Italian breaks world record for cycling globe
Paola Gianotti on Sunday became the world's fastest female cyclist to tour the globe, a feat achieved as a response to the financial crisis.
Gianotti rode into Ivrea, north-west Italy, on Sunday after a 29,430km tour taking 144 days.
“The most beautiful finish line of my life!” she wrote on Facebook after arriving to crowds of supporters.
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The 32-year-old Italian completed the tour despite having an accident in the US, prompting her to put the tour temporarily on hold, Gazzetta dello Sport said.
A sports enthusiast, Gianotti had been living in the village of Montalto before taking up the cycling challenge.
“Because of the economic crisis, my business closed and I said, ‘It’s now or never’. I rolled up my sleeves and began to plan the adventure,” she was quoted in Gazzetta dello Sport as saying.
She won €45,000 sponsorship from ten companies, after contacting 2,500 businesses. The high costs included a €20,000 campervan for Gianotti and her team to sleep in, plus €10,000 in flights for the group of three, the newspaper said.
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Gianotti rode into Ivrea, north-west Italy, on Sunday after a 29,430km tour taking 144 days.
“The most beautiful finish line of my life!” she wrote on Facebook after arriving to crowds of supporters.
(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_GB/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));Gianotti broke the world record set by Juliana Buhring, a British-German cyclist, who toured the globe in 152 days two years ago.
The 32-year-old Italian completed the tour despite having an accident in the US, prompting her to put the tour temporarily on hold, Gazzetta dello Sport said.
A sports enthusiast, Gianotti had been living in the village of Montalto before taking up the cycling challenge.
“Because of the economic crisis, my business closed and I said, ‘It’s now or never’. I rolled up my sleeves and began to plan the adventure,” she was quoted in Gazzetta dello Sport as saying.
She won €45,000 sponsorship from ten companies, after contacting 2,500 businesses. The high costs included a €20,000 campervan for Gianotti and her team to sleep in, plus €10,000 in flights for the group of three, the newspaper said.
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