Patient Stories | Cleveland ClinicFrom Heart Surgery to the Open Road: A Cyclist’s Journey
In April 2021, my life took an unexpected turn. A routine test revealed that my heart was stopping during the night—pausing for up to eight seconds without any symptoms. I woke up each morning feeling fine, unaware that my heart was intermittently halting its rhythm. A pacemaker was implanted shortly after.
I believed that was the end of my heart issues. However, in October 2022, I faced another challenge: a surge of premature heartbeats, known as extrasystoles, occurring without warning. Once again, I experienced no symptoms. This led to a cardiac ablation, marking my second heart procedure in just over a year.
Despite these interventions, a lingering question remained: why was my heart behaving so unpredictably? It wasn’t until late 2023 that genetic testing provided an answer: a mutation in the PKP2 gene, present in my DNA all along. This discovery prompted the decision to replace my pacemaker with a transvenous defibrillator, ready to intervene if my heart decided to take a dangerous turn. Thus, in December 2023, I underwent my third heart procedure in three years, seeking to understand and address what my body had long concealed.
Living with this condition now means accepting certain limitations: monitoring my heart rate, approaching high-intensity activities with caution, and redefining “intensity” as a synonym for attentiveness rather than sheer willpower.
This journey led me to a pivotal realization: I needed a form of exercise that allowed me to listen to my heart rather than ignore it. Running, with its rapid elevation of heart rate and limited control, was no longer suitable. I turned to cycling. The bicycle offered me what I thought I’d lost forever—the ability to move with intensity, carefully managing every watt, every heartbeat, every kilometer according to rules I had learned to understand.
Cycling became my means to rebuild an active life, leading to the creation of the #pedalaconilcuore project. Through this initiative, I aim to:
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Promote Preventive Healthcare: Emphasizing the importance of regular check-ups, as they can be life-saving even without symptoms.
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Inspire Those with Heart Conditions: Demonstrating that a diagnosis isn’t a sentence to a sedentary life but the beginning of a different—yet fulfilling—way to stay active.
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Support Charitable Causes: Raising funds for disabled children and associations through my longer, solo rides.
Today, with a defibrillator in place and three heart procedures behind me, I lead what I consider a normal life. I work, travel, and cycle hundreds of kilometers, organizing journeys that require planning, endurance, and mental fortitude. In future installments, I’ll share more about these adventures.
This is just the first chapter. I’ll discuss each procedure in detail, what it’s like to train and travel with a defibrillator, the longest solo rides I’ve undertaken, and how cycling has taught me to listen to my heart instead of fearing it.
Gianluca Santacatterina
Solitary Ultracyclist • Mental Coach • Author