A great start to another adventure: heading to Paris on two wheels for a good cause. It’s all for the little heroes fighting for their lives every day.

We had to battle, too – against the wind in the first half and the rain in the second. 🌦️ At least for part of the way. As I’ve mentioned in other posts, our struggle pales in comparison to the fight waged by those many little heroes. But our fight is for them. 👦 👧

As was the case last year, the starting point was the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, right next to the French Embassy. The French ambassador himself addressed us and acknowledged our commitment.

The start was a bit of a slog as we had to ride our way through Berlin and the surrounding area. It was a lot of stop-and-go, as usual. Many of the places were familiar from previous rides, and memories of my test runs came flooding back, since I had already ridden parts of our route to Paris as a trial run.

Just like last year, things eventually settled into a rhythm – especially the coordination among the six of us lead riders, who act as the “locomotive” for the group. All in all, everything went well; six of us took over the first 3 rows at the front, providing a draft for everyone else. And at some point we could enjoy the countryside.

And I think we’ve pretty much used up our quota of not-so-pleasant experiences – especially the bike breakdown and the drizzly rain. That was quite enough of both by the time we reached Paris – already today. 😉 We’d much rather reach for the sunscreen than the rain jacket. 😂 Unfortunately, the weather probably won’t be all that great tomorrow either, but I’m very optimistic that we won’t necessarily need the “heavy artillery” – meaning full rain gear for tomorrow.

I really appreciated the welcome we received in Magdeburg from a representative of the mayor. Due to a mishap on our group’s end, the other group had a slight head start; they arrived first and were able to give us a proper welcome. 😎

I’m winding down the day in a relaxed manner after a hearty dinner buffet. I’m also fondly recalling my test run on this route, which I was able to complete in much better weather. And to mark the memory of that lovely ride, here are a few photos from the archives taken in better conditions.

And as always, I never tire of highlighting the good cause involved. Simply put, we are raising funds for the German Childhood Cancer Foundation (Deutsche Kinderkrebsstiftung), which in turn supports local projects, affected families, and cancer research.

I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone who has supported my personal campaign, “Cash for Kilometer,” and—by extension—the German Childhood Cancer Foundation. I encourage everyone else to do some good as well. I am riding not only for myself and the families affected, but also on behalf of everyone who is backing my efforts to help others. You can find the details on how and where to get involved right here.

Thank you so much for reading, sharing and supporting!

Last but not least:

Map for 1st stage: Berlin to Magdeburg

Statistic of the day: