Vatican Cycling

Originally, cycle sport and cycling itself was initially frowned upon by the Catholic Church as it was deemed dangerous and risky. Sports that had been labeled as such include boxing and rugby which were deemed violent, and football being frowned upon because of its Anglo-Saxon and "Protestant roots."{{sfn|Martin|2011|p=546}} L'Osservatore Romano, a Vatican newspaper, labeled cycling as "true global, transport anarchy".{{sfn|Martin|2011|p=547}}

Cycle sport in Europe proliferated at the start of the 20th century to the point of the creation of races such as the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia. Pope Pius X blessed an amateur cycling race that started in Rome; Pope Benedict XV did the same for the same race a few years later.{{cite web|url=https://www.philstar.com/the-freeman/cebu-sports/2025/06/06/2448586/vatican-and-cycling |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250606004011/https://www.philstar.com/the-freeman/cebu-sports/2025/06/06/2448586/vatican-and-cycling |archive-date=6 June 2025 |access-date=12 June 2025 |title=The Vatican and cycling |work=The Freeman |agency=Philippine Star |url-status=live |last1=Motus |first1=Bobby |date=6 June 2025 }} Vatican City was even used as a venue for the 1974 Giro d'Italia, where it was used as a starting point for the course. The riders paid homage to Pope Paul VI before starting the race.{{cite web|url=https://archivio.giroditalia.it/eng/editions/1968-1977/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230517220838/https://archivio.giroditalia.it/eng/editions/1968-1977/ |archive-date=17 May 2023 |work=La Gazzetta dello Sport |access-date=24 June 2024 |title=Giro d'Italia 1968–1977 Archives }}

File:St Peter's Square, Vatican City - April 2007 crop.jpg) seen cycling in Vatican City in 2007]]

In 2019, members of the Union Européenne de Cyclisme, the European governing body for cycle sport, and Confédération Africaine de Cyclisme, the African governing body for cycle sport, visited Pope Francis at the Apostolic Palace, as they had their respective congresses earlier in Rome. During the visit, the Pope spoke about how road cycling included merits of teamwork and likened it to helping others.{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240506131040/https://www.uci.org/article/cycling-in-vatican-city/eOVY3PrUmplDbfwATNHyU |archive-date=6 May 2024|url=https://www.uci.org/article/cycling-in-vatican-city/eOVY3PrUmplDbfwATNHyU |title=Cycling in Vatican City|date=7 June 2022 |access-date=1 May 2024 |work=Union Cycliste Internationale |url-status=live}}

Vatican Cycling was created as a part of Vatican Athletics, the nation's official athletics team, as the national governing body for cycle sport within Vatican City.{{cite web|url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1115844/vatican-world-taekwondo-federation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230731074835/https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1115844/vatican-world-taekwondo-federation |title=Vatican Taekwondo becomes World Taekwondo member and city state's second NGB with international recognition |date=23 November 2021 |last=Dowdeswell |first=Andrew |work=Inside the Games |archive-date=31 July 2023 }}{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/11/sport/vatican-track-team-olympics-scli-intl/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419215256/https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/11/sport/vatican-track-team-olympics-scli-intl/index.html |archive-date=19 April 2023 |date=11 January 2019 |access-date=27 June 2024 |work=CNN |title=Godspeed! Vatican launches official athletics team |last1=Picheta |first1=Rob |last2=Borghese |first2=Livia }} It is housed by the Dicastery for Culture and Education at Via della Conciliazione. The organization became a member of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Union Européenne de Cyclisme during the 190th Congress of the UCI on 24 September 2021. The membership of Vatican Cycling to the UCI made it the first Vatican sports governing body to become a member of a world governing body of an Olympic sport.{{cite web|url=https://www.uci.org/pressrelease/190th-congress-of-the-uci-david-lappartient-re-elected-to-the-head-of-the/37Wst5YN18J1dvxYz35BEH |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250124152827/https://www.uci.org/pressrelease/190th-congress-of-the-uci-david-lappartient-re-elected-to-the-head-of-the/37Wst5YN18J1dvxYz35BEH |archive-date=24 January 2025 |access-date=12 June 2025 |date=24 September 2021 |title=190th Congress of the UCI: David Lappartient re-elected to the head of the UCI - 2025 UCI Road World Championships to take place in Kigali |url-status=live |work=Union Cycliste Internationale }} As of 2022, Vatican Cycling has 55 members.

The first president was Giampaolo Mattei, while the current president of Vatican Cycling has been Emiliano Morbidelli, who is also a long-distance runner who had competed for the nation in international competition such as the Championships of the Small States of Europe.{{cite news|url=https://www.osservatoreromano.va/en/news/2022-06/ing-024/fraternity-in-sports.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404032149/https://www.osservatoreromano.va/en/news/2022-06/ing-024/fraternity-in-sports.html |archive-date=4 April 2024 |date=17 June 2022 |access-date=28 June 2024 |work=L'Osservatore Romano |title=Fraternity in sports |url-access=subscription }} The vice president of the organization is Massimiliano Coluccio, while its secretary is Simone Ciochetti.{{cite web|url=https://www.uec.ch/en/federation/vatican-cycling/52 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250427094144/https://www.uec.ch/en/federation/vatican-cycling/52 |archive-date=27 April 2025 |work=Union Européenne de Cyclisme |title=Vatican Cycling |url-status=live |access-date=12 June 2025 }} Former cyclist Valerio Agnoli is also part of the management team as the external relationship manager of the body.{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/20/sport/rien-schuurhuis-vatican-cycling-spt-intl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241218115254/https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/20/sport/rien-schuurhuis-vatican-cycling-spt-intl/ |archive-date=18 December 2024 |title=Can the sporty be Godly? Why the Vatican is in the race to become a global sporting presence |work=CNN Sports |last1=Ramsay |first1=George |last2=Lamb |first2=Christopher |url-status=live |access-date=12 June 2025 |date=20 November 2024 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2022/sep/24/vatican-sends-holy-rouleur-to-wollongong-on-world-road-cycling-mission |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241222183844/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2022/sep/24/vatican-sends-holy-rouleur-to-wollongong-on-world-road-cycling-mission |archive-date=22 December 2024 |work=The Guardian |title=Vatican sends holy rouleur Down Under on world road cycling mission |last1=Pender |first1=Kieran |url-status=live |access-date=13 June 2025 |date=23 September 2022 }} Then-president Mattei had opined that the founding of Vatican Cycling was "very significant".

The first two cycling activities Vatican Cycling organized were held in {{circa}} 2020 and were dedicated to para-cyclist Alex Zanardi, who is considered to be one of "Italy's greatest athletes". It has also held charity and disability awareness cycling events within the Vatican.{{cite web |url=https://www.vaticannews.va/it/vaticano/news/2022-06/athletica-vaticana-obiettivo-tricolore-zanardi-ciclismo.html |title=Athletica Vaticana, pedalando per una disabilità senza limiti |trans-title=Athletica Vaticana, pedaling for a disability without limits |date=13 June 2022 |publisher=Vatican News |last1=Mattei |first1=Giampaolo |language=it |access-date=10 February 2023 |archive-date=19 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221119003824/https://www.vaticannews.va/it/vaticano/news/2022-06/athletica-vaticana-obiettivo-tricolore-zanardi-ciclismo.html |url-status=live }}

Dutch-born cyclist Rien Schuurhuis was the first athlete to represent Vatican City as a regular scoring competitor after competing in the men's road race at the 2022 UCI Road World Championships in Wollongong, Australia,{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/news/vatican-cyclist-rien-schuurhuis-world-championships |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230831091855/https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/news/vatican-cyclist-rien-schuurhuis-world-championships |archive-date=31 August 2023 |title=Vatican rider to make history at world road cycling championships |date=23 September 2022 |work=NBC Sports }} although he did not finish the race.{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115005728/https://www.tissottiming.com/File/0003140113010301FFFFFFFFFFFFFF05 |url=https://www.tissottiming.com/File/0003140113010301FFFFFFFFFFFFFF05 |title=Final Results / Résultat final Men Elite Road Race |date=25 September 2022 |access-date=24 June 2024 |archive-date=15 January 2023 |work=Tissot Timing }} Schuurhuis was eligible to represent Vatican City as he gained citizenship through his marriage with Chiara Porro, the former Ambassador of Australia to the Holy See. He has also represented Vatican City at the 2023 and 2024 editions of the world championships, and the 2024 European Championships, all in the same event.

• Sport in Vatican City

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• {{cite journal |last=Martin |first=Simon |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/european-review/article/from-cycling-priests-to-the-sportsmans-pope-italy-sport-and-the-catholic-church/335AA7433B6320D44BF5E49C224BB70A |title=From Cycling Priests to the 'Sportsman's Pope'. Italy, Sport and the Catholic Church |journal=European Review |date=2011 |volume=19 |issue=4 |doi=10.1017/S1062798711000184 |pages=545–561 |archive-date=2020-11-01 |access-date=2025-06-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101030758/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/european-review/article/from-cycling-priests-to-the-sportsmans-pope-italy-sport-and-the-catholic-church/335AA7433B6320D44BF5E49C224BB70A |url-status=live }}

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{{National Members of the Union Cycliste Internationale}}

{{Sports governing bodies in Vatican City}}

Category:National members of the European Cycling Union

Category:Sport in Vatican City