Dreaming of Paris-Brest-Paris

Imagine closing your eyes and feeling the wind caress your face as the pedals turn in a hypnotic rhythm. Imagine dreaming the impossible and then chasing it for 1,200 kilometers.

This is not just a book about cycling: it’s a journey of the soul that starts from the heart of Sicily and reaches the legendary roads of France, where since 1891 the Paris-Brest-Paris has been held-the Olympics of amateur cycling that makes thousands of enthusiasts’ legs tremble and hearts pound all over the world.

Santo Crisafulli takes us by the hand on an adventure that begins with a debut at the 2012 Sicilia No Stop-the first brevet over a thousand kilometers in Italy-and transforms into a crescendo of emotions, fatigue, and glory. Page after page, we follow the metamorphosis of an ordinary man who earns the national team jersey and faces the nineteenth edition of the most coveted randonnée in the world, the one that separates dreamers from dream-makers.

But here lies the true magic of this tale: you won’t find the unreachable feats of world champions you can only admire, but the authentic story of people like us, ＂our next-door neighbors,＂ who dared to push beyond their own limits. As one enthusiastic reader shares, this book has the extraordinary power to awaken the sweetest memories-the first bicycle, the first pedal strokes, those moments that forever marked our relationship with freedom on two wheels.

Between historical anecdotes about the genesis of the great brevets and practical advice forged from field experience, the book reveals itself as a precious travel companion for anyone wanting to face endurance challenges, but above all for those who have a dream in the drawer and don’t know if they’ll ever have the courage to pull it out.

Because in the end, this is a book that whispers a powerful truth: that each of us can write our own legend, no matter how ordinary our everyday life may seem. It’s an invitation to dream that perhaps, one day, we too could write our own book of extraordinary adventures.

Prepare to pedal through the pages of a story that will leave you breathless and your heart full of new possibilities.