Students riding across Australia on a solar-powered trike

Year 8 to Year 12 students from Ballarat’s Damascus College are attempting to ride their way into the record books by riding a distance of 3775 km in about two weeks’ time on a solar-powered three-wheeled bike. The expedition, called the RodeRAGE, aims to spread the word about climate change.

The solar-powered recumbent bike is capable of doing 115kph, but the speed has been limited to 90kph for students who will take shifts of about one hour each. The trike is the result of an 11-year program by the school called the Energy Breakthrough Team. The team is also aiming to raise about $100,000 to aid the impact of climate change in developing nations

Codenamed RodeRAGE, (Ride Against Greenhouse Emissions) this is the second large-scale ride the college has undertaken for climate change awareness, after a 23-hour ride from Sydney to Ballarat last year that raised $8000. The grueling race is already underway and the solar-powered bike is expected to reach Melbourne December 9.

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