His London venture is still engraved in the collective memory, when he managed to cross the finish line in third position with a rather peculiar feature: his mountain bike was missing the seat. With the Olympic bronze, in addition to accomplishing one of his dreams, he was also blessed with being the first Italian athlete on the podium in this event. After his first experiences on bikes on the road, which didn't excite him enough, he switched to wider tires which opened up a world that led him to win European and World medals. Married to Elisabeth and father to Emiliano, he loves engines on two and four wheels, without distinction. In Beijing he was fifth, third in London, and in Rio he is going to put the pedal down and go for it.