Ride4Fusion kicks off: 700 km by bike from Padua to Cadarache cycling towards a sustainable energy future

An official ceremony on 10 September at 9 a.m. in between Palazzo del Bo and Palazzo Moroni will mark the start of Ride 4 Fusion,a scientific adventure on two wheels that will take a group of 15 researchers and technicians from the RFX Consortium,the laboratory for fusion research in Padua, and the University of Padua’s Fusion Research Centre,to cover 700 km by bike to Cadarache, France.

The destination is theITER sitewhere the largestexperimental tokamak(i.e. atoroidalnuclear fusionreactor) is being built to demonstrate the feasibility offusion as a sustainable energy source of the future.

The starting ceremony will be attended by the Deputy MayorAndrea Micalizzi, the Vice Rectors for Doctorate and Postgraduate Studies,Massimiliano Zattin, and for Wellness and Sport,Antonio Paoli, the President of the RFX Consortium,Piergiorgio Sonato, andrepresentatives of the sponsors(Synecom, Generali Agenzia Pedrocchi Padova, BrembanaRolle S.p.A., STC FIlters, Beinsurance, Saes Getters, Centro Ricerche Fusione and CREATE Consortium).

Following the opening speeches and a symbolic ribbon-cutting ceremony, the participants of Ride 4 Fusion will officially start their journey, accompanied by the enthusiasm of the local community.

The Ride 4 Fusion initiative was inspired by theScholares Vagantes cycling group, which in 2022 embarked on a bicycle journey among the oldest universities in Europe for the University of Padua’s 19th anniversary celebrations. The initiative is promoted by Iter Organisation, under the patronage of the University and the Municipality of Padua, in collaboration with Eurofusion, Fusenet, Istp-Cnr, the University of Pavia, the Milan Polytechnic and the Italian Environment and Bicycle Federation.

During the bike ride,the cycling team will also meet with the public in Piacenza (12 September), Pavia (13 September) and Marseille (18 September)to share the progress of fusion research andto talk about the passion that drives those dedicated to this important scientific challenge of the future.

The Padua researchers will not be alone in this endeavour because along the way they will be joined by colleagues from theIstp-Cnr laboratory in Milan, theENEA Fusion Centre in Frascatiand scientists from the ITER Organisation who will join their Italian colleagues at the French border, making the venture a symbol of international scientific cooperation.

Ride 4 Fusion aims to raise awareness ofthe importance of scientific research and to promote a sustainable energy strategyby highlighting the enormous potential of fusion as a clean and safe energy source of the future. Starting from Padua, the site of the important development and test facility for the particle injection system that will heat ITER’s plasma – the NBTF – Neutral Beam Test Facility – the project emphasises the strong link between the city of Padua and ITER in their common mission towards a sustainable energy future.

Watch theofficial trailer of the projectbelow: