Paolo Ferrali

Paolo Ferrali
Lamporecchio (Pt)

Paolo Ferrali, born in 1974, is a cyclist from Lamporecchio in the province of Pistoia. At birth, he was diagnosed with spina bifida, with various complications that would have a major influence on his growth and life. At the age of 6, he had his first surgery to lengthen his Achilles tendon, and during rehabilitation, the doctor recommended a racing bike. Paolo comes from a family of avid cyclists, including his father and his older brother. And so his career began, driven by desire, passion and determination, which led him to his first cycling successes as a child. However, at 11, another operation (15 in all) caused him to stop, much to his regret. He’s also a huge music aficionado, which led to his first piano bar gigs. He joined a highly successful project, Mabel, which, at the turn of the millennium, produced some global dance music hits.

He put music aside for a while, and at 36 the call of the bicycle came back strong. Paolo started racing again and in 2012 discovered the Paralympics. He began his cycling life, full of successes, including the Italian title in the 1 km time trial and in the 3-kilometre individual pursuit, various international placements, and the pride of wearing the blue jersey of the national Paracycling team. He’s married to Romina and father to Thomas and Isabel. In Lamporecchio, he founded and manages “Assetto Ciclismo Ferrali”, a centre for biomechanics applied to cycling. Meanwhile, his paracycling career has continued and gained new momentum following his meeting with Obiettivo3 in 2019. Three years later, he was also invited to the World Cup events with the Italian national team.