Three cyclists will be making their way from Estonia to Spain next month for a 7,000km bike ride to raise money for cancer after losing loved ones to the disease.
The 2Wheels4Purpose challenge started in Luxembourg with a speech by former Tour de France champion, Andy Schleck, as well as the Dutch ambassador to Luxembourg. The three cyclists and a group of supporters then cycled to Brussels for a warm-up ride ahead of the big challenge.
Sander van der Fluit, René Beltjens and Marc Bijlsma will cycle for around two and a half months as they make their way from Tallinn to Gibraltar – the northernmost edge of Europe to its southern tip. They will pass through around 20 countries, including Latvia, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Bosnia, Italy and France.
The map shows the route the cyclists will take from Tallinn to Gibraltar © Photo credit: 2Wheels4Purpose
The three men are attempting to raise €1 million for Fondation Saint-Luc, which is linked to the Saint-Luc and UCLouvain university clinics in Belgium. The foundation funds cancer research, develops wellness spaces for patients and invests in new technology.
Cyclist Beltjens lost his wife, Vinciane, to breast cancer when she was just 36 and Bijlsma lost his wife after a six-year battle with cancer. After being given only weeks to live, a clinical trial gave Beltjens four more years with his wife, while research allowed Bijlsma and his wife more time to raise their children together before her death. Van der Fluit has lost several family members to cancer, and some of his close friends are currently battling the disease.
“The idea of doing this challenge started over dinner,” said van der Fluit. “René and I were talking about unfulfilled dreams – the things still on the list. He didn’t hesitate. Cycling from Estonia to Gibraltar had always been an ambition of his. That evening, the idea was born. The next morning, he called to ask if I remembered the commitment I’d made the night before. I did. And from that moment, we started planning.”
Before starting the journey, the three men cycled from Luxembourg to Brussels © Photo credit: 2Wheels4Purpose
They wanted the challenge to stand for something beyond the ride itself, and opted for a long route with high total elevation to mirror the challenging journey cancer patients and their close ones go through.
“Both journeys are long, relentless, and filled with moments where giving up feels like the easier option,” van der Fluit added. “Finishing a ride of 7,000 km across 20+ countries requires exactly the same qualities. That parallel is intentional, and it stays with us every kilometre we ride.”
The ride is being sponsored by individuals and Luxembourg companies, including Alter Domus, Julius Baer, Gcore, EY, Banque de Luxembourg, and adVeci, and all funds go directly to Fondation Saint-Luc.