A new way to discover mountain
From Ita Marzotto who is wishing to debut to who, on the opposite side, savoured all the fifht edition of Tor, one of the a “senator”. Massimo Collè, 53 years, originally from Valle d’Aosta but living just around the corner of the valley, in Chiaverano, near Ivrea, Piedmont, has a year after year appointment with Tor since its first edition; in that occasion, he arrived at the finish line a little bit confused, as everyone else, limping for the last hundred kilometers.
“ Even if I am a veteran of the race, every time is it an emotion that starts all over again” he says “For the places, for the people, for the passion and the commitment of the volunteers, for this new way to discover mountains. Before Tor, to go around paths and hills you were supposed to live early and get home early. Tor showed that, with the necessary training, with caution and using common sense, knowing well paths and mountains shelter , mountains can be discovered at every hour. And that at sundown and by night it is even more fascinating.”
Franco Collè won the 2014 edition, but its cousin Massimo was not far behind, getting to the finish line in 61 position. “ I didn’t want to get too much tired” he jokes. He did even better in 2013, when he finished the race in 24th place.
Massimo, how do you train?
“ I go to the mountain as soon as I can: the location of the place I live helps in that because I am close to Valle d’Aosta but also to the first ascents of the Canavese. I do not do specifically session of training, I do not follow schemes of care about particular technical matter. I just go out of the house every moment I get the chance to and take advantage of all the time I have. I do ski alp until spring and then, when there is no more snow, I start going out in the high mountain. I learned, with time, to run pretty good on discent and I truly enjoy to stay out at night. All you have to do is do kilometers, even if I learned that up in the high mountains of Valle d’Aosta everything can happen. So, I simply use all the time I got. I work at a bank so, for example, is the weather is good, I often go to work running through the paths. It is just 24 kilometers from home..so then I change, wear my suits and start my…sedentary working day.”