Gianluca Mancini has found a small outlet beyond Roma’s demanding season: cycling. The defender, also an Italy international, has spoken about buying a Canyon bike inspired by Mathieu van der Poel’s machine, choosing a colour scheme that reminded him of the Giallorossi.
Key takeaways
- Mancini has developed a personal interest in cycling alongside his football career.
- His current Canyon bike was chosen in a style associated with Dutch rider Mathieu van der Poel.
- The Roma defender selected colours he felt were close to those of his club.
- He began with an older bicycle that his friends jokingly called “a gate”.
- The move to a newer model came after he saw other riders using automatic shifting more easily.
From a first bike to a Canyon model
Mancini said he wanted his own bicycle rather than relying on hired ones, although his first purchase was far from the refined model he rides now. He recalled starting with an old bike fitted with manual gears, a machine that drew plenty of teasing from those around him.
“Hiring a bike is fine, but I wanted one that was mine,” Mancini explained. “That was how it began. I bought what they called a ‘gate’, especially my friends: an older model, because I did not understand much about it, with manual shifting.”
As his interest grew, he noticed the difference made by more modern equipment. Watching others change gear with greater ease on automatic systems convinced him that it was time to replace his original bicycle.
A Roma touch in a cycling passion
The new choice took Mancini towards Canyon, the brand used by Van der Poel, one of cycling’s leading riders in the major one-day classics. The Dutchman has won Milan-Sanremo twice and Paris-Roubaix on three occasions.
Mancini said his own bike carries a visual connection to his working life in Rome. “I chose one with colours that are similar to Roma’s,” he said.
For a player accustomed to the weekly rhythm of Serie A and international duty, it is a personal enthusiasm rather than another professional obligation. Yet the detail is unmistakably Mancini: even away from the training ground, the colours of Roma remain part of the picture.
