Alex Zanardi, a perpetual struggle for life

Alex Zanardi has not said his last word. The 53-year-old Italian star, a former Formula 1 and IndyCar driver, now a handcycle racer, is in stable condition after a “delicate neurosurgery procedure”, according to a statement issued by his doctors on Tuesday. After coming out of a coma last week, the athlete had integrated a rehabilitation center, before being readmitted to intensive care. While driving his bike, the Italian crashed into a truck while hiking with other riders. Result: many fractures to the face.

Before becoming a handisport legend, the native of Bologna traveled the paddocks. In 2001, the former Formula 1 driver suffered an amputation of both legs, following a terrible accident during an IndyCar championship car race at the German Lausitzring circuit.

Converted to handbike in 2007, Zanardi excelled in the discipline by winning four times the gold medal at the Paralympic Games (Editor’s note: two in London in 2012 and two in Rio in 2016). These exceptional performances have put the spotlight on this sport. As Laurent Thirionet, manager of the French para-cycling team and former eight-time world champion, explains: “He took a lot of media coverage on the handbike which has become very popular in Italy. During the World Cup in 2018, there were 3,000 people at the foot of his podium. It’s a crazy world for our discipline ”.

Outstanding popularity

By disembarking in the handbike, the former pilot does not come empty-handed. “When Alex arrived, he brought in partners. BMW followed him and invested money in para-cycling, but first for him, ”says Laurent Thirionet. His generosity, recognized by all his fellow travelers, was quick to emerge. “But rather than saying” I keep my money for myself “, he shared it with the whole team,” adds the French manager.

In a country where F1 drivers are revered, Zanardi is an Italian icon. To the point of enjoying a popularity rating up to the highest peak of the transalpine government. On the day of his accident, the President of the Council of Ministers, Giuseppe Conte, sent a message of support to the athlete. “Courage Alex, don’t give up. All of Italy is fighting with you, ”he wrote on social networks. The day after his hospitalization, the day of the resumption of Calcio, the major Italian sports newspapers did not hesitate to report the tragedy suffered by Alex Zenardi. Proof that the champion crystallizes the attention of his compatriots.

Despite his status as a national star, the former F1 driver has always remained close to his teammates: “With his past as a driver, finding oneself in an environment where there is no money and where we sleep in shabby hotels, it’s not easy every day. Says Laurent Thirionet. He has always been with the guys when he could have said to himself “no, I’m joining you for the race, but I’m not sleeping there” ”.