Cycling: No Excuses!
There are all kinds of reasons to skip a ride. Cold weather. Hot weather. Gusty winds. Work. Chores. No one to ride with.
Meet Andre Pusateri, a man who knows no obstacles in his athletic pursuits. Andre is a paracyclist, triathlete, and marathon runner and shows by example that there is never an excuse to be off your bike.
Cycling only empowers him!
Andrea believes that nothing is impossible and his incredible achievements, on and off the bike, prove that this is true.
When he was 3, an accident at the Monza train station in northern Italy left Andrea without his legs and without his mother, who lost her life trying to save him. Turning tragedy into triumph, Pusateri found ways to persevere. Sports helped give him purpose, and cycling made him a champion.
As a child, Andrea participated in various sports. But in 2008 at the age of 14 he found paracycling and his life was never the same. Five years later he joined the Italian national team and in 2014 he won his first international race in Schenkon , Switzerland. His resume highlights include ten Italian titles and five World Cup podiums.
One of Andrea’s most incredible accomplishments occurred in 2015. During a spring training ride in the Como area, he suffered a serious bicycle accident. After being transported by helicopter to the Varese hospital, he was in a medically induced coma for seven days. Unbelievably, three months later he won his first gold medal in the World Cup at Maniago.
Looking for a new challenge, Andrea raced his first triathlon in 2019 and two years later, entered his first Ironman 70.3 in Barcelona, finishing in 5 hours and 42 minutes.
Since 2021, Pusateri has also raced half and full marathons. You can read about Andrea’s remarkable life and achievements in his autobiography published in September. Andrea has great advice for all of us who are passionate about riding bikes: "Having fun first and foremost and not always thinking about performance and training."
As a child, Andrea always wanted a dog and that dream came true a couple of years ago. Maya, a Golden Retriever, and Sally, a Bernese Mountain dog, are his furry, constant companions. “They have an important role in my life. It is a special bond,” he said. “Since they are here, my life got better.”
Magicshine is proud to be Andrea’s choice for bike lights. On September 10, 2023, he finished a night tour of Lake Como (170km) organized by the @ciclibrianza cycling group to raise money for the "Luigi Comini Onlus Association". While we have known Andrea only for a short time, we feel fortunate to sponsor him during this charity ride and help him to finish the event safely with Magicshine. We are proud of Andrea and pleased to have him as a partner.
Such an inspiring and kind-hearted champion deserves to be celebrated! Please help Magicshine share Andrea’s incredible story. Anyone who reposts this article and tags Magicshine on our Instagram or FaceBook sites, will receive a small gift. Again, this offer is availbe for a limited time (30th Oct, 2023), so act fast!
Below, please find the transcript of our interview with Andrea. We share the content both in the original Italian and translated into English for the enjoyment of our global audience.
1.Do you mind telling us about the physical disability? When and how did it happen to you? How did you go through it?
1.Ti spiace parlarci della disabilità fisica? Quando e come ti è successo? Come l'hai affrontato?
All’età di 3 anni sono scappato dalle mani di mia mamma finendo sotto un treno alla stazione della città Italiana di Monza. Mia mamma ha dato la sua vita per salvarmi ed io ho perso una gamba. Grazie alla mia famiglia ed I miei amici non mi sono mai sentito diverso dagli altri.
Credo fortemente che non sia quello che manca a definire chi siamo.
At the age of 3 I escaped from my mother's hands and ended up under a train at the station in the Italian city of Monza. My mother gave her life to save me and I lost a leg. Thanks to my family and friends I have never felt different from others.
I strongly believe that it is not what is missing that defines who we are.
2.When did you start cycling? Has cycling been your hobby ever since you were a child? Before the incident or after that? Has the physical disability once stopped you from riding a bike?
2 Quando hai iniziato a pedalare? Il ciclismo è stato il tuo hobby fin da quando eri bambino? Prima o dopo l'incidente? La disabilità fisica ti ha impedito una volta di andare in bicicletta?
Ho iniziato a pedalare fin da piccolo, quando avevo 14 ho voluto iniziare a farlo seriamente ed ho partecipato alla mia prima gara di paraciclismo. Da quel giorno é iniziata la mia carriera che mi ha portato a correre per la nazionale italiana per 10 anni.
.Nel mio percorso agonistico ho vinto diversi titoli fra cui quello di campione del mondo. Quando ho sentito il bisogno di cambiare mi sono dedicato alle gare del circuito IronMan, oggi ho deciso di affrontare les fide dell’ Ultracycling.
.Non ho mai avuto difficoltà nel pedalare o nel mantenere l’equilibrio… il corpo umano é sorprendente e può adattarsi ad ogni condizione.
I started cycling since I was little, when I was 14 I wanted to start doing it seriously and I took part in my first paracycling race. From that day my career began which led me to run for the Italian national team for 10 years.
In my competitive career I have won several titles including world champion. When I felt the need to change I dedicated myself to the IronMan circuit races, today I decided to face the challenges of Ultracycling.
I have never had difficulty pedaling or maintaining balance... the human body is amazing and can adapt to any condition.
3 It is no doubt that you are a good role model for most cyclists. Would you like to share your riding experience and skills with them, especially with those with disabilities?
3 Non c’è dubbio che tu sia un buon modello per la maggior parte dei ciclisti. Ti piacerebbe condividere la tua esperienza e le tue abilità di guida con loro, soprattutto con quelli con disabilità?
Grazie per I complimenti! Ai ciclisti di oggi mi sento di consigliare di divertirsi prima di tutto e di non pensare sempre alla prestazione ed agli allenamenti.
Thank you for your compliments! I would advise today's cyclists to have fun first and foremost and not always think about performance and training.
4 We happened to know that you were going to take part in an event for charity issues when we knew about and talked with you for the first time. We were glad to see that our lights found themselves helpful for you. We knew something about the charity issue in our last talk, but not too much. Would you like to tell us more about it here? (If possible, please attach some videos and photos as well.)
4 Ci è capitato di sapere che avresti preso parte ad un evento su temi di beneficenza quando abbiamo saputo e parlato con te per la prima volta. Siamo lieti di vedere che le nostre luci si sono rivelate utili per te. Sapevamo qualcosa della questione della beneficenza nel nostro ultimo intervento, ma non troppo. Vuoi raccontarcelo di più qui? (Se possibile, allega anche video e foto.)
Le vostre luci sono state fondamentali quando ho deciso di partecipare al giro del lago di Como in notturna (170km) organizzato dal gruppo ciclistico @ciclibrianza per raccogliere denaro a favore dell’ “associazione Luigi Comini Onlus”.
Si tratta di un ente filantropico che si occupa di sensibilizzare e sostenere la ricerca scientifica legata alle malattie mitocondriali che colpiscono I bambini in età neonatale.
Your lights were fundamental when I decided to participate in the night tour of Lake Como (170km) organized by the @ciclibrianza cycling group to raise money for the "Luigi Comini Onlus association".
It is a philanthropic organization that raises awareness and supports scientific research related to mitochondrial diseases that affect neonatal children.
5 You seem to be ready to join as many charity events as possible and indeed you’ve done a lot, don’t you? For what reasons? And what’s your feeling of being part of them?
5 Sembri pronto a partecipare a quanti più eventi di beneficenza possibili e in effetti hai fatto molto, vero? Per quali ragioni? E qual è la tua sensazione di far parte di loro?
Quando ne ho la possibilità cerco sempre di fare qualcosa per aiutare chi ne ha bisogno o utilizzare la mia immagine per sensibilizzare su un argomento.
É molto importante fare dal bene, anche con piccoli gesti…perché potremmo tutti un giorno trovarci in difficoltà.
When I have the chance I always try to do something to help those in need or use my image to raise awareness of a topic.
It is very important to do good, even with small gestures... because we could all find ourselves in difficulty one day.
6 Last but not least, let’s talk about us. When and how did you know about us/Magicshine? What’s your experience with our products?
6 Ultimo ma non meno importante, parliamo di noi. Quando e come hai saputo di noi/Magicshine? Qual è la tua esperienza con i nostri prodotti?
Ho saputo di voi grazie al vostro rivenditore italiano Ciclo Promo, sono contento di aver trovato dei prodotti performanti e con un design veramente bello. Durante la pedalata di notte la vostra luce frontale ha fatto davvero la differenza perché illuminava il manto stradale veramente bene e non ho rischiato di cadere!
I found out about you thanks to your Italian retailer Ciclo Promo, I'm happy to have found high-performance products with a truly beautiful design. During the ride at night your front light really made the difference because it illuminated the road surface really well and I didn't risk falling!
Magicshine team, Sybil,
September 12, 2023
Andre Pusateri：
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