Castronno - From Bangkok to Taiwan by bike: face to face with Pietro Franzese, a cycle traveler with over 5,000 km - - Varese News
A slow walk, a shared aperitif and then a leap to the other side of the world, on a bicycle. Wednesday 2 July at Materia Spazio Libero (via Confalonieri 5 Sant'Alessandro Castronno), the protagonist will be Pietro Franzese , a cycle traveller and environmental communicator among the most followed in Italy. The occasion is the second stage of the route along the Via delle Api , the new path that connects the Castronno station to Materia, inaugurated on Monday 30 June.
At 6:30 pm we set off on foot , to share the journey and a different way of inhabiting the territory. Upon arrival, in the garden of Materia, it will be possible to stop for an aperitif and prepare for a story, at 8:30 pm, that takes us far away: over 5,000 kilometers traveled by bike between Bangkok and Taiwan , crossing Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and China, between climbs, discoveries and near misses.
A “research journey” between landscapes and factories
Pietro Franzese's was not a simple journey, but an experience of exploration and documentation, which combined nature, relationships and industrial observation. The cycle traveler in fact touched the places where many of the products used in the world of cycling are born, visiting up close the production facilities of brands such as Vittoria, Giant, FSA, SRAM, Crankbrothers and Ravemen .
"Cheap labor plays a role, of course, but today it is above all industrial expertise that makes the difference. In Taiwan I was able to observe the speed with which they move from design to large-scale production," says Franzese, who visited the Crankbrothers offices in Taichung, the heart of the Asian cycling industry.
Emotions and difficulties along the wayAmong the most intense moments of the trip, Franzese cited the coast of Vietnam , the Khao Yai National Park in Thailand, rich in wildlife, and above all the 450 km of the eastern coast of Taiwan , between cliffs and beaches with a Caribbean charm. To make it all even more memorable, a bike accident that could have stopped him, but instead turned into another passage to tell.
"I felt welcomed everywhere, even in contexts where those who travel by bike are still seen as aliens. I tried to bring a message of curiosity and positivity to places that live with difficulties very different from ours, like in Cambodia."
The bike as a social messageAlongside the trip, Pietro supported a fundraising campaign for the non-profit organization World Bicycle Relief , which provides sturdy, functional bicycles to students and workers in low-income countries. Thanks to the support of his community, four bicycles were donated.
"The bicycle is the most beautiful means of transport in the world: it doesn't pollute, it burns fat and it can change your life. It is also a bridge between distant worlds."
An evening not to be missedThe meeting and walk on Wednesday 2 July will be the opportunity to listen to the story of this journey in advance, with images, anecdotes and reflections.
For those who wish to participate, the meeting is at 18:30 with departure from Materia for the walk along the Via delle Api . The arrival is always expected in Materia, with an aperitif in the garden and the start of the meeting at 20:30 .
Access to the cafeteria is reserved for members of the Anche Io APS association (annual membership 15 euros), more information: materiaspaziolibero.it
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