Paola Gianotti joins the Bike4Truce_Rims of Peace 2026 project, promoted by Fondazione Olos Onlus, becoming its official testimonial and godmother. The project aims to support and relaunch the principle of the Olympic Truce, established by a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly and signed by 165 countries, which provides for the suspension of armed conflicts during the period between one week before the start of the international sporting event and one week after its conclusion (January 31 - March 21, 2026).

Bike4Truce_Rims of Peace 2026 translates into a symbolic and non-competitive cycling tour, which will start from Milan on March 17, 2026, to reach Bormio on the afternoon of Friday 20, crossing Lombardy and Valtellina in four stages. Along the route, cycling groups can also join autonomously, creating a widespread and connected mobilization through social media.

Paola Gianotti and the bicycle as civil commitment

An endurance cyclist, coach, and communicator, Paola Gianotti has been committed for years to promoting the bicycle as an instrument of social change, sustainability, and dialogue. Holder of four Guinness World Records, including the fastest woman to have completed a world bicycle tour, she has linked her sporting achievements to awareness campaigns on road safety, mutual respect, and civil rights.

In 2016, she was among the promoters of the first attempt to nominate the bicycle for the Nobel Peace Prize, an initiative supported by the Caterpillar program on RAI Radio2.

With Bike4Truce_Rims of Peace 2026, Paola Gianotti returns to support this message in a particularly critical historical moment.

"The bicycle is a simple, accessible, universal tool," declares Paola Gianotti. "Precisely for this reason, it can become a political gesture in the highest sense of the term: crossing territories, meeting people, peacefully exposing oneself to affirm that war is not inevitable. Bike4Truce_Rims of Peace 2026 is an invitation not to stand still, to take a position with one's body and legs, remembering that the Olympic Truce is not a utopia but a commitment that the world has already subscribed to."

The Bike4Truce_Rims of Peace 2026 project

The cycling tour is part of the path started by Bike4Truce, a brand active since 2011 and committed to promoting peace through cycling and cycle tourism. The initiative includes, along the route, moments of meeting with local communities, the inauguration of celebratory murals, and a fundraising campaign in favor of the Marco Di Martino ODV ETS Association, engaged in support projects for minors in Togo.

During and after the cycling tour, a documentary will be produced, directed by filmmaker Mario Canci, which will tell the collective participation and the purposes of the event, also in view of a future and renewed nomination of the bicycle for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Valerio Di Vincenzo, promoter of Bike4Truce_Rims of Peace 2026 and president of Fondazione Olos Onlus, states: "The project is ambitious, but we are convinced that, now more than ever, in the presence of epochal contrasts that make one fear the total disintegration and collapse of world balances, it is precisely civil society that must launch a strong signal of peaceful coexistence through its practice. In the last ten years, I have done several cycle tourism experiences. For me, it's not just about 'bicycle vacations', but a different way of traveling: slow, aware, deeply connected to the territories crossed and the people. Through cycle tourism initiatives, we follow the model of organizations that are born 'from below' and that promote 'motivational' events, seeking alliances with partners, big and small, who realize new ideas. For this, my thanks go to Paola Gianotti, who was the first to believe in our project. For me, the bicycle is an ideal and real means, the only vehicle that is also an instrument capable of promoting the health of people and ecosystems and that has potential even as a peaceful weapon of mass action. I believe in it, or rather, my dream, and not just mine, is to nominate the bicycle for the Nobel Peace Prize."

An open invitation to cyclists

Bike4Truce_Rims of Peace 2026 is open to cyclists, associations, and groups who want to participate even in just a single stage, sharing the message of the Olympic Truce and peace. Registration is free; more information on this page: https://www.archasalutis.it/bike4truce/il-ciclotour/.

STAGE DETAILS

17/03: Stage 1 | Milan - Trezzo sull'Adda

📏 43.3 km

🔗 Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/it-it/tour/2761054067

18/03: Stage 2 | Trezzo sull'Adda - Lecco

📏 38 km

🔗 Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/it-it/tour/2761555191

19/03: Stage 3 | Lecco - Sondrio

📏 88.9 km

🔗 Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/it-it/tour/2741291566

20/03: Stage 4 | Sondrio - Bormio

📏 68.5 km

⬆️ Positive elevation gain: 1,110 m / ⬇️ Negative elevation gain: 220 m

🔗 Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/it-it/tour/2741324464