What’s an extreme mountaineer’s answer to “Why do you torture yourself up a certain mountain?” Probably: “Because it’s there.” Or: “Because I can do it.” Federico Rossi is paraplegic, and there are many things he can’t do. But the Stelvio Pass “is there” – and Federico made his way up in his wheelchair.
What’s on the mind of a 14-year-old boy who suddenly can’t feel his legs anymore? Can you imagine it at all? I can’t, I don’t dare. I have a son of that age, and the bare idea of him having to endure anything like that is unbearable.
I am on my way to Trafoi, the last village before the Stelvio Pass with its 48 hairpin bends. At bend 46 I will meet someone who has suffered this fate: Federico Rossi, the 14-year-old, who had half of his body taken away by a virus infection, has become a 28-year-old athlete. Today, he wants to make his dream come true: to ride to the top of the Stelvio Pass, to conquer it in his wheelchair.
In a parking area I get to meet Federicos father. He gives me more details about his son’s project, takes me around the support vehicle, points to sponsors and stickers. He is incredibly proud.
The Stelvio Pass is not just any pass: it doesn’t get any higher in Italy. After the Col de l’Iseran in France, the 2757 m high Stelvio Pass is the second highest asphalted Alpine crossing. Starting in the village of Prad at an altitude of 915 m, it challenges you to overcome 25 kilometres of track and over 1800 metres of altitude. Day by day, countless car drivers, motorcyclists and cyclists despair here: Insufficient driving skills, too much stress and hubris are just some enemies of the motorised pass crossing. Athletes often lack the very bit of fitness that makes all the difference.
Federico appears on the rising road and pushes his wheelchair in our direction. His legs are tied together at knee level, while a bright yellow jersey gives an idea of his perfectly trained upper body and arms I envy him for. He wears a braided pigtail, earrings and a Stars and Stripes bandana. With a warm smile, Federico extends his hand and gives mine a good squeeze. I will accompany him on my motorbike, cover him from behind, protect him above all from guys like me on two fast wheels.
I am profoundly impressed: Although Federico already has a few kilometres in his upper arms from his way up to here, he looks amazingly fresh and relaxed, beaming with alert eyes. The young man strengthens his body with a short refreshment and his soul with a heartfelt hug from his partner Giada, who accompanies him on foot. Then, he picks up his pace again.
I follow him, watching the way he moves, the work of his arms and back. The wheelchair’s frame is made of magnesium, the seat, wheels, and handrail of carbon fibre. Federico wears rubber-coated work gloves for optimal grip on the carbon.
Powerfully, Federico pushes himself around the bends. Every push the small front wheels off the asphalt. On a relatively flat section, he turns to me. He seems relaxed and not at all out of breath as he asks me about my electric motorcycle. Thanks to my quiet Zero SR/F, we can actually start a lengthy conversation – one of several on our way up the Stelvio Pass.
Go, Federico, Go!
Photo: Daniele BaioFederico pushes his wheelchair at 3 to 4 km/h. I was no faster on my bike a few years ago when I tried to conquer the Stelvio Pass myself. It’s painful to see that the wheelchair can’t roll in a steady pace. Instead, there’s the constant rhythm of it being pushed and slowing down again. Federico’s rhythmic movements – a bare push with the arms, enforced by pressure from the back – look exhausting.
The steepest bits of the Stelvio Pass are yet to come – the climbs between hairpin bends 44 and 36 are tough. Passing the restaurant “Weißer Knott” seems to be Federico’s biggest struggle: after every push, the extreme incline slows him down a little more than before. Giada walks calmly at his side, recording and reporting the endeavour for Federico’s community.
And then, while picking up a stone in a bend and throwing it into the forest, Federico wants to know whether my motorcycle’s battery still has enough power. He actually has enough resources to worry about my battery – what a guy!
Behind the Weißer Knott, the forest becomes thinner while the view upwards is blocked by rain clouds. Of course, they don’t keep their waters for long – it starts drizzling far below Franzenshöhe. He asks for another pair of cotton gloves, while Giada puts leg warmers on Federicos feet.
Laughing, all the way down to the finish line
Photo: MotorProsaThe video and photo team keeps circling around us while Federico firmly sticks to his rhythm. Having passed the Franzenshöhe, he seems to be in a flow, working the long distances between the hairpin bends silently and introvertedly. Then, the fog thickens, the temperature drops to 3 degrees – and it starts to snow.
At bend 5, with the goal in sight, Federico stops and breathes heavily. His parents, Giada, the photographer, and the video team have already gone ahead. «Ci siamo quasi» – “Soon, we will have made it”, he says. The last kilometer is difficult. Federico stops several times to scream the pain out of his lungs, to shake the cramps out of his arms. 500 metres before the finishing line, he turns to me and says: «Ormai sono un pò stanco.» – “Now, I’m really a little tired.”
Suddenly, motorcycles emerge from the fog – one, two, five, maybe twelve, descending from the pass. They all honk their horns, give their thumbs up, shout “Go! Go! Go!” – and Federico goes on. Finally, he reaches the top of the pass. It is all empty – for a moment, the Cima Coppi belongs to Federico Rossi alone. In the freezing rain, he raises a symbolic boundary stone and dedicates his achievement to “those who suffer from much more severe disabilities than I do and cannot do any sports.”
«Ora ho fatto pace con la sedia a rotelle» –
“Today I made my peace with the wheelchair”
Photo: MotorProsaFederico Rossi is 28 years old and lives in Schio, Italy. At the age of 14, a viral illness paralysed his legs and forced him into the wheelchair. After years of hard training, every day and in all weather conditions, Federico conquered the famous 48 hairpin bends up the Stelvio Pass on 24 September 2022. He is the first wheelchair user to have mastered this challenge.
See more of him on his Instagram profile @federico_w_rossi and on his Facebook profile.
Many thanks to Eva Strehler whose translation and editing help I greatly appreciate!
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