

From the summit, we removed our ski skins and descended to the refuge where we stopped to sleep. By the time I went to bed, I'd been awake for a total of 38 hours.

Yes, at the summit I proposed to my partner. It was the icing on the cake, making everything even more exciting.

From a physical standpoint, I was amazed at how well I managed, considering the many hours I was awake. The support of friends and loved ones was crucial. I also had a WhatsApp group where friends cheered me on and I shared updates, recharging my batteries. I couldn't have completed this feat without a network of people who supported me and whom I thank: my partner Ludovica, my friends Andrea, Stefano, and Francesco for their help with the ascent, my family, and especially my brother, whose company Pedemonte Bike provided me with a bike and fins to train for and complete this feat.

Quite honestly, it was a choice tied to my work. I've worked with patients suffering from hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy, who, unfortunately, I have to say, can no longer participate in the sports activities they love. I didn't know about AICARM; I simply searched for "Italian Cardiomyopathy Association," and AICARM came up. I read the statute and objectives, liked it, and decided to support it.

I'm developing the idea of doing something even bigger around April-May 2026, a record attempt. From November, I'll begin preparing for that even more ambitious goal, both in terms of training and seeking sponsorship. That same month, I'll graduate with a degree in sports medicine and begin working with the goal of giving my best as a specialist for athletes and patients.

I'm often asked why I do it: I'm an enthusiast. Due to personal circumstances, I've faced some darker moments, but I've begun to emerge from them by appreciating and understanding how precious everything we have is, especially our health. We often take it for granted that we have infinite possibilities, but life can throw you into situations that completely turn you upside down. I do what, fortunately, my health allows me to do. In the last two years, I've started competing in long-distance cycling events, and this has helped me rediscover the joy of competition and dedication to training.

Furthermore, having five grandchildren, I often think that this world is changing rapidly and we need to try to move forward, to get a move on, us older ones, so that we can leave a situation less difficult than the one that probably awaits them. The "from the bottom of the sea to the top" approach is precisely that: trying to embrace all environments and raise awareness of the fact that everything is changing 360 degrees.

Besides marriage, of course! My main goal remains my sporting goal for 2026, but always with the desire to combine athletic performance with a message of social and environmental awareness.