Andreas Tonelli, 48, an extreme mountain biker and social media influencer with over 120,000 Instagram followers, died following a cycling accident in the Vallelunga area of Val Gardena, Alto Adige (South Tyrol). Tonelli plunged approximately 200 meters while attempting a highly challenging section of trail alone on Tuesday evening. The precise circumstances of the incident, now under investigation by the Carabinieri, remain difficult to reconstruct.
Tonelli had set out for a ride late Tuesday afternoon. An alarm was raised shortly after 9 PM when he failed to return. His final Instagram story, posted at 7:15 PM, showed a video atop Piz Duleda at 2,905 meters, depicting him smiling with his bike shouldered and overlooking the valley.
A friend initiated the search before alerting authorities. Mountain Rescue (Soccorso Alpino) and the Aiut Alpin helicopter scoured the area late into the night. Tonelli’s body was located around 1 AM in a deep gully, inaccessible to rescuers during nighttime hours. Persistent rain, freezing temperatures, and the difficult terrain hampered the search. Recovery operations concluded Wednesday morning with assistance from Selva di Val Gardena volunteer firefighters, the Carabinieri, and an emergency psychological support team aiding the victim’s friends.
A native of Fiè allo Sciliar, a small village at the foot of the Dolomites’ iconic Sciliar mountain, Tonelli organized global cycling expeditions and was an avid photographer and splitboarder. He described Alto Adige as home but also considered “all the other places in the world where I feel happy and free” as home, spending seven months annually traveling. In a biography for Norwegian outfitter Norrona Adventure, he cited leaving his “boring office job” in 2014 to become a full-time bike guide and global sports travel organizer as a pivotal life moment. Highlights of his adventures included climbing Chile’s Ojos del Salado (6,893m), the world’s highest active volcano, and the Hokusai Wave, one of the Dolomites’ longest ice climbs.
According to Norrona Adventure’s published schedule, Tonelli was scheduled to lead the challenging (risk level 4/6) Dolomites Enduro Mountain Biking Adventure from Saturday, May 11th to Saturday, May 18th. This involved guiding a group of 4-6 people from Val Gardena on a west-east traverse of the Dolomites. A representative from the Norwegian tour operator expressed deep sorrow to ANSA and confirmed plans to publish a social media tribute to Tonelli.