A CHAT WITH PAOLA GIANOTTI

The Italian ultra-cyclist, Paola Gianotti, was the fastest woman to ride around the world by bike, with many more goals yet to be accomplished. In her latest adventure, which has just wrapped up, she covered the entire route of the 2018 Giro d’Italia a day earlier than the passage of pros. The entire route consisted of more than 3,000 kilometers of riding! The motivation of her trip was very special: To raise awareness on the issue of road safety for cyclists.

Paola, how did it go?
It was a great journey during which I had the opportunity to meet extraordinary people such as Marco Scarponi (Michele Scarponi's brother) and Marco Pantani's parents. I met many people along the way and many who accompanied me during the route. I was never alone during my adventure and it was fantastic!

For such a long journey like this, being 3,000+ kilometers on the various routes of the Giro d'Italia, you needed reliable components. Tell us about the components of your bicycle.
First of all, my VISION TRIMAX 30 KB wheels were fundamental. The first thing that I noticed was how comfortable the wheels rode. They proved to be light and flowing on the flat roads, while they also gave me safety through the downhills. In a nutshell, they proved to be ideal for any kind of route that I was on. I also used them through a variety of temperatures and weather conditions, even with so much rain! Despite the rough conditions, I didn’t need maintenance for the full 3,000 kilometers.

For such a long journey, you needed to “manage” your energy. How did you plan this out?
Thanks to my FSA Alloy PowerBox crankset, I managed to ride mile after mile without making “trips”. Additionally, I always had very precise data on my cycle computer in order to judge where my energy levels were. It was a basic travel mate!