The handcycle is a vehicle that anyone can use, but it was originally created for people with reduced mobility, who cannot move their lower limbs as a result of paraplegia, non-severe tetraplegia, or amputation. As the name suggests, the handcycle is powered by the arms and hands, rather than the legs. The rider holds two cranks and pedals with their arms. The two cranks transfer energy to the chain, which turns the front wheel. The handcycle works like a traditional bicycle, except that it has a front wheel drive. It can be ridden in a semi-recumbent or upright position, depending on the rider’s needs.
Zanardi discovered handcycling one afternoon in 2007 in a service station near Savona, on the Genoa-Ventimiglia motorway. Zanardi was looking for a disabled parking space when he noticed someone else doing the same. This was how he met Vittorio Podestà, an engineer with a passion for cycling, who was left paralysed after suffering a spinal cord injury in a car accident in 2002, which meant he lost the use of his legs. Even after the accident, Podestà refused to give up and continued to practise sports, firstly with wheelchair basketball and then handcycling. Zanardi noticed the unusual bicycle on the roof of Podestà’s car, and asked him about it. The two began to talk, and Podestà enthusiastically told Alex all about his experience with handcycling. He had been handcycling for many years, and was one of the best handcycle riders in Italy. He and Zanardi hit it off immediately and exchanged phone numbers. Zanardi was fascinated by this strange new vehicle. Just a few months later, he decided that he wanted to become a handcycle rider too, and so he immediately started to prepare for his new big adventure.
