Having a bicycle to go far, perhaps pedaling fast like the great champions, towards a special finish line. How many times, when we were young, or not so young, have we dreamed of it?

«Allowing children to dream and imagine themselves achieving great things is one of the objectives of Laureus Sport for Good Italia Foundation». With these words, spoken yesterday in Sovico, Lara Tagliabue Head of Programmes at Laureus Italia Foundation, opened the presentation event of “Cycling for Good”, the project developed by Laureus Italia Foundation with the financial support of Lidl that involves three youth cycling teams across the country: Velo Club Sovico, Franco Ballerini Cycling School in Bari and Outschool Bike Team in Catania.

«Cycling is a sport that has made the history of our country and being able to propose it with an educational impact is very important for us – Tagliabue continued -. We were pleased to receive the stimulus from Lidl and we began our development and planning work with the clear intention of bringing together some Italian cities to make cycling a tool. We believe that, through the sport of pedaling, young people can learn to take care of themselves, understanding the importance of proper nutrition, training and everything that promotes a healthy lifestyle».

Tagliabue also emphasized: «The bicycle is the tool that allows us to practice cycling but above all a travel companion. Learning how it works and learning to take care of it is fundamental for the growth of young people».

Growth of young people, commitment and collaboration in the territory are the key concepts expressed in his speech by Maurizio Canzi, president of Velo Club Sovico: «Our club was founded in 1975 and has always had a sporting and competitive vocation. “Sport for Good”, this new project of which we are proud to be part of, allows us to propose a cycling done without the classic schemes of competition. Furthermore – Canzi continued – this new initiative allows us to help families in our territory, and all citizens, understand what a sports club can do. Collaboration with the Municipal Social Affairs Office and schools is fundamental because it has allowed us to create interest in the project. Families in the territory have responded very positively, understanding the intention to propose a different vision of cycling: not necessarily competition, but simply a sporting activity for young people with young and well-trained coaches».

«Having young girls and boys who follow young people. I believe this is one of the most important points in a sports club. Today young people have changed, families have changed compared to past decades and to do well it is necessary to find the right people who know how to interact with girls and boys» concluded the president of Velo Club Sovico.

Also touching was the testimony of  Gabriele Tinghino, president of  Outschool Bike Team in Catania, who in his video message emphasized the importance of the bicycle and the “Sport for Good” project to allow young people to explore their talents, their abilities and learn the importance of feeling part of a group, respecting its rules

Also Giuseppe “Pino” Marzano, president of Franco Ballerini Cycling School in Bari, passionately told his experience starting from the creation of a “Bike Academy” and the bike park “No One Excluded” within the “Third Municipality San Paolo District” of the city of Bari. «No one should feel excluded, no one should be denied the opportunity to practice sports. Our club registers an average of more than 100 young people per season. Seventy among Juniors, Beginners and Youth riders and about forty athletes with intellectual and cognitive disabilities who have participated in, and won, Italian championships as well. Our goal is to allow everyone to practice multidisciplinary cycling, in fact we have road bikes, mountain bikes and recently we have also equipped ourselves with bikes for pedaling on gravel and cyclocross trails».

Concluding the event, moderated by Riccardo Magrini, was the speech by Dorothea Liebscher, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Lidl: «For our company sport, and in particular cycling, is very important. Since 2023 we are partners of the professional team Lidl-Trek, a far-sighted and long-term project that united two international brands with the goal of inspiring young generations of athletes but also simply sports enthusiasts around the world. Together with the Lidl cycling team, we want to be a promoter of a healthy lifestyle and healthy eating. Sport and the consumption of healthy food can provide important benefits to people. In this context, the “Cycling for Good” project fits in, with which we want to help girls and boys to have greater awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, for Lidl sport must be a lever for growth, inclusion and social redemption and for this reason Lidl makes available 60 sports scholarships, 20 per club, to bring girls and boys closer to cycling».

Having a bicycle to go far and pedal towards your own goals, now thanks to the “Cycling for Good” project by Laureus Italia Foundation and Lidl, is no longer a dream but reality for many girls and boys.