Women at the Cycling Fair and the Mariateresa Montaruli Award

Women will be the protagonists at the Bicycle Tourism Fair scheduled at the Padua Exhibition Centre from 27 to 29 March. Welcoming female visitors will be the director Pinar Pinzuti, recipient of the 2022 United Nations World Bicycle Day Award and member of the EuroVelo Council. Among the testimonials there will also be Monica Consolini, who will tell about the RideSmiles project, a tour that lasted over two years pedalling 31,000 kilometres across Europe, Asia and the Americas. Silvia Camon, on the other hand, will share the experience of travelling by bicycle with a very young child in the 'Ride with Nina' project, telling how the first itineraries on Italian cycle paths were created and how it is possible to integrate the family dimension with cycle tourism. Ilenia Zaccaro, in turn, will describe the months-long solo trip with tent and cooker she made in South America between Bolivia, Argentina and Chile. On Saturday 28, for the third year running, it is the turn of 'I wanted the bicycle', the prize dedicated to Mariateresa Montaruli, a journalist, writer and cyclist who died in 2023 (contributor to Viaggi24): aimed at women who promote two wheels and cycle tourism, the competition is divided into two sections, "I diari della bicicletta" (which goes to the best reportage, podcast or radio and television report on cycle tourism published in 2025) and "Adesso pedala", which celebrates those who have distinguished themselves with projects and initiatives in the world of two wheels, including start-ups, publications and events.