FABIO ACHIEVES ALL HIS GOALS: WORLD CUP, ULTRA CUP AND EUROPEAN CUP (by Sara Taglialatela)

7270 kilometres in seven races. Seven races in three continents: South America (Desafio 24hr, Brazil) North America (Sebring 24hr, USA), Europe (Montello 24hr. “Memorial Mauro Marcato”, Italy; Race Across Slovenia, Slovenia; Melfar 24h, Denmark; Radmarathon, Switzerland; Race Around Ireland, Ireland). Seven races in ten months. On average one race every month and a half. Only ten months after having reached the goal of riding 1,000,000 kilometres by bicycle, Fabio has achieved all the objectives he set when planning the 2009 season: the World Cup, the Ultra Cup and the European Cup. He surprised himself first of all for having endured an entire season at that pace and for having obtained such prestigious results, which were definitely the fruit of him being in such excellent shape. Tangible proof was his end of the season performance in Ireland, where Fabio pedalled non-stop for almost 51 hours and picked up again after a break of little more than an hour. His extraordinary physical condition was supported by a careful and meticulous planning of seasonal commitments. In fact, to compete in the World Cup, you must know how to best join physical condition and economic-organizational resources with the competition rules set forth by the UMCA, the World Ultracycling Federation, which is also the organizer of the Cups. The mechanism of giving points, in fact, is rather complex and imposes very precise choices on the ultracyclers in order to avoid participation in the race bringing about risks and dangers to their health. The Federation decides and announces, by publishing a race calendar at the start of the season, which cyclist meets the requisites needed to fall into one of the ultracycling cup circuits. At each race it assigns a numerical value, between 1 and 7, which establishes the level of difficulty, taking into consideration the length (km), duration, route, weather conditions, etc. Added to the starting score are the points earned by the cyclist at the end of the race, obtained by multiplying the starting score each time by different variables (average speed, number of kilometres raced, etc.) and a score depending on placement is added to this result. When planning the season this mechanism must be kept in mind in order to choose the races that enable getting the most points, but you also need to know how to dose the necessary recovery times, and, therefore evaluate the lapse the time between one race and another, and not lastly, the continent the races are held on (in order to participate in the World Cup, in fact, a cyclist needs to have raced on at least two continents). This is the viewpoint for interpreting Fabio’s choice to not take part in the RAAM, a race that surely gives a lot of points, but requires a great deal of recovery time. The choice to participate in the European Cup, instead, was made during the season. The fact that the greatest number of ultracycling races, as well as the most difficult ones, (such as RAS and Race Around Ireland) are held in Europe were an advantage for Fabio, permitting the best management of economic resources and the logistical organization of the races. Moreover, all the races in Europe that Fabio took part in were valid for both the World Cup and the European Cup, therefore they have always given a score that was valid in both circuits.

In Far Eastern mythology the world rests on a turtle. Instead, in the West a Titan, Atlas, holds up the world with inhuman strength. In the East they put the stability of the cosmos on a turtle’s shell. Because a turtle is able to protect itself from any attack and represents a hidden strength that comes from its perseverance and ability to recognize what surrounds it, even at intervals of time and space, so that it can find its way again. For this reason a turtle symbolizes intelligence. In the Orient they say that the world is supported by intelligence and perseverance. I agree.