There are those who do the Camino de Santiago
to make a mystical journey with a lonely self
sharing moments of rest and refreshment with those who have undertaken the same journey and do it more than once and there are those who do the same thing on a bicycle in the heart of the Dolomites among oases of green, rock and silence only with the sounds of nature and then, in the stops and in the evening, join his fellow travelers eating and talking together about the pedaling and the sensations of the day waiting to begin the one to come.
Manuel is one of these people...a pilgrim cyclist always with a peaceful smile on his face and always ready for the knowledge of others even in his solitary pedaling along his inner journey that repeats itself each time and each time in a different way.
He has been doing it for years, probably always within himself but here, in the Dolomites, on this ride that takes everyone to a "postcards from another world" environment where peace reigns supreme and captures the souls of the most disparate people Manuel returns whenever he can, every year (only Covid has prevented him from doing so).
Alone, then with his family then alone again...you see this Romagnolo, you sense it right away that he will never stop, that he will push on those pedals as long as his physique supports him and, you would be willing to bet, he will find a way to do it anyway.
People meet, like-minded people are prone to collide...cyclists are members of a planetary tribe, they face an effort yes individual but they find themselves at the start, along the way and at the finish always with the other members and always find someone just like them...this was the case with Manuel and Remko,
an Italian from the lands of the Adriatic and the Apennine hills and a Dutchman from the low lands and a not always clement sea
Seemingly very different people but who met with the same smile and the same desire to pedal, savor and know.
Manuel met Remko and they understood each other immediately even not speaking the same language (the usual Stefania in this case was enough as a language bridge between distinct worlds and cultures).
They started an acquaintance, they made a friendship that will lead them to meet again next year on these roads, among these peaks and green expanses of the Dolomites in this Giro that is a real journey for those who, like our Manuel, are the emblem of the pilgrim cyclist,
...a person always with a smile in his eyes and heart,
a person you always hope to meet on the next trip...
Until next time Manuel!
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