From Torino to Palermo. Pedaling for not forget

by Lonrenzo Spanò and Aldo Grippi

 There are encounters already written in the destiny. The ones between me and the Italian Parents Union, UGI (Unione Genitori Italiani) against children tumor (www.ugi-torino.it), the encounter occurred in the 1984, when I was still a young boy! A young boy father of 2 wonderful creatures, Oriana, 5 years old, and Paolo, 16 months old.

  My travel starts from there, the day when at my son was diagnosed a serious sickness. Since that day my life is changed, another world is opened in front of my eyes, a world totally unknown, a world full of uncertainties, hopes and desire of life. My life was made of hospitals, examinations, hospitalizing and fortunately of many people who helped me to overcome that terrible moment, UGI helped me more than others. 

  Since that moment I felt the need, despite my son sickness, to be engaged as voluntary in this Association. I remember we were not many people, but I strove hard in any UGI activity, from assistance to the wards and especially the families reception. For about 10 years long I have been involved in families reception, I lived terrible moments, because you never get used to the suffering likewise I lived enjoyable moments which gave me the possibility to believe and go forward. I met many parents, many children, with many of them I continued the dialog and right now this dialog continues being part my of past as well as my future. 

  Since that moment many years are passed by, and now I'm 57 years old, I was able to get retired (almost a miracle right now!). In order to celebrate this event I have elaborated the idea of this travel which will bring me in places around Italy.    

  I would like to transform my bike passion into an occasion to give something more to my life as well as to the others. A trip which will bring me in the houses of the friends and families I met during these years in the children's hospital. It is not a trip for funding, but for give visibility to the UGI, a reality that achieved important goals beneficial for the community along my 32 years of voluntary activity.

  Aldo is my travel mate, he wanted to make a solo trip instead. His target was to reach Roccagloriosa (in the Salerno province) his native town, mainly to challenge himself, when we initially were speaking about this trip it was just as a joke. He started pedalling in ripe age, riding for kilometers, and right now with a strong willingness he is able to join who is pedaling since the childhood . We met each other thanks to a common friend in one of the many rides around our valleys all together.

  Where's the idea comes from?

   Aldo is also retired so we have decided to merge our projects together and after few months, among many words and many supporting friends this travel project was born and shaped. The idea is to depart between May and June, and now we are training to be on shape for that moment and to be well organized taking care of any single detail. The enthusiasm is not missing right now!

  The stages organization let us to arrive where a family or a group will wait for our visit. Before departing we will be in contact with cycling groups in any destination areas who will join us between one stage and the next one, an alternative way to ride across Italy.

  We will document our travel on the web as well as media will be connected, step by step we will tell our travel. We will be permanently connected with the magazine “Solobike.it” (www.solobike.it), they already collaborate with UGI. Thank to the support of Fabrizio Gulmini we will be connected with Telestudio8 (www.telestudio8.it) and of course a dedicated page will be created on UGI Facebook site where our adventure will be told and the advice and opinion of everybody will be kept in to account. We will bring with us the brochures, but especially we will bring our enthusiasm for this initiative: we would like to be a mix of a traveller, a volunteer and a reporter    

   This brochure was made in order to show our travel features as well as to gather technical sponsor necessary for the tuning of the necessary equipment, trailers, clothing, flag sand banner as well as a logistic support during the trip.

With your collaboration, we trust we will have you all close to us during our travel.

Web sites where is possible to follow the Lorenzo and Aldo travel, of course other than on cuboviaggiatore.net:
www.ugi-torino.it
www.facebook.com/ugi.onlus (Facebook Page "Pedalando per non dimenticare")
www.solobike.it
www.telestudio8.it

The Stages

The starting gun: from UGI headquarter
1^st Stage: Torino - Recco (201 Km)
2^nd Stage: Recco- Livorno (181 Km)
3^rd Stage: Livorno - Orbetello (183 Km)
4^th Stage: Orbetello - Anzio (188 Km) 
5^th Stage: Anzio - Caserta (185 Km)
6^th Stage: Caserta - Salerno (93 Km)
7^th Stage: Salerno - Roccagloriosa
8^th Stage: Roccagloriosa - Cetraro (110 Km)
9^th Stage: Cetraro - Scilla (218 Km)
10^th Stage: Scilla - Milazzo (81 Km)
11^th Stage: Milazzo - Finale di Pollina (140 Km)
12^th Stage: Finale di Pollina - Bagheria (80 Km)
13^th Stage: Sightseeing in Palermo (51 Km)
14^th Stage: Genova - Zuccarello (106 Km)
15^th Stage: Zuccarello - Sommariva del Bosco (112 Km)
16^th Stage:The Heroes are back - Sommariva Bosco - Turin (50 Km) 

Downloads

Download the brochure (jpg - Front)
Download the brochure (jpg - back)
Download the brochure (pdf)

For an updated version please refer to Italian version