5,700 kilometres across the Balkans: when a Journey becomes a bridge between people
Some journeys are measured in kilometres, others in the emotions they leave behind. Alessandro Mucci’s latest adventure, creator of the Pedalando per la Ricerca (Cycling for Research) project, belongs to both.
Setting off from Trieste on 26 December, Alessandro spent 75 consecutive days cycling across the Balkans, covering 5,700 kilometres and climbing more than 55,000 metres over 62 stages. His route took him across ten international borders and through countries as diverse as Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia, immersed in an ever-changing landscape of cultures, languages and traditions.
Yet, as with every great journey, what remains is far more than the numbers.
«The journey was extraordinary. Ten borders, completely different cultures, yet all united by the same spirit of hospitality towards a traveller».
More than anything else, it’s the people Alessandro met along the way who left the deepest impression. Greece, in particular, stood out for its extraordinary hospitality. Doors were opened, families invited him to share lunch after long days in the saddle, and complete strangers stopped simply to offer a few words of encouragement—or even just a smile.
Simple gestures that take on extraordinary meaning when you travel slowly and experience a place firsthand.
Pedalando per la Ricerca was born from a deeply personal motivation and has grown into far more than a sporting challenge. Year after year, it has become a powerful platform for raising awareness and supporting fundraising for AIRC. Thanks to the initiatives organised over the years, total donations have now exceeded €80,000. In the first months of 2026 alone, nearly €7,000 has already been raised—further proof that cycling can bring together sport, solidarity and shared purpose.
On an adventure of this scale, the bike inevitably becomes a true travelling companion. After choosing the Carrera Eravel for his crossing of the Iberian Peninsula between 2024 and 2025, Alessandro had no hesitation in selecting it once again for this new challenge.
«After my journey across the Iberian Peninsula, I knew I could rely on the Eravel—and it proved me right once again. I travel relatively light because I don’t carry a tent, but when you’re riding stages of up to 150 kilometres a day, you need a bike that’s both highly capable and exceptionally comfortable. The Eravel delivered exactly that».
Choosing the Eravel was both an aesthetic and a practical decision. The purple finish is stunning, and it’s no coincidence—it reflects the purple ribbon associated with pancreatic cancer, the disease my mother overcame and the reason why Pedalando per la Ricerca began. The bike’s aerodynamic geometry and my riding position allowed me to maintain speeds of over 35 km/h on the flat. That efficiency meant I could complete each day’s planned route in just a few hours, even in winter, leaving more time to rest and work. At the same time, despite riding through days of heavy rain and even snow in well below-freezing temperatures, I never once felt unsafe. The bike performed flawlessly throughout the journey.
I’ve been riding the Eravel for two years now, and beyond these long-distance adventures, I use it in my everyday riding. I consider it a truly versatile bike: it’s capable of handling demanding gravel tracks while still keeping pace on long road rides with friends who all ride road bikes.
When your days begin at dawn and end many hours later, with hundreds of kilometres behind you and new borders waiting to be crossed the following day, reliability, comfort and the ability to adapt to different terrains become far more than technical features. They become essential to the journey itself.
That was the true strength of this journey through the Balkans: every stage became a new discovery. From the Adriatic coast to the mountains of the Balkan hinterland, from remote villages to Mediterranean cities, each day added another piece to a mosaic of encounters, effort, beauty and gratitude
Cycling still preserves something that many other ways of travelling have gradually lost: the opportunity to form a genuine connection with both places and people.
And while the memories of the Balkans are still vivid, a new adventure is already taking shape on the horizon.
From 5 to 20 August, Alessandro will once again set off alongside his longtime friend and fellow Pedalando per la Ricerca companion, Alberto Tonelli. Their destination: Iceland.
Together they will tackle the 1,400 kilometres of Iceland’s famous Ring Road in 14 stages, cycling through volcanoes, lava fields, glaciers and landscapes that seem almost otherworldly. Once again, their bike of choice will be the Carrera Eravel, ready to accompany them across one of the world’s most fascinating and unpredictable destinations.
A new journey, a new challenge and new stories waiting to be told. Because when you ride for a meaningful cause, every road travelled is the beginning of something greater.
