Attending the Symposium this year will be a group of Dutch surgeons who will be cycling from Amsterdam to Edinburgh in support of a young orthopaedic trauma organization: Traumaplatform Foundation.

The Traumaplatform Foundation aims to strengthen the bonds between different trauma-related subspecialties and also between different generations of surgeons in an ‘out-of-the-box’ setting: by combining teaching and training activities with sports challenges.

Our goals are to build a community that encourages inspiration, vertical teambuilding and fund raising for young researchers interested in our field of work. Traumaplatform ‘pitch events’ are designed to drive an exchange of knowledge, pearls & pitfalls and career plans for both the Young and Experienced.

‘Skate for Science’ was our first event. In February 2015, the Finland Ice Marathon was raced on skates and mountain bikes with studded tires. 60 surgeons, trainees and researchers challenged the ice-cold conditions. The challenge was combined with a unique airborne symposium 40,000 feet in the air, where contestants exchanged valuable tips & tricks, pitfalls and set up research collaborations. A great success!

Our next challenge is ‘Ride for Research’. We are very proud to be invited to be part of the renowned Edinburgh International Trauma Symposium. In August 2016, a team of 80 Dutch surgeons will cycle from Amsterdam to Edinburgh in order to attend the symposium. Optimal physical condition is vital and therefore we are training hard! We are ready for another successful team effort. For more information, please go to www.traumaplatform.org/teamtraumaplatform