In the end, "it" won—the invisible intruder, the monster of disease—but Cinzia Simonelli never stopped fighting until her very last moment. When she received the devastating news some time ago, she didn't waste a single moment and began doing everything that was asked of her to win the battle.
One day we met her at a race in Pontedera, she called us aside and told us everything, reminding us "I have this illness but I will not stop fighting and battling it until the end". Cinzia did it, she even overcame the sad and painful moment of her mother's passing, she remained alone with cycling, her friends, and the disease that was progressing.
What a wonderful person we're losing. We knew her as a dedicated professional in the Cycling League of the Uisp, then in the Italian Cycling Federation and in the Tuscany Regional Committee where she held various roles: she was an appreciated international judge and member of the board of directors of the Gp Larciano. She had the gift of simplicity, of modesty, which she maintained until the very end, precious and important in her duties to perform, but then "the invisible intruder" forced her to step down, and today, June 5th, she closed her eyes forever.
It hurts to write about friends who are no longer with us. It is painful to remember a time that seemed like yesterday and yet, almost without realizing it, it is already today and especially has no tomorrow.