14-year-old cycling talent Adele Cobelli killed in head-on crash while training in Trentino; driver under investigation for vehicular homicide

The crash

On Saturday shortly before 1 p.m., 14-year-old Adele Cobelli was descending on her bicycle along via Sant'Antonio in Pressano, a hamlet of Lavis just north of Trento, when a car travelling in the opposite direction crossed into her lane and struck her head-on. The impact threw her over the guardrail and she died from her injuries before paramedics could intervene. The car, driven by a local young man with two passengers, was seized by police for investigation.

A rising off-road talent

Cobelli raced for the ASD Bike Movement Trentino Erbe team and specialised in off-road disciplines. Last year she became provincial champion in the Esordienti category, and in May she placed third in the Allieve first-year category at the national "Tutta l'Italia XCO" race in Torreano (Udine). Her club wrote on social media: "R.i.p. nostra piccola grande Atleta. Non abbiamo proprio parole." She would have turned 15 in December.

Investigation underway

The Trento public prosecutor's office has opened a file for vehicular homicide against the driver. Police from Lavis and the carabinieri are collecting witness statements to reconstruct the exact dynamics of the collision, which occurred on a curve known locally as the "Pressano parking curve".

Federation and political reactions

“Adele's death fills us with dismay and deep sorrow. We need concrete measures against this bloodbath on our roads.”

Italian Cycling Federation president Cordiano Dagnoni made the demand after the fatality. The federation ordered a minute of silence before all Sunday races.

“What happened leaves us dismayed: for Trentino this is another unacceptable road tragedy, once again with a young cyclist as the victim.”

“We have just had two tragedies behind us, the death of Matteo Lorenzi in 2024 and that of Sara Piffer in early 2025. Now another heavy blow, another life ended prematurely.”

Renato Berger, head of the federation's Trentino branch, recalled the earlier deaths.

Road safety debate reignited

The sequence of fatal collisions involving young cyclists in the region has intensified calls for safer roads. Dagnoni's call for "concrete measures" amplifies a long-running demand by cycling advocates in Italy.