Hi, I’m Marco of Mad4One, I’ve practiced several sports in my life, and unicycling is the last one I’ve approached.
My first great passion was sailing. It is a passion that my father passed on to me since I was a kid. In 1974 I entered the Italian national sailing team and in 1977 I became one of the first Italian professional sailors. As soon as I finished high school I left for Germany to work in the world of racing sails production at North Sails (at that time the company name was “North Sails West Germany”) and then in the US at North Sails East in Connecticut. Here I worked as racing sail designer and sail maker. After this great experience abroad I came back to Italy and took part in the birth of the Italian branch, the North Sails Italia.
Then, the death of a brotherly friend of mine took me away from the world of sailing races quite early, just in time to channel into a new great work passion the computer skills learned in the USA: the software development. This took me away from the world of racing sport for a while. In 1985 I founded my first IT Company in Milan, but I’ve never ceased to do sport, even if it was limited to my free time only.
At the end of the 1980s I started flying in a glider. For several years I did speed and distance competitions with the glider accessing the Lega1 National category.
In the early 2000s I started practicing mountain biking with passion and determination, becoming a MTB Instructor and then a MTB Master. The passion for mountain biking and the desire to teach and make myself available to young people led me to discover the unicycle, that at the beginning was supposed to be just a tool to improve balance to be taught in the gym during the cold season.
In November 2005 I bought my first 20-inch and in January 2006 I was able “to wish Happy New Year” to my friends MTB instructors, riding my shiny unicycle :).
2007 was the turning point. I discovered the International Unicycling Federation (IUF) and the sporting world linked to the unicycle. With about fifty friends, all unicyclists, we founded the Italian Unicycle Association. I started to promote unicycling by organizing competitions and championships in Italy. UTEC 2013 (European Trial Championship) and UNIOEC 2015 (Unicycle Open European Championship. All disciplines were present. It has been like a little UNICON) have been the last organizational efforts I made.
In 2007 I started selling unicycles of all brands in Italy. It was a great opportunity for me. From one side I could listen to the concrete needs of the riders engaged in the various specialties, and from the other side I could go deep into all technical details such as shape, materials, design of each single part.
I think that sport is fundamental for the psycho-physical development of young people. Adults, as myself, who are involved in sports or decides to be part of it, have the duty to be always a positive example. I’m a bit gruff and fussy but when I see the passion in sports of young boys and girls and their healthy commitment to succeed, all this gives me an immense joy.
Mad4One was born out of my need to do my job well, and I think I do it without compromise …
If you wish to know more about the birth of Mad4one: https://unaruota.com/ZC/index.php?main_page=about_us&language=en
I’ve also done several other sports including skiing, shooting, golf, and I really like taking pictures … but these are other stories .
Take care, stay healthy!
ciao Marco
