Extreme sports influencer Andreas Tonelli died on Tuesday, July 15, while biking in the Dolomites. He was 48.
Tonelli died during a solo outing on Tuesday where he fell approximately 200 meters (656 feet) in the Vallelunga area of Val Gardena, Italy, according to Italy’s L’Unione Sarda.
The influencer, who is a native of South Tyrol, Italy, was reportedly out for a late afternoon ride, sharing videos from his ride via social media. The last upload was posted at 7:15 p.m. and showed Tonelli ascending to 2,905 meters (9,531 feet) on Piz Duleda. (It was part of a four-day “Dolomites Enduro Traverse” ride, according to his Instagram.)
In the Instagram Story video, Tonelli smiled as he threw his bike over his shoulder and soaked in the view, according to the outlet.
Two hours after the post, Tonelli hadn’t returned from the ride, which led one of his friends to call for help. Alpine rescue used a helicopter to patrol the mountains throughout the night, per Italian media.
Tonelli’s body was spotted in a ravine around 1 a.m. local time. Rescuers had to wait until the early hours of Wednesday, July 16, to retrieve the body due to heavy rain and freezing temperatures, L’Unione Sarda reported.
Prior to his death, Tonelli was known to his fans and followers — as well as the alpine community — for his mountain biking and cycle feats.
Some of his wildest achievements include biking the Nevado Ojos del Salado volcano in Chile, which has an ascent of 6,893 meters (22,615 feet). Tonelli also achieved a climb of 6,570 meters (21,555 feet) on Chile’s Tupungato volcano.
After leaving behind an office job, Tonelli became a cycling and sports travel guide for adventures all over the world. He joined the Norrøna ambassador team in 2023 where he promoted sustainability and environmental awareness.
Professional skier Jean Daniel Pession and his girlfriend Elisa Arlian are dead after falling more than 2,000 feet off northern Italy’s Mount Zerbion. The deaths were confirmed in a Saturday, June 1 statement by the Italian Winter Sports Federation. Pession, 28, was a member of the Italian World Cup ski team who placed 15th in […]
Tonelli was happiest on his bike, and while he traveled all over, he told Norrøna in his ambassador profile that the Dolomites were where he currently called home.
“First and foremost, the Dolomites [is home], but since I travel seven months a year also all the other places around the world where I feel free and happy,” he explained.
When asked where his “favorite” place in the world was, he responded, “My home mountains, the Dolomites and Lofoten Islands in Norway.”
