Pope Francis and the passion for cycling: the specialized given by Sagan

Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the Holy Year of 1950, welcomed the Giro d’Italia which ended in Rome with Gino Bartali the Pio by his side. In 1974, Gimondi in the world jersey and Merckx led the caravan of the pink race by Pope Paul VI, with the tour that took place right from the Vatican city. And then again in a Jubilee, that of 2000, Marco Pantani kneeling in front of Pope John Paul II. But Certainly Pope Francis was the pontiff who most of all went up to the bicycle. Metaphor of the Church itself, so much so that “the balance of the Church resembles the balance of the bicycle: it is firm and is good when it is in motion; if you leave it firm, fall”. Bikes that for him was above all means of transport, sustainable, simple, economic and ecological, such as to allow the most vulnerable populations to move to have access to fundamental needs such as education and health care.

the papal bike

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Among the first cyclists who visited Pope Bergoglio there was Peter Sagan, the Slovak three times world champion in a row, from 2015 to 2017. The champion of children and the bike as fun, idol of a generation that saw in him not only the sportsman but one of them. And on January 24, 2018, Sagan, who was 28 years old and was the symbol of the world cycling movement, went to St. Peter’s Square accompanied by Ermanno Leonardi, CEO of Specialized Italia, the American manufacturer always linked to the Slovak. At the end of the general hearing, Pope Francis approached Sagan and received a special bike as a gift with the colors of the Vatican and the world championship with his dedication. It was a venge model bike, painted in order to reflect in the dark the white light and enriched by unique details, such as the Vatican logos, the papal coat of arms and the Argentine flag on the frame together with the name Francesco.

Peter’s words

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Sagan has always been very religious: when the father followed him to the races, every time Peter came out of the bus to go to the signature sheet made him the sign of the cross on the face. That January 24 Peter also made a private visit to the Sistine Chapel and so he told the meeting: “Pope Francis asked me to pray for him. I replied that I will definitely do it. I have this thought in mind: the Pope prays for each of us, all over the world. And then he must have so much strength, that strength that derives from the fact that the others pray for him. An opportunity can happen to you. Belief, I was really happy to bring my parents with me, mom Helena and Dad Lubomir. An example, an important man for the life of the world. Even those who do not believe know the Pope and through him, if they want, they can discover God “.