Allergic to salons, incompatible with trivialities, rebellious against mafias, it was 2017 when Guido Foddis turned the cycling world upside down and invented the Slow Cyclist Festival. Where those who went slower were rewarded (and not necessarily further, quite the opposite), where those with less were listened to, where pedaling happened at the pace of the last one. Like overturning a table - as Pablo Neruda had said - "Slowly dies those who does not overturn the table, who is unhappy at work, who does not risk certainty for uncertainty..."

Without ever expecting oceanic crowds, without ever demanding revenues and earnings, without ever modifying his anachronistic and revolutionary, stubborn and contrary formula, Foddis (and his most faithful Federica, wife, and Arianna, friend, infinitely more than collaborators) has witnessed a slow (of course) evolution of the Festival, to the point of suffering clandestine or even declared imitation attempts, up to the twinning with the Cuneo Bike Festival (with the second slowest ride in the world): slowly more people, slowly more appreciation and recognition, slowly more guests and supporters.

The ninth edition of the Festival will occupy Ferrara from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 October with the usual dose of shameless joy, brazen joviality, profound human and humanitarian contents.

Four major events. Friday 24, at 8 pm, at the La Casona circle in via Smeraldina 35, the opening party with a buffet aperitif (even Foddis concedes some marketing linguistic concessions) with Liliana Castellani, world and European champion in cycling, athletics and darts of the Italian National Transplant-Aned team, and the Ferrara Parkithlon team, which will tell the challenge against disease through running, swimming and cycling, in collaboration with the Ap&c-Parkinson's & Caregivers Association of Ferrara.

Saturday 25, from 10 am, departure and arrival from Factory Grisù in via Poledrelli 21, the Slowest Ride in the World, 5 km in 5 hours, with Patrizia Cupo, Aics (Italian Association of Culture and Sport), curator of the TV show dedicated to the world of sports and cultural associations SportivaMente, champions of the Italian National Transplant and Dialysis-Aned Sport team, friends from the Cuneo Bike Festival twinning, the Banda Giovanile Città Di Budrio band and Professor Agide Cervi, "the bubble wizard".

Saturday 25, from 7 pm, at La Casona, the Slow Cyclist Gala with Beppe Saronni, interviewed without reticence.

Sunday 26, from 9 am, departure and arrival from Factory Grisù in via Poledrelli 21, the Merendone Granfondo, 45 km from Bassani Park to Porporana Woods, from Vigarano Mainarda Oasis to the Diamantina Este Delight, through Destra Po and Burana Cycle Path, with a final buffet at La Casona Circle, on the outskirts of Ferrara, where Slow Cyclists will be refreshed with typical local recipes. After lunch, return in the early afternoon to Factory Grisù. Guest of honor (on bike!) Beppe Saronni himself. Modestly, I will be there from the first to the last appointment.

The complete program at https://www.ciclistalento.it/il-programma/. Event registration from the website https://www.ciclistalento.it/biglietti/ and on Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.it/o/slow-travel-asd-17797626363.