We've known him for a while and have always followed him, often not without envy. For those of you Cyclanders who don't know him yet, we introduce Pietro Franzese today, a professional cycle-traveller and YouTuber.

In this interview, Pietro tells us a bit about himself, his travels and especially about his latest adventure: a coast-to-coast in the United States born out of a passion for travel and cycling, which immediately turned into a fundraising project for a cause we hold dear: environmental preservation.

Ready to dream a little? Enjoy the read!

How did your passion for cycling start?

It started a bit by chance, since no one in my family ever practiced this sport. One day, when I was in high school, I decided to go to school by bike instead of taking the bus. At that time I was overweight and I thought it would be useful, but not only that. 

By cycling, I could organise when to arrive at school (as catching the bus between traffic and delays was always a gamble) and see a girl I liked before the beginning of lessons, even if it didn't go so well, as I got the classic brush off, but the passion for cycling remained! 

Since then I use the bike to go everywhere and when I moved to Milan, I decided not to use the car to get around anymore. A choice that I am happy with and that changed my life.

How do you choose and organise your travels?

It depends on several factors. The main one is the time I have available, then the season and the type of route. Once these three things are decided I look closely at the track using Komoot and then carefully choose the equipment to bring with me. 

After many years in the saddle traveling through Europe I already know by default what might be useful and what not: this is something that comes naturally with time and experience. If I think back to the first trips it was a real chaos: I took my home with me. Over time though, I think I've got the hang of it!

You just came back from a coast to coast in the United States with the aim of raising awareness about the use of plastic. Can you tell us how the project started and how the trip went?

Both Emiliano Fava, my travelling partner last summer, and I cycled to the North Cape. He cycled from Santa Maria di Leuca and I from Milan on a fixed gear. We both still wanted to travel, so he suggested we cross the United States coast to coast and I immediately agreed! 

We decided to connect a fundraising for the Italian non-profit organisation Plastic Free to this trip in the US, as the States are one of the largest disposable plastic users in the world. During the trip we discussed the Americans' relationship with this material.

The journey was a physical and mental challenge: 6,000 kilometers are no small feat to cover in 45 stages, but on top of this, there was the effort spent documenting everything that happened to us practically 24 hours a day, so even from a mental point of view it wasn't easy. 

Traveling in twos is not the same as when you can decide your own timings, where and when to stop to sleep or eat, but we made it and above all, even though we were in close contact for over 64 consecutive days, we never argued!

How much did you raise?

From the latest data we have exceeded 1,700 euros, which will be entirely donated to Plastic Free without a single cent passing through us. According to the non-profit's data, this will allow volunteers to remove more than 1,700 kg of plastic from the environment for the benefit of all of us! A big win for the environment, right?

Yes, certainly a great result and wonderful news for all of us! Returning to the pre-departure moment: how did you choose the set up for the trip?

This was something that kept me up at night in the weeks leading up to the departure. I eventually decided to use a hybrid set up with bike packing bags, but also side panniers which came in very handy! 

I chose this system because compared to a traditional trip, I wouldn't have to face dirt roads, but just asphalt, and having only bike packing bags would have been rather unnecessary, in addition to reducing my overall capacity, which would have meant having less equipment available. 

Given the enormous temperature differences we encountered, going from -8° in California in January to +32° in Florida at the end of the journey, I'd say I was right to have a lot of different and very useful equipment.

What are the main differences between cycling in Europe and in the United States?

In many ways, I find Europe much more diverse. In the United States, for example, the types of food or supermarkets are the same from California to Florida, even though the two states are about 4,000 km apart. The scenery also looked fairly similar for hundreds and hundreds of kilometers, whereas in Europe it's easy to change landscape every 50 kilometers, or even less. 

I expected less safety on the road in general, but it was a pleasant surprise to see that also American motorists are very respectful towards cyclists, a bit like in Germany or Northern Europe. 

For the rest, we are still talking about a very "Western" country and in many ways similar to Europe, where there are definitely cultural differences. 

The next trip?

I would like to explore a new continent, who knows, it could be Asia, but I don't know yet. For sure, for a while I want to enjoy the beauty that we have in our country and bike routes in Italy because after having been there, I can confidently say: America is right here.

And what will your next trip be? If you need a pinch of inspiration, on cyclando.com you find hundreds of routes all over Europe. You just have to choose the right one for you and start a trip that will be good for you and also for the environment. Plus, for every trip sold we plant a tree: click and ride!