Airoldi sought to participate in the Athens Olympics of 1896 and he had a good chance of victory. He needed money, however, to get to the Greek capital. He sought money from the director of a well known magazine of the time - "La Bicicletta", and Airoldi proposed to travel cheaply. He would go on foot through Austria, Turkey and Greece - an adventurous journey that forced him to cover 70 km per day in order to arrive in Athens on time. The magazine was to document all the stages of his journey and help supply him with the necessary information.