27.07.2023 – 12:15
Skoda Auto Deutschland GmbH
Weiterstadt
› From July 27th to 29th, around 160 participants, including celebrities, politicians, athletes and many more, will be pedaling for a good cause at the anniversary ride
› Among others, biathlete Magdalena Neuner, TV chef Johann Lafer, decathlete Guido Kratschmer and boxer Henry Maske will be at the start this time
› Hobby athletes already collected important donations at the Social Ride
› Since 1983, thanks to the Tour of Hope, over 46 million euros have been raised for the fight against childhood cancer
Škoda Auto Deutschland is mobilizing the special anniversary of the Tour of Hope: This Thursday, this charitable bike tour starts for the 40th time, with prominent participants on bikes collecting donations for cancer research and children with cancer. Škoda is providing four Enyaq Coupé RS iV, one Enyaq iV 80 and one Karoq Tour to organize and support the event. This year’s Tour of Hope covers a distance of 273 kilometers and traditionally starts in Giessen. On Saturday the tour makes a stop at the Škoda Autohaus Brass in Großheubach. Škoda Auto Deutschland Managing Director Libor Myška will present a donation there.
Libor Myška, Chief Financial Officer of Škoda Auto Germany: “I congratulate the Tour of Hope on 40 years of commitment to the fight against childhood cancer. I am pleased that we are supporting this important event with our vehicles and that we can also make a financial contribution to this important cause. Bikes are very important to Škoda, which makes it all the better that we can support this good cause with our passion for cycling.”
Today, Thursday, around 160 cycling enthusiasts gather in Giessen, the starting point of the 72.3 kilometer opening stage of the three-day trip. The list of participants includes many well-known names. These include former world boxing champion Henry Maske, legendary biathletes Magdalena Neuner and Uschi Disl, TV chef Johann Lafer and Guido Kratschmer, former world record holder and Olympic silver medalist in the decathlon. Bobsledder Laura Nolte and football coach Felix Magath also pedal for a good cause on at least one day. Petra Behle, Olympic champion and nine-time world champion in biathlon, will once again be the patron of the tour. The captain of the field is the multiple cyclo-cross world champion Klaus Peter Thaler from Gevelsberg.
Tour of Hope runs 273 kilometers, regular stops at supporters
On Friday, the prominent peloton travels with a transfer towards the Westerwald. Day two starts in Ransbach-Baumbach with stage points in Montabaur, Hadamar, Limburg, Bad Camberg and Idstein. As soon as the Hessian state parliament can be seen in Wiesbaden, the participants have reached the day’s goal after 90.2 kilometers.
The route on Saturday from Aschaffenburg with stations in Großwallstadt, Klingenberg, Großheubach, Freudenberg and Wertheim to the destination in Würzburg stretches over 107 kilometers. The final stop is the university hospital, for which part of the donations collected during the tour are earmarked. The children’s clinic there treats children and young people of all ages with acute and chronic diseases, including around 100 young patients with cancer every year. The university hospital uses the donations, for example, to research new immunological therapy approaches. It is one of the ten largest children’s cancer centers in Germany and a national leader in the treatment of brain tumors and stem cell transplantation.
Along the route, the Tour of Hope participants regularly stop at supporters of the charitable event. On Saturday, among other things, there will be a visit to the Škoda Autohaus Brass in Großheubach, where Libor Myška will hand over a donation check on behalf of all Škodians in Germany in the presence of Autohaus Brass Managing Director Artan Statovci.
Thanks to Social Ride, everyone can help and collect donations
Doing something for a good cause together with other cycling fans: The Social Ride offered this opportunity before the actual Tour of Hope. From July 8th to 16th, amateur athletes pedaled for this purpose. Their goal: to cover 333 kilometers. Anyone could take part, whether on a bicycle, e-bike, indoor trainer or similar. Participants voluntarily donate 10 cents for every kilometer driven. In this way, over 21,000 euros were raised for children with cancer in 2022.
The Tour of Hope was initiated by the physician Prof. Dr. medical Fritz Lampert back. In 1983 he headed the Peiper children’s cancer ward at the University Hospital in Gießen and, together with press and media officer Richard Brunnengräber, created the idea for the charity trip originally known as the Tour Peiper. Since 1994 it has been called the Tour of Hope. Since its premiere in 1983, the Tour der Hoffnung has raised more than 46 million euros. The ambitious cyclists have covered a total of 12,889 kilometers since then. Thanks to the voluntary work of the organizational team and numerous supporters, all proceeds flow 100 percent into the areas of research, nursing and psychosocial care, new treatment concepts and clinical care.
Press contact:
Ulrich Bethscheider-Kieser
Head of product and brand communication
Phone +49 6150 133 121
E-Mail: [email protected]
Karel Mueller
Media Relations
Phone: +49 6150 133 115
E-Mail: [email protected]
Original content from: Skoda Auto Deutschland GmbH, transmitted by news aktuell