how we first met #10: Matteo and his Gazzetta della Strada
Meet Matteo, 24 years old, working in an educational community for minors here in Milano.
His passion for cycling began as a child, when his grandfather took him to cycle along the Navigli canals in Milan. From there he found cycling as a mean to empty the mind and be free. Free to move, to think, to express himself.
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“At the end of high school I worked all summer to buy my first "serious" bike and pedaled with a friend from Milan to Vallo della Lucania, in Campania. This experience, totally improvised, fueled my passion and made me discover a new way to travel. Move slowly, feel at one with the landscape, far from the chaos of the city.
The following year I cycled alone along the Via Francigena and with a friend in Holland using a Rossignoli racing bike from the 1970s that I had fun restoring.
In 2021 I started working as a bike messenger for UBM, a historic Milanese courier company. Messlife has allowed me to meet many people united by a passion for cycling, allowing me to travel and participate in various events. A few months after arriving at UBM he felt the need to buy a versatile bike suitable both for work in the city and for outings on the trails.”
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“I immediately liked Gazzetta della Strada a lot with its classic geometries. The price wasn't excessive and it could be a good starting point. I purchased it and rode it straight away and over the months I started making changes to each component to make it more and more suitable for my needs. I decided to use silver components to enhance its classic lines but mounting a single chainring to make it more modern at the same time. It's a fantastic bike because it adapts to any terrain. I used it for short bike packing outings, road and dirt rides.
In August 2023, while cycling at night in Milan, I was hit by a truck in the city centre.
I suffered a broken collarbone and several bruises and the front part of the bicycle was destroyed. In the months following the accident I found it very difficult to start cycling again in the city peacefully because road safety in Milan is undermined by the uncontrolled presence of cars and heavy vehicles. It was difficult to start cycling again in the city and even now I feel scared following the accident but I firmly believe in sustainable mobility and in the use of the bicycle to reduce environmental pollution and improve urban traffic.”
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Bike setup
Frame: Gazzetta della Strada
Fork: Columbus Cr-Mo Steel
Wheels: DT Swiss r500
Bars: Fun flatbar
Stem:Thomson Elite silver 100mm
Grips: Edi
Seatpost: Thomson Elite silver
Seat: Brooks C17 carved
Groupset: Shimano xt 10v
Cranks: Shimano slx
Chainring: Garbaruk 40t
Brakes: Shimano Deore
Tyres: Panaracer Gravelking SK
