Heinz Frei at the Handbike race

Great testimonials and athletes at the Lugano Bike Emotions races. Among them, for the Handbike race, the Round Table Cup, at the start the multiple Olympic champion Heinz Frei.

After winning a total of 26 medals in athletics and eight in cross-country skiing at the Summer Paralympic Games, at the age of forty-six, he failed to medal at the Athens 2004 edition, despite numerous placings; he therefore wondered whether it was the right time for a retirement, but preferred to switch to handbike. In Beijing 2008, he made his debut in para-cycling, winning two gold medals as an outsider. Since then, he has participated in many competitions and has also prepared for the Tokyo 2021 Games.

His palmares also include three gold, four bronze and eight silver medals in the road world championships.

In Switzerland, he was named disabled athlete of the year in 1992, 1993, 1995-1999, 2008, 2009.

We look forward to seeing him compete on 27 April, for the first time on our roads in Lugano, together with many other champions.