The man from Belluno is leaving for a solo journey of 1,100 kilometers to Paris. The reflection: “Even those who ride a bike must respect the rules: you don’t go side by side on the street”
BELLUNO. Two years ago he arrived in London. In 2020 in Reggio Calabria. Today Paolo Dal Mas, an amateur cyclist from Limana, will leave for a new venture: this time towards Paris. “They are feasible trips,” he says as he completes preparations for departure. So much so that the slogan chosen for the adventure is “Have you ever tried?”.
You ride on the cycle paths but also on the roads. “Last year, for example, I almost always traveled on the carriageways also traveled by cars,” he continues. «Every day I go to work by bicycle, from Limana to Belluno. The bottleneck of Villa Buzzatti is ugly, it is true, but it must be said that cyclists must be equipped. They must have lights, reflective vests … and stay close to the white line at the edge of the carriageway. Two cannot go side by side ».
Also on the cycle paths, Dal Mas has clear ideas: «I think that here it is not possible to have the same network as, for example, Bolzano. We have to be realistic ”, he continues. «We cannot think of creating a world made for bikes in five or seven years. Also because maybe a municipality spends a lot of money to make a cycle path and then it is not even used. What administrations can, and should do, are cycle lanes. We have to think about projects that are proportionate to reality ».
Such a network would also lead skeptics to use the bike more every day. «I often hear people say that cycling is not feasible in our area because there are a lot of climbs. But they are all feasible … maybe you struggle the first two days, but it’s all a matter of training ».
From Mas he travels about fifty km every day, on weekends he reaches 100, 150. He uses his bike for his trips, and also for the solo trips he has been doing for three years. Today, supported by the RobiBike team, he will leave for Paris: in four days he will pedal 1,100 kilometers without assistance, only with “Bianchina”, his bicycle, relying solely on his strength. Three to four hundred km a day, overcoming plains and mountains, with the passion and the will to discover one’s limits.
“I take these trips alone because it is not easy to find travel companions,” he says. Many get scared when they see the mileage, and certainly a psychological predisposition is needed to face these experiences, but in my opinion it’s all a matter of tenacity, of will, of the desire to test oneself. If I can do it, who am not a professional athlete, many can do it with a little training ».
“Try us” is one of the themes of the initiative, which can be followed via social media. From Belluno to Paris, passing through Trento and Bolzano, Switzerland with two challenging passes and all the north east of France.