{"id":10071,"date":"2026-09-11T16:32:48","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T16:32:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velomag.eu\/heartbeats-and-bike-trails\/"},"modified":"2026-09-11T16:32:48","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T16:32:48","slug":"heartbeats-and-bike-trails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/velomag.eu\/nl\/heartbeats-and-bike-trails\/","title":{"rendered":"Heartbeats and Bike Trails"},"content":{"rendered":"

Patient Stories | Cleveland Clinic<\/a>From Heart Surgery to the Open Road: A Cyclist’s Journey<\/strong><\/p>\n

In April 2021, my life took an unexpected turn. A routine test revealed that my heart was stopping during the night\u2014pausing 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2014the ability to move with intensity, carefully managing every watt, every heartbeat, every kilometer according to rules I had learned to understand.<\/p>\n

Cycling became my means to rebuild an active life, leading to the creation of the #pedalaconilcuore project. Through this initiative, I aim to:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Promote Preventive Healthcare<\/strong>: Emphasizing the importance of regular check-ups, as they can be life-saving even without symptoms.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Inspire Those with Heart Conditions<\/strong>: Demonstrating that a diagnosis isn’t a sentence to a sedentary life but the beginning of a different\u2014yet fulfilling\u2014way to stay active.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Support Charitable Causes<\/strong>: Raising funds for disabled children and associations through my longer, solo rides.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    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.<\/p>\n

    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.<\/p>\n

    Gianluca Santacatterina<\/em>
    \nSolitary Ultracyclist \u2022 Mental Coach \u2022 Author <\/p>\n

    pedalaconilcuore | gianlucasantacatterina.it<\/a><\/h1>\n

    Source link <\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Patient Stories | Cleveland ClinicFrom Heart Surgery to the Open Road: A Cyclist’s Journey In…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10072,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t