Portuguese cyclist Daniel Moreira shared his deep sorrow this week. He promised to keep Samuele Privitera in his heart forever. Moreira called Privitera his “favorite Italian.” The young rider died after a terrible crash. It happened during the Giro Val de Aosta race.
Moreira posted his grief on social media. “How can this happen, my friend, how is this possible?” he wrote. “Just today we laughed together. We would argue about nothing. We would do things just to talk.” He felt life was unfair. “Life is not always fair,” he added. “Today was another day of injustice. They took my favorite Italian while he was doing what he loved most.”
Moreira, Privitera, and fellow countryman Gonçalo Tavares were all teammates. They rode for the Hagen Berman Jayco cycling squad. This close bond made the loss even harder for Moreira. He remembered their shared moments. “I will never have my friend call me at night to play games,” Moreira said. “He won’t send me videos or audio messages anymore.”
Despite the pain, Moreira held onto their friendship. “But I will keep you in my memory and heart forever,” he stated. Then he added a touching, personal promise. “I promise I will never cut spaghetti again. I won’t even pass the salt.” It was a small, everyday joke that now carries immense weight.
Samuele Privitera was just 19 years old. He tragically passed away on Wednesday. His fall occurred during the first stage of the Giro Val de Aosta. The incident happened on a downhill section. Privitera was about 32 kilometers from the finish line.
The Italian cycling federation gave details about the accident. They said Privitera likely hit a hole in the road. This made him lose control of his bike. He crashed violently, hitting his head. The impact caused a severe head injury and his heart stopped.
