If you are regular visitors to the D’annunzio, you will probably have recognised the gentleman on the left. It is of course your host Maurizio, who in February 2008 fulfilled his ambition of competing in a cycling event in Dubai. The event took place in and around the RAS al KAIMAH emerite and each morning the group left from here to a different destination for a 120km race. (One of which was to Oman). The competitors were on their bikes for approx 4 hours at a time and the whole event took place over a weeks period, in which they covered an amazing 900km.  

Alongside Maurizio in the above photograph is the leader of the group, Professional Italian cyclist Ivan Basso (winner of the 2006 Giro d'Italia and placed second in the 2005 Tour de France) giving him some friendly encouragement.

However Maurizios adventure had a very serious side to it as the whole event was organised to raise money for the charity Intervita which supports long term projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America to help to give their people the right to commodities we all take for granted, such as having the right to decent nourishment, health care, education and to improve their living conditions by giving them the opportunity to participate in the development of their own environment.

The event was organised by the Pinarello family, who manufacture and provide some of the best competition bicycles in the world and are based in Treviso (approx 40km from Jesolo). On the final night Mr Pinarello held an auction for Ivan Basso’s shirt which was signed personally by him. Maurizio actually won the auction and all the proceeds from this plus many other donations went to the Intervita organisation.

Maurizio and his wife Monica have also given additional support to the charity by sponsoring a 7 year old Indian girl to enable a school to be built in her town and give her the support she needs to give her the decent education that any child deserves, which will hopefully help to raise them out of poverty. Most of the group also sponsored a child including Ivan Basso who sponsored 4 children.

If you would like to support the charity, please click on the Intervita logo to the left, which will take you to their website, where you will  find details of how you can donate to the fund.