He is known as ‘il Rosso di Buja’ (“The Redhead of Buja"). “A man without his land is a man without a heart”, the cyclist writes on Twitter. And, having climbing and long distance in his nature, he will put all of his efforts into tackling the tough cycle race in Rio (in 2014 he received the “Fighting Spirit Award”, given to the most combative cyclist in the Tour de France). 30 years old, from Friuli, he was forced to suspend all his activities for most of 2015 due to an injury to his Achilles’ heel. He has a passion for motorcycles and he also has a taste for weizen beer. In Brazil, however, for a place on the podium he is willing to celebrate with a glass of champagne.