@ilPippy

Andrea Filippi (1981) Milan ( Italy )

Hi everyone, I’m Andrea, 37 and I live in the north of Italy, next to Milan.

After almost thirty years spent playing on a parquet, I retired from my basketball player career in 2013, trying a new sport, ride a racing bike: now I can say it, it has been a love-at-first-sight…better a love-at-first-ride. Cycling makes me feel good, like taking a cold shower on an hot summer afternoon outside. The bike it’s an equip, a tool, which requires both physical and mental balance. It gives me peace and reconciles me with myself, leading me to self-consciousness, let me fell strong as never before. When I bike, it is as if I undress my body of all thoughts, in that moment it’s only me and the bike.

I’m lucky to live in the province, very close to the lakes of Como and Varese, with beautiful roads to travel by bike, both providing many climbs and breathtaking views. Then, mostly during summer, I can pour on the shores of Iseo Lake, a place I love regardless of the bike. Biking in those valleys between the province of Brescia and Bergamo for me means to regenerate while toiling, pushing my bike uphill into some steep road, which grants me every time with something so special you can hardly find somewhere else.

I have always followed this sport of cycling, always considered it a real sport, a tough, hard and difficult one, also very selective because you can start a race we start with 159 fellows but only 1 will be the winner. There are many professional cyclists I admire, but among all, the one in my heart is “il Pirata” Marco Pantani, in my opinion, one of the strongest ever. Otherwise today to literally excite me is Peter Sagan, a true pistard, who can do absurd things with just a bike.

Follow me on my socials, @ilPippy / @TeamPippy, and on the AllBlack page, we’ll have fun.

Andrea instagram page