A cyclist dead every two days, an endless massacre, with numbers constantly increasing and many, too many lives wasted for reasons that have nothing to do with chance. According to theASAPS Observatory (Friends and supporters of the Highway Police) to July 20, 2025 they were already 119 cyclists killed in road accidents in Italy and, in particular, between January and May 2025, they were counted 81 victims among cyclists, with a 19 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024 (when there were 68). As of August 4, 2025, the number of cyclists mowed down and killed on the roads has already risen to 130, throughout Italy.
Cyclists almost always die when hit by reckless drivers, who then end up in shock and get away with interminable trials and paltry sentences. On Sunday, August 3, 2025, a group of cyclists from Puglia, of varying ages but united by their passion for cycling and their commitment to volunteering (they are all blood donors and members of Avis), were struck on a highway in Terlizzi, in the province of Bari, by a car driven at 150 kilometers per hour by its driver. Three of them (Sandro Abbruzzese, Antonio Porro, and Vicenzo Mantovani) lost their lives, and the driver, also injured, ended up in the hospital suffering from shock.
The dramatic stories of cyclists killed on the road could fill an entire volume. Sara Piffer, 19, a promising Italian cyclist, was hit and killed by a car in Trentino High Adige While training with his brother, Michele Scarponi pedaled every day; the bike was his life. And his life was shattered, in less than an instant, when Scarponi, a former Giro d'Italia winner, was mowed down, while training, by a van driver who was probably blinded by the sun. Mohanad Moubarak was an 11-year-old boy, Egyptian, and was killed in the middle of the night in Milan, while he was riding his bike near his father's rotisserie, "El sultan".
Michael Scarponi | Well-done/Maceratesi Chronicles
Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna are tied for the lowest death toll, followed by Veneto, Piedmont, Tuscany, Puglia, Sicily, and Campania. It's infuriating, let's face it, to hear stories of the first stretch of highway opened in Germany, "exclusively for bicycles," while in Italy cyclists continue to be hit on the roads. The Germans have done something very simple: to increase the bike path network and improve cyclist safety, preventing them from being hit by cars. They took European Union funds, which we also have, and funded half the cost (€180 million) of a project that symbolizes the country's new mobility: an entire highway that runs 100 kilometers in the Ruhr, and passes through important centers such as Hamm, Duisburg, Essen and Dortmund, only by bicycleThe goal is to encourage all commuters in the area, from Ruhr factory workers to students, to replace their cars with bicycles. This is thanks to an exclusive road, with a five-meter-wide carriageway, operating in both directions.
And in Italy? The routes are there, but almost all on paperFrom the cycle path of the Sun from Verona to Florence, to Wind, from Venice to Turin along the Po River, up to the GRAB, the Grande Raccordo Anulare (Great Ring Road) for cycling in Rome. Unfortunately, the facts point in another direction. In the European Cyclists' Federation rankings, which measures cycling use within individual European countries, we've slipped again, from 15th to 17th place. And we've even been overtaken by much less developed countries, like Lithuania and Croatia.
Yet, as usual, there's a law that already exists, and if implemented, it could change the fate of Italian cyclists, of all citizens who ride their bikes frequently. It dates back to 1998, about twenty years ago.: it is number 366 and it states something clear and strong: every time a new road is built or extraordinary maintenance is carried out, a new cycle path must be built or the existing ones must be made safe.Well, a vital law of this importance is completely unenforced in Italy, and no one cares. Meanwhile, we're dealing with the massacre of one cyclist every 48 hours.
Cover photo from the Gazzetta del Sud Facebook page