Riccardo Bondavalli clinches Italian paracycling title after redemption

Riccardo Bondavalli, a former Formula 1 driver, won the MC1 class at the Italian paracycling championships held in Zoppola, Pordenone province. The victory marks his first national title in para‑cycling.

Bondavalli survived a severe road accident in 2011, which left him incapacitated and led to a period of drug addiction. After leaving the San Patrignano community in 2019 he turned to cycling, joining the Obiettivo 3 program founded by Alex Zanardi. He said, “Mentre pedalavo ho capito che mi potevo riavvicinare agli altri,” describing how the sport helped him rebuild his life. He now mentors young people entering similar rehabilitation programmes and aims to represent Italy at the national level.