“Come on FORTIGEL!”

Cycling has unfortunately lost much of its image due to the recent cases of doping. This is a blow to the millions of enthusiastic cycling fans throughout the world. Anyone who has conquered a mountain alone or with a team and without the enormous pressure that is exerted on the professional racers would not miss the feeling for anything. This was the case with the 22 cyclists who started out on the “Ride for Help” run in September: it was sheer enthusiasm for the sport and served a good purpose.

At this time of the year the days are getting shorter and it gets dark early; the summer is indeed coming to an end. On this particular Sunday evening, however, it was really unpleasant: the dark clouds indicated a gathering storm over Morzine, starting point of the Tour de France in July 2008 and now for the “Ride for Help”. During the night it poured with rain. Such rapid changes in the weather are quite normal in the Alps south of Lake Geneva and near the Swiss border as experienced tour cyclists well know. The cyclists made little fuss about the hefty shower - they knew full well that the chances of good weather next morning were high.

And that’s exactly how it turned out: precisely 20minutes before the start on September 1, the sun came out for the cyclists of this second tour, the proceeds going to “Hunde für Handicaps e.V. (Dogs for Handicapped People)“ and other charities. The participants came from all over Europe and the USA, all cycling fanatics like Dr. Axel Alber, responsible for marketing and sales on the Management Board of GELITA AG, one of the main sponsors of the five-day tour. All envisaged themselves cycling like their role models in the Tour de France.

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