Starting signal for relay
By Sven Rottner
After a long interruption due to the pandemic, the time finally arrived - 23 students in the BSc International Management Double Degree started out from the campus of Reutlingen University for the traditional ESB Cycling for Charity, colloquially known as "Relay". The tour is about more than just the fun of cycling - the students’ efforts bring in donations for a good cause. They have already raised money for the Förderverein für krebskranke Kinder Tübingen e. V. and Integramus e. V. in numerous campaigns prior to the event. In 2022, the fundraising tour took place for the 18th time.
This year, the bike tour of over 500 kilometres takes the students via Bad Waldsee, Füssen and Bolzano to Lake Garda in Italy. At the ceremonial departure on 5 May 2022 on the campus of Reutlingen University, Prof. Dr Jörg Naeve, head of the BSc International Management Double Degree examination board, prepared the participating students for the special challenge. "You can expect ten days of fun and exertion at the same time. Come back safely,” he told them.
The students are well prepared for the fundraising tour: They have been preparing for it for months alongside their studies, training several times a week. A team of seven students organized the acquisition of sponsors and the entire tour.
Florian Schneider, co-organizer and cyclist at ESB Cycling for Charity, was optimistic even before the departure, saying "With our fundraising activities of the past months, we have already collected more money than in the previous year."
In addition to acquiring sponsors, the students were able to raise money for a good cause, for example, during a food distribution on campus, during a ride to Lichtenstein Castle, and by selling coffee at Reutlingen University.
As in previous years, the donations will benefit the Förderverein für krebskranke Kinder Tübingen e. V. and Integramus e. V. in Reutlingen. Luba Maier, chairwoman of Integramus e. V., is pleased to also be on campus for the departure, saying "We volunteer for development aid in Africa and Eastern Europe and integrate people who come to us from these countries. The fact that ESB students are so committed to this good cause never fails to impress us."
Anton Hofmann, chairman of the Förderverein für krebskranke Kinder Tübingen e. V., also emphasizes the special importance of student involvement: "We rely on donations for our important work. With the donations collected, students give children with cancer and their families courage, help and hope. We have been acting according to this maxim for many years now."
Encouraged by the ESB cheerleaders, the students swung onto the saddle just in time for the starting signal. Julian Limmer, a fourth semester BSc International Management Double Degree student and participant in the tour, sums up the new experience as follows: "ESB Cycling for Charity is a first for all of us. Due to the three-year break, this is the first time all students are live at the departure. It's a very special experience."
