Even though the thermometer had already clearly exceeded the 30 degree mark, it was great fun on the Idar Schleiferplatz. This is not necessarily to be expected at a sporting event.
The background to this was the Pre-Tour of Hope, which stopped off in Idar-Oberstein for the first time. In the 27th edition of this charity bike tour, 120 riders pedaled for a good cause. But before they got on their racing bikes - e-bikes are frowned upon here - they made donations themselves or organized outstanding fundraising campaigns that benefit children with cancer, their families or cancer research. But it's not just the cyclists who take charitable action, the stage towns and regions also go in search of people and organizations who want to support the good cause. A so-called Krümmerer team takes over the organization on site and at the same time looks for donors or organizes campaigns to fill the collection boxes.
The cyclists were scheduled to arrive at around 12.00 noon. Shortly beforehand, an advance party arrived at Schleiferplatz and prepared the numerous waiting onlookers for the upcoming event with a lively introduction. This laid the foundation for an outstanding atmosphere. As the cyclists, escorted by police motorcycles, turned into the Edelstein traffic circle right on time, the first applause erupted and the athletes were duly welcomed. But not only were they celebrated, they also brought a lot of good humor with them, even though they had already covered more than 50 kilometers in blazing heat. On the second of three days of the event, they set off from Simmern at 8:30 am. The first stop was Kirn, where the riders were welcomed at the brewery site. None other than Eberhard Gienger, former world champion and gold medal winner on the high bar, parachuted right into the middle of the participants. An hour later, the Tourtross arrived at Schleiferplatz. While the bikes were parked and the riders enjoyed cold drinks donated by Schwollener Sprudel GmbH, they were treated to a vocal performance by Marie Enganemben from Cologne, who was born in Cameroon. Enganemben already wowed the jury at the 2021 Supertalentshow.
Presenter Juliane Schäfer then invited the dignitaries of the host region onto the stage, including District Administrator Miroslaw Kowalski, Mayor Friedrich Marx and Bruno Zimmer for the Stefan Morsch Foundation, which benefits from the fundraising campaign. The illustrious group was completed by Julia Klöckner, member of the Bundestag, who was admirably part of the cycling team and was happy to pedal for a good cause. The speeches were short and crisp, the joy of the great event and the meaning behind it prevailed, so not many words were needed. The pre-tour is all about action anyway.
Afterwards, the Schleiferplatz was the stage for the youngest ITV cheerleaders, the Little Maniacs, under the direction of Angelina Schein. They had put together a program especially for this day, which delighted both the cyclists and the other guests.
Tour founder Jürgen Grünwald also had his say and talked about the beginnings of the tour and his motivation to help.
There is a song composed especially for the tour, which was brilliantly performed by Benni Engel on the Schleiferplatz. It was also an exhausting day for him, as he later performed brilliantly as Lord Castlepool on the open-air stage in Mörschied.
The head organizer for the first two days of the tour, Johnny Klein, then took to the stage. He had previously coordinated and organized everything to the limits of his capacity. He then gave the donors the opportunity to take the stage and explain their motivation for helping. In addition to private donors and various companies, it was, as so often, the regional banks, Kreissparkasse, Vereinigte Volksbank and Raiffeisenbank Nahe that showed their commitment to the region with generous donations. Johnny Klein had special praise for the restaurateurs Thomas Kreis (Offene Flamme) and Steffi von Pock (Idarer Brauhaus), who were not only part of the organizing team, but also filled the pre-tour donation boxes considerably with various fundraising campaigns. KSK employee Leo Stibitz not only handed over the donation for his bank. Together with his "world's best colleague" Celine Roes, he raised funds by selling old Idar-Oberstein park coins at the volunteer festival and the Veitsrodt market.
The fundraising campaigns often brought a wave of la-ola from the cyclists. The atmosphere was rousing.
Three of the active participants and their activities were presented as examples. Among them was Dr. Markus Merk, who many still know from his time as a Bundesliga referee. The dentist later became involved in numerous international aid campaigns on a voluntary basis. In many activities in the Palatinate, he collected 8,888.88 euros for the Vor-Tour. But that's not all. In his third career, he is a winemaker and has created a particularly tasty drop. He had 120 of the limited edition of 500 bottles with him, which he offered to the riders in return for a donation. This not only lifts the spirits because of the spiritual content, but the name "Dackenheimer Liebesbrunnen" also lives up to its name. Presenter Juliane Schäfer then informed the crowd about the current total of pre-tour donations, which amounted to over 701,000 euros.
After another highly acclaimed and brilliant singing performance by Marie Enganemben, it was time to eat. Delicious pasta with goulash was served by the catering team of the Idar-Oberstein Artillery Training Regiment 345, who brought a field kitchen, or goulash cannon as it is popularly known, to the scene of the event. This once again demonstrated the solidarity between the soldiers and their garrison town in a particularly noteworthy way. Meanwhile, spectators were able to get typed at the Stefan Morsch Foundation stand or obtain further information about its important work.
When it was time to get back on the saddles of the racing bikes at 1:20 p.m., the riders were asked who would like to ride in the support vehicle due to a lack of fitness or other deficiencies. Everyone was in such a good mood that they tackled the next stage full of euphoria and supported by the applause of those present. This, however, went to Morbach and promised veritable climbs.
But with the motivation with which the charity cyclists left Idar-Oberstein, nothing could go wrong.
- Even though the pre-tour has now come to a sporting end, donations can still be made. Donations for this year's tour will be accepted until the end of October. Donation account SK Trier DE29 5855 0130 0001 1203 02, purpose: Nationalparklandkreis Birkenfeld. A donation receipt will of course also be issued if the address is given in full.