COP26: Omar De Felice, on two wheels in Glasgow to save the planet

Towards Glasgow, October 25 – on two wheels from one Wheeler Tristina Rave SLR, Omar De Felice is on his way to Glasgow these days: a symbolic and powerful sporting long crossing, 2000 km and 8 days of cycling, to reach the British city where COP26 will open on November 1, perhaps the last chance in world history to reverse course Global warming on the planet.

Today out of Milan on the day’s rally for Dudelange, the “super cyclist of cold bikes”: his solitary race across Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, France and the UK touches on some emblematic places for the theme of the climate crisis as the retreat shows that the glaciers of Ticino or Fribourg, “a model city to manage Energy and Efficiency”, “With no-go zones and an urban environment that seems a natural continuation of the natural context in which it stands, Forest Black.” Then passing by French nuclear power plants and other places able to offer fun food to think about what is happening to our boiling planet.

To support Omar’s story on his social pages are scientists, technicians and climatologists – among them Elisa Balzzi, climate physicist and associate professor at the University of Turin, Botito Ruggiero, environmental activist and co-author of “We are watching. Sustainable future well explained” and Matteo Dondi, urban architect, who has been cycling for 20 years – and who every day, during Travel Week, makes direct contact to tackle the main topics of what will be talked about in Glasgow as the athlete was to arrive on October 30, 8 days after starting.

The message is always the same as De Phyllis: “With a bike you can go anywhere,” the cyclist wrote on his Facebook page: “Because the bike is the most sustainable way to get around, thus buying urban spaces again more livable, without vehicular traffic and reducing emissions from Auto fuel.

The name chosen for the project is “Bike up to 1.5 degrees Celsius”, which is the threshold for average global temperature rise that scientists believe is the minimum necessary to reverse the trajectory. The first stage, Altdorf, was reached via the Gotthard Pass: 220 km and 3200 meters in height. “Did you know that global warming affects mountains more as it advances at twice the global rate? Is not only glaciers melting, but snow also decreasing with many consequences also for those who live on the plains? The retreat of glaciers around the world is often cited, from mountain regions The Alps have moved to Antarctica over the past few decades, as a clear and unmistakable sign of warming due to human activities.Omar warns on Facebook that the situation in the Alps is particularly dangerous and some glaciers may disappear in the coming decades.

Romano, De Felice’s age is 40 years old. Marco Pantani hit him in 1994, from that moment he began his bicycle adventure. After taking part in the competitive classes of traditional cycling, and capping his career with a year in the pro ranks, in 2012 he decided to switch to superbike cycling and, in this extreme sport, excelled in several Italian and international competitions. In 2018, he pedaled the Canadian Arctic about 1,300 kilometers on the Arctic Highway after arriving in the North Cape and crossing Iceland during the winter.

One of his most recent feats was to ride a mountain bike on Himalayan trails in February to reach Everest Base Camp: 1,300 kilometers and 40 thousand meters in altitude with temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius. Omar also crossed the Gobi River in Mongolia (later blocked by Covid in Ulaanbaatar), and finished third in the Cross-American Cycling Tour of the United States. His love of cold temperatures and harsh conditions, which he likes to call his “Zona Omar” (which is also the title of his last book for La Nave di Teseo). (alebal)

Queenie Bell

“Introvert. Avid gamer. Wannabe beer advocate. Subtly charming zombie junkie. Social media trailblazer. Web scholar.”