Around 90 cycling enthusiasts set off on the Chemnitz-Prague-Chemnitz route for the new "Peace Ride".
When Chemnitz becomes European Capital of Culture in 2025, the legendary International Peace Ride will also be revived. The European Peace Ride project, which was developed as part of the bid for the title, is already starting this year with a first stage and two stages for ambitious recreational cyclists. The two stages will take around 90 cycling enthusiasts, including ten Czech participants, over 413 kilometres and around 5500 metres in altitude from Chemnitz to Prague and back on 11 and 12 September 2021. To emphasise the cultural link between art and sport, the route will take in 15 towns and communities that are part of the "Purple Path" art project.
The International Peace Ride, also known as the Course de la Paix, was the most highly regarded amateur cycling event behind the Iron Curtain. At its peak, it was even compared to the famous Tour de France. The route of the Tour of Peace usually led through the three capital cities of Warsaw, Prague and East Berlin and often also through Chemnitz, or Karl-Marx-Stadt at the time, as a stage location. Originally initiated by two journalists from Poland and what was then Czechoslovakia, it also travelled through the former GDR every year in May from 1952. The aim was to counter the tensions of the Cold War with a peaceful symbol of sport that brought people together.
"We are extremely pleased that the first Capital of Culture projects are already becoming visible and creating shared experiences," explains the Lord Mayor of Chemnitz, Sven Schulze. The journey to Prague will therefore initially take them via Flöha, Augustusburg and Zschopau. On Sunday, 12 September, it will then return to Chemnitz via Annaberg-Buchholz, Zwönitz and Stollberg.
Kai Winkler, one of the initiators and an enthusiastic cyclist himself, explains the idea behind the European Peace Ride: "When we brought the BidBook to Berlin last year with 39 cyclists and Chemnitz was subsequently awarded the title of European Capital of Culture 2025, we were all fired up." Winkler continues: "After that, it was clear that we would get back on the saddle. Now there are around twice as many cyclists and we are really looking forward to the trip to Prague."
In the capital of the Czech Republic, the cyclists will be publicly welcomed by the governing mayor of Prague, Zdenek Hrib, together with the Lord Mayor of Chemnitz, Sven Schulze.
The European Peace Ride is a joint effort of various initiatives and would be unthinkable without the commitment of individual players. The cycling initiative Fit4Bike, the Chemnitzer Wirtschaftsförderungs- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (CWE), the Chemnitzer Stadtsportbund e.V., the Chemnitzer Polizeisportverein e.V., the Terezin Cycling Club, the Czech Cycling Federation and SKODA as a sponsoring partner deserve special mention here.
Numerous cycling enthusiasts are carrying the Capital of Culture idea across borders to Prague - with the new edition of the legendary "Peace Ride". And you can be a part of it: Together we want to welcome the riders on Sunday, 12 September. Get your bike out of the cellar and come to the tram museum (garage campus) on Zwickauer Straße at around 5 pm. We'll cover the last few metres into the city centre together at a relaxed pace.
