A pensioner who set out on an epic bike ride to give himself something to live for after his wife and children died in a road accident has been killed by a lorry.
Rodolfo Itre, 72, from the city of Santa Rosa, in the central Argentinian province of La Pampa, was struggling to cope after his wife and two daughters lost their lives in 2002.
So, on Christmas Eve 2016, he decided to change his life and – with no forward planning – set out to tour the country on his bicycle.
He explored the north and centre of Argentina on the 5,000 kilometre (3,100 mile) long National Route 40 which stretches the length of the country from north to south.
Rodolfo had moved onto National Route 7, which runs across Argentina from west to east, when he was hit from behind by a Volvo lorry driven by a 24-year-old man.
The retired maintenance engineer had set out on his journey as he was lonely and could not make ends meet on his pension.
He gave up his flat and set out to tour the country on his bike, staying at campsites, schools and hospitals, or putting up his tent in people’s gardens.
He told local media: “I needed to do something that made me feel alive.
“What I was doing was not living, it was surviving, then I bought a bike and I decided to cross Argentina.
“My pension was not enough to pay for both rent and food. I chose food and now route 40 is my home.
“Friends of my age spend their lives watching TV, feeding pigeons or waiting for their children to call them.”
But his trip ended in tragedy when he was hit by the lorry near the town of La Paz in central Argentina’s Mendoza Province. It is not reported whether police are investigating the accident.Â
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Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
