It is not easy to comprehend how the idea to take on this challenge formed in the mind of Omar Di Felice and, indeed, the mechanism will forever remain a mystery. One thing is certain: every time this project is mentioned, it becomes a great motivation for all the partners who have been involved in it.
For this reason, and as a sort of wish for a future made of challenges without limits, Wilier Triestina seized the opportunity to very closely follow Omar during the crossing of the Alps – from Muggia to Ventimiglia – taking every breath by his side for every one of the more than 1600 km pedalled and across the almost 32,000 m of cumulative elevation change.
The great affinity of intents, which translates into the shared elaboration of a project and great self-sacrifice in the attempt to carry it through, has made sure that Omar Di Felice‘s adventure along the border became a docu-film produced by Wilier Triestina.
“What immediately struck us about Omar’s idea was the sort of happy rebellion against all the obstacles that the pandemic had raised for cycling throughout the winter and spring of 2020. So, once the first lockdown was lifted, we saw it as a good opportunity to share his enthusiasm for an undertaking which, together with all its athletic, psychological and historical facets, expressed most of all the need to get back to normality where everything can be imagined and accomplished”.
Hence Luca Violetto, head of Wilier Triestina communications, explains the decision to embark on the production of “The Border Line”, a documentary that attempts to shed a different light on the very particular world of ultracycling, trying primarily to find the intimate psychological reasons that push a bicycle lover to take on challenges that would stretch anyone to the limits (and beyond) of his or her abilities.
From this perspective, “The Border Line” becomes truly enlightening thanks to the contributions of Fabio Vedana, foremost endurance sports expert and coach, which enable us to delve deep into the rationale that drives an athlete to subject their body to the tremendous efforts that are an inherent part of extreme sports.
“This is another aspect that inspired and drove us to produce ‘The Border Line’: the description of an attitude that can lead each of us to achieve results that, at first glance, seem way beyond our reach. In this sense, Omar’s challenges make us realise how powerful the human/bike binomial is and the unimaginable results it can lead to.
This is most definitely true for ultracycling but, above all, for all those who could find riding a bicycle beneficial to help cope with psychological, physical, or health issues.
These are precisely the opportunities that represent the true ultimate goal of cycling, in a broader sense. Because, more often than not, for the everyday person, the ‘border line’ is simply the line we must cross to have a better quality of life”.