STRONG ARMS to FIGHT ATAXIA
in aid of the European Centre of Excellence for the
Research and Treatment of Ataxic Syndromes
Tour of Italy by Handbike
in conjunction with the International Ataxia Day
2007
September 18 Milan – September 28 Aprilia (Lt)
|
DATE |
DEPARTURE |
|
ARRIVAL |
|
REGION |
|
tue sep 18 |
Milan
|
|
Magenta |
Mi |
Lombardy |
|
wed sep 19 |
Borgomanero |
No |
Turin |
|
Piedmont |
|
thu sep 20 |
Genoa |
|
Sestri Levante |
Ge |
Liguria |
|
fri sept 21 |
Parma |
|
Bologna |
|
E. Romagna |
|
sat sep 22 |
Prato |
Fi |
Florence |
|
Tuscany |
|
sun sep 23 |
Forlì |
|
Ancona |
|
E. Romagna Marche |
|
mon sep 24 |
Pescara |
|
Sulmona |
AQ |
Abruzzo |
|
tue
sept 25 |
REST PLUGS AVERSA |
|
sep 26 |
Aversa |
|
Naples |
|
Campania |
|
thu sep 27 |
Latina |
|
Rome |
|
Lazio |
|
fri
sep 28 |
Rome |
|
Aprilia
|
Lt |
Lazio |
Someone with ataxia riding a handbike?
Yes, people suffering from ataxia, a rare inherited
neurodegenerative disorder which affects movement
coordination, can ride a bike and very well because
they can use their body like anyone else as long as
they are well trained and supported by the correct
equipment.
Sport.
Sport is still one of the few possibile known
therapies both to slow down the loss of control of
movement, thanks to a good muscle training, and to
offer young patients a real help in finding their
autonomy and a strong psychological support in
dealing with the disease.
The Tour.
Two young sportsmen, Alessandro and Federico
Villa, both affected by ataxia, a rare
neurodegenerative disease for which there is no
known cure, will be the protagonists of the
1st
AISA Tour, riding throughout Italy
next September by handbike.
They are experienced athletes who have been taking
part in handbike competions all over Europe for
years.
They are ready to do their best and to face any
problem to help AISA (the Italian association for
the fight against ataxic syndromes) organize the
7th International Ataxia Day in
September 25th.
The Tour will take the riders through Italy between
the 18th and the 29th of September.
The athletes and riders will be followed by an AISA
camper van that will ensure assistance and the
necessary transfers.
The Tour will follow minor roads, better suited for
cycling. Each stage will depart and arrive in main
cities or towns where there is a branch of AISA or
people living with ataxia. This means that our
message will reach those places which are cut off
from the main communication network.
The Tour, with all its stages and the incessant
moving forward of the handbikers, represents somehow
on one hand the long process of the diagnosis and of
the therapy every ataxic patient has to undergo, and
on the other the difficult but at the same time
successful path of research.
Each stage will have events and shows to celebrate
arrival and departure. To reinforce our message and
to obtain maximum visibility, athletes and figures
from the world of sports and entertainment will
welcome the riders.
Naples
The
Tour will reach
Naples
on the 25th of September,
the International Ataxia Day. Here, in one of
its most beautiful squares, Piazza del Plebiscito, a
big event will take place with some celebrities from
the world of sports and entertainment, including the
actors of a famous Italian TV series, “Un Posto Al
Sole”.
Aprilia will be the last stage of the Tour. Here the
team will first visit the place where the Centre
will be built (in Campoverde), then will
triumphantly enter the City Stadium, with a lap of
honour and award ceremony. For this occasion,
Aprilia City Council will organize a big party, with
a sports event in the afternoon and an open-air show
with several sport and entertainment figures and
representatives of local authorities.
The International Ataxia Day is promoted in Italy by
AISA and every year it can count on the patronage of
the main Italian organizations and institutions.
The Tour’s final stage. 
The final stage is APRILIA, a town near Rome,
which will be the site of the European Centre of
Excellence for the Research and Treatment of Ataxic
Syndromes, the second of its kind in the world,
open to patients from all over Europe and the
Mediterranean area, with international researchers
and specialists.
All funds raised by the event will go to its
construction.
“I Piccoli Diavoli” alias “The Little Devils”…
The non-profit association
PICCOLI DIAVOLI 3RUOTE,
founded in Monza, Italy, in 2006, will also
cooperate in the 1st AISA Tour.
Alessandro Villa (president) and his brother
Federico, himself a handbiker affected by ataxia,
have founded this association whose objective is to
promote SPORT AS A THERAPY for the disabled,
to help young people fight and look for exciting and
ever-changing motivations and to demonstrate that
nothing can stop the will and the joy to live.
Handbike riding has given them three major gifts:
• Opponents, who always motivate them to
outdo themselves and who, once the competition is
over, are friends to share the same passion with;
• Personal rewards and a strong self-esteem;
• A well-trained, strong and flexible body, which
makes them ready to fight the disease.
The handbike team is the result of the joint efforts
of two young men, both affected by Friedreich’s
Ataxia, who want to be the first to enter the field
and prove that in front of a challenge like the
Tour, there are no “disabilities”.
The two athletes hope that what some people consider
a “mad adventure” might help raise awareness for
this disease and, above all, might help raise funds
for the research.
“We know that one day
Friedreich’s Ataxia will get us but for the time
being we keep on riding!”
BEWARE!!!
The “madness” of these two is contagious!!
For information
on the Tour or general information:
Ufficio
stampa AISA –
uff.stampa@atassia.it
Tel. (+39) 06
520 37 37 – Fax (+39) 06 520 14 90
