Dubai: Former BikeTrial world champion and multiple Guinness world record holder Vittorio Brumotti is thrilled to act as a vital link between three Expo hosting nations.
The 36-year-old Brumotti, who operates from his base in Boissano in the Italian province of Savona, feels he has a crucial role to play on behalf of Italy, Kazakhstan and the UAE as the three nations are involved in the present and future of World Expo.
The Italian city of Milan is currently playing host to the international event that opened in 2015. The World Expo will move on to Kazakhstan in 2017 before turning the attention of the entire world on to Expo 2020 in Dubai.
In 2016, Italian rider Brumotti, who has been a regular visitor to the UAE in recent years, was drafted in as a full-time member of the Astana Pro Team that was created and owned by Kazakh President N.A. Nazarbayev as part of his world vision of putting the republic as a top nation globally.
Handed with a two-year contract, Brumotti has been training full-time with the team, and the Italian hopes to participate in a cycling race for his new employers. “I am the link between Italy, Kazakhstan and Dubai,” Brumotti told Gulf News.
“Though I am required to further popularise the Astana team globally, one of my goals is also to ensure the awareness on the World Expo. I am an Italian, riding for a team from Kazakhstan and I also spend a lot of time in the UAE. I am in a unique position to promote an event like the World Expo on behalf of all three countries,” the 36-year-old cyclist added.
Though predominantly a stunt cyclist, Brumotti is a key member on the Astana Pro Team. Given his experience on a bike, Brumotti felt he can one day even ride and race professionally for the Kazakh outfit. “That’s what I want to do. I would like to race in professional tours around the world,” Brumotti said.
“Given my experience, the classic cycling tours, especially in Europe would be ideal for me. I wish the team management would make me a part of the team,” he hoped.
His involvement with Dubai goes back to 2012 when he set the first of his two Guinness World Records here while riding a mountain bike up the 4,000 steps of the world’s tallest building Burj Khalifa. In 2015, Brumotti set a second world record when he climbed the most steps on a road bike going up the iconic Burj Al Arab.
Brumotti’s cycle stunt videos, normally titled ‘100 % Brumotti’ have evoked huge responses from YouTube users with one of his newer videos that went viral last year getting more than 35 million hits. But the Italian is far from pleased. “I want to cross the magical figure of 100 million per videos,” he said.
“If that happens, then everyone is in a win-win situation — Astana, Italy and Dubai. Then my task is accomplished,” he smiled.
