International Rotary Fellowship CYCLING TO SERVE **** FCS **** www.cyclingtoserve.org

Newsletter January 2021

Dear cyclist Rotarians and supporters of our fellowship

At the time of writing this newsletter last January and wishing us all the best for the New Year, we naturally couldn't imagine what 2020 was going to be like. We were hoping in our last newsletter in July to be on the right way to find a road to an almost normal life; we will have to wait for many more months. The members who make up our fellowship have despite the circumstances, almost all of our events around the world have been cancelled, continued to be creative, innovative, never stopping to propose new projects, whether in Asia, Europe, in the United States and lately in Latin America.

Let us hope that 2021 will allow us to act as motivated athletes and to carry out our actions as passionate Rotarians. We wish you good health and, above all, many encouraging prospects. Be well and ride safe!

2020

That year will have naturally and unfortunately been almost entirely marked by the cancellation of our main events:

 In March, the Strade Bianche were rescheduled to fall and then finally canceled

 The 4-Days in Lörrach have been postponed for a year

 Ditto for the world championships which were to take place in Nancy; postponed to 2021.

 El Tour de Tucson and its famous Ride to End Polio in November; postponed

 Rotary Pedal in Lima, Peru, postponed for the same reasons.

 Cancellation of the International Convention in Hawaii where Cycling to Serve was supposed to have a booth. www.cyclingtoserve.org

We don’t forget all the local projects obstructed by the pandemic.

However Rotarians rallied, depending on the possibilities to promote Rotary through cycling events.

Nice initiatives

 Virtual races

Twice, on May 1st and December 31th, FCS Germany organized virtual races through the Rouvy app. First, the Eschborn-Frankfurt Velotour then the climbing of the Pordoi pass. Professional cyclists like Nils Politt took part to the proposed challenge. On the first event, more than € 9,000 (i.e. 27,000 with the grant from the Melinda & Bill Gates Foundation) were raised for Polio Plus.

 Cycling to Serve Austria reaching Rome.

The ride from Innsbruck to Rome organized by the Fellowship Cycling to Serve Austria for the benefit of Growin and END POLIO NOW has been completed. The group (15 cyclists including members of 6 different Rotary clubs and 1 Innerwheel club, 6 guides, 3 accompanying vehicles) left on September 12, 2020 at 7:00 a.m. from Innsbruck and after 287 km, around 7:00 p.m., stopped near Verona. On the 2nd day,

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324 km were covered. The arrival at Citta di Castello after several punctures happened at dusk.

Rotarian cyclists rallied for World Polio Day

Rotarian cyclists have been working hard on World Polio Day. Our General Secretary John Hewko set an example by riding (and raising funds) around Evanston; Past-District Governor Ernie Mountain in Tucson, Arizona; District Governor Tom Drennan around St. Louis, Missouri; Ildus Yanyshev, District Governor of Russia, in Kazan; a Cycling to Serve booth with its president Jean-Luc Berger in Aix en Provence, .

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 La Rueda con Rotary in Peru

Unable to organize its big annual national gathering in November, the Rotary Pedal Collective organized a live seminar over 2 days. This Collective brings together more than 20 Rotary clubs in Peru (Rotary District 4455) and since 2015 has been organizing major cycling events and road safety education campaigns called “Respect the cyclist”. In collaboration with Roy Dudley of RC Xalapa (Mexico), our President participated in this major seminar.

... we also don’t forget the various related projects that we have developed throughout the year on our Fellowship Facebook page.

2021

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(These dates are obviously subject to changes in health constraints)

Ride to End Polio au Tour de Tucson Postponed from November 2020 to April 21, 2021, the annual event is currently maintained. Over thousands of cyclists are expected, including several hundred Rotarians. A sign of the times, Tour of Tucson masks have been printed.

To participate or for any other information https://rotaryd5500.org/page/ride-to-end-polio

Very Important : Cancellation of the 4-Days in Lörrach

In full consultation with the Cycling to Serve Board, the organizing team of the 4-Days in Lörrach, is forced, sick at heart, to cancel this long-awaited event. The threats related to Covid-19 that weigh on our travel possibilities and the ability to receive us in acceptable conditions at the end of spring are too heavy. Christoph, Norbert and Wolfgang, who have been working on the project for so long; we will be received at the foot of the Schwarzwald on May 17, 2023.

The next 4-Days will take place in , in , the first week of June 2022.

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The 2021 District 1790 World Championships in Nancy. COVID requires, the 2020 championships had been canceled. However, we will meet in Nancy on the last weekend of August 2021 to compete in different races. CRotary District 1790 and its Governor Patrick Jean Vilain come to support the project of Pierre Beck and Jacky Schwartz by being the official organizer! The races will be open (excluding ranking) to spouses, children of Rotarians and Paul Harris Fellows. More to come via the championships website (coming soon) and via our Fellowship website.

Strade Bianche 2021

Postponed to March 2021, the Strade Bianche and the action carried out around this event by RC Montaperti are again moved to a new date, namely September 12, 2021. Save the date ! More information to come in the next newsletter and on our website.

International Convention in Taipei The 2021 Rotary International Convention will be held virtually Cycling to Serve should be present through a virtual booth.

Race Across America Our friend Kurt Matzler (RC Innsbrück) is tackling his 5th Race Across America this year. To make things even simpler, this year he will be racing solo after having each time participated in 4-rider relay. In his June program, 4,800kms, 60,000m of vertical drop, all to be achieved in less than 12 days. . Kurt’s goal is to raise funds for Polio Plus ($ 1 million goal). We can support it

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https://raise.rotary.org/Team-Rotary-RAAMs-Polio/fundraiser

Ride Kitzbühel -Paris

They do it again ! in order to support the Growin ’association (www.keepgrowin.at), FCS Austria is carrying out a ride between Kitzbühel and Paris (approximately 1000 kms) from September 17th to 20th. Our Austrian friends have become accustomed to organizing this type of charity rides : after Hamburg in 2019, Rome in 2020, the French capital will be the target of the 15/20 participants.

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A setting up of Cycling to Serve in Latin America ? Led by Roy Dudley, an enthusiastic Rotarian cyclist in Xalapa, Mexico, we are trying to meet the demand from many Rotarians in Central and South America to develop a representation in this (very large) zrea. Cycling to Serve is regularly contacted by Rotarians in Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Chile and other countries. No doubt we will move forward during this new year.

2021 Call for dues For the record, it is absolutely necessary to be up to date with its annual subscription to be able to participate in our events. The contribution essentially supports the different actions of our events. Thank you for sending your subsciption to your National Representative.

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Cycling to Serve

President Jean-Luc Berger [email protected] VcePdt Usa/Canada James Morrison [email protected] Secretary Uwe Simon [email protected] Treasurer Jaap Nagtegaal [email protected]

Australia Andrew Best [email protected] Austria Meinhardt Huber [email protected] Danny Hellinckx [email protected] Bulgaria Dragan Draganov [email protected] Croatia Predrag Knezevic [email protected] /Slovakia Helena Kovarikova [email protected] France Jean-Luc Berger [email protected] Germany Uwe Simon [email protected] India Srinivas Kumar [email protected] Italia Franco Piola [email protected] Luxemburg Eugene Biver [email protected] The Bart Boerema [email protected] Russia Ildus Yanishev [email protected] Spain in progress [email protected] Sri Lanka Warren Solomonsz [email protected] Hans-Peter Bär [email protected] United Kingdom in progress [email protected]

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