A Call to the Italian Cycling Federation: “The National Team Should Ride with a Black Armband for Nicolò”
No life should end on the road. But when a 7-year-old child dies on a bicycle path while cycling to school, the pain and anger become unbearable.
Nicolò tragically passed away in Turin on Tuesday, September 22.
His story has not received the national media attention it deserves and risks being reduced to just another statistic: one of the over 170 cyclists who have died on Italian roads since the beginning of the year (the latest update from the ASAPS-Sapidata Observatory on September 21—published before Nicolò’s fatal accident—counts 169). (bikeitalia.it)
This is yet another missed opportunity to discuss an issue that affects every citizen and that politics continues to ignore.
Behind each of these cycling fatalities is a person, a family, a community left to cope with an irreplaceable loss. Yet, these deaths rarely make headlines beyond local news, and almost never become an occasion to discuss what could be done to prevent them. It is another missed opportunity to address a topic that concerns every citizen and that politics continues to ignore: the speed of cars in cities, the quality and safety of cycling infrastructure, and the possibility for a child to ride a bicycle to school without risking their life.
Therefore, we appeal to President Cordiano Dagnoni and the Italian Cycling Federation: we ask that the Italian National Team wear black armbands during the road events at the World Championships in Montréal.
A simple, visible gesture worldwide to remember Nicolò and bring the safety of cyclists back to the center of public debate. The blue jerseys are among the most recognizable symbols of Italian sport, and their presence on the roads of Canada, in front of millions of spectators, can give this story the voice it has so far lacked.
The Federation and the President have repeatedly reaffirmed their commitment to road safety: this is the moment to demonstrate it with a concrete act and to show that the cycling of the blue jerseys and that of those who pedal every day to go to school or work are on the same side.
We are well aware that the authorization of the UCI is required and that the request may not be accepted. But the most important races have yet to be run, the technical times are there, and trying is already a response: it means not letting this death remain only the pain of a family.
We hope to see our National Team remember Nicolò and remind an entire country and its leaders that such deaths are unacceptable.
There is no future if a 7-year-old dies while cycling to school.
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