Cycling, pedaling in Codogno: 300 in memory of Covid

Emotions and emotion. A lot. And once again it is the bicycle, a symbol of the truest fatigue and of the visceral relationship with the earth, that plays the leading role. 300 people showed up today in Codogno for a 72-kilometer ride on the roads (and dirt paths) of the first red zone in Italy. In the night between 20 and 21 February 2020, at the Codogno hospital Covid was diagnosed with patient zero, Mattia Maestri, a 38-year-old sportsman who was very ill from bilateral pneumonia that cannot be cured with the usual antibiotics: thanks to courage and intuition of Dr. Laura Ricevuti and anesthetist Annalisa Malara, the patient was given a molecular swab and from that moment Italy discovered Covid and the tragedy that was about to break down.

The “Zona rossa gravel” ride was organized by Cycling team Avis and Passione gravel. Present were the mayors of the municipalities of the red zone, the regional councilor for the Territory Pietro Foroni (from Codogno), the mayor Francesco Passerini and many enthusiasts who rode between memories and emotions: many of them were personally touched, at family level, from Covid. Normal bicycles, gravel or mountain bikes. A day in the saddle, in memory.