He had flown to Spain to pursue his dream on his mountain bike, now he has flown there, to the paradise of cyclists. Riccardo Gioberto did not make it, the Piedmontese biker just 16 years old who on June 6th had suffered a serious crash during a race. 

After the accident, Riccardo was hospitalized in Barcelona and underwent numerous surgeries, including the removal of part of his skull to relieve pressure, and had fought a long and difficult battle.

His aunt wrote announcing a fundraising campaign to help Riccardo's parents, an only child, to cover the medical and care expenses in Barcelona, saying that «a mountain bike race like so many others turned into the worst nightmare a parent could ever live through. That same evening mom and dad received the phone call that no family should ever receive. With very little information and fearing the worst, they immediately set out towards Barcelona, facing eight hours of driving. Upon their arrival at the hospital, the doctors explained to them that their son might not survive and, if he did, he would suffer severe permanent brain damage».

On August 4th, finally, the moment of return to Italy arrived, with an equipped aircraft: Riccardo, who never woke up, was then admitted to the Regina Margherita Hospital in Turin, where he continued treatment until his heart gave out yesterday.

Riccardo was a brilliant boy, determined, full of enthusiasm and with a great dream: to become a veterinarian. Over the past four years he had found in downhill mountain biking a great passion, to which he dedicated himself with commitment and sacrifice, training hard and participating in competitions with enthusiasm and talent.

San Didero, his hometown, and the entire Susa Valley in these hours stand with his mom and dad, sharing a pain impossible to understand and to tell.