If you don't know anything about the original, you'll be captivated by the copy. And copies are the best proof of success.
The original and the copy. Excitement about a 2nd kids-tour in Berlin. An overview and the realisation: The original tour traditionally takes place.
The Berlin Cycling Federation today published a call for enrollment on the official website of the Bund Deutscher Radfahrer. It calls its event the 28th International Kids Tour. Conclusion: Not always where it says kids-tour on it, is kids-tour in it. The announcement of the original kids-tour has been prevented for weeks, unfortunately also by the same Berlin cycling federation.
Since 2021, the BRV has not budged because of the kids-tour. After 20 years in 2021, the creator of the kids-tour website was quietly deprived of access to his voluntary work and his enquiries were ignored. As a result, the BRV shut down the kids-tour.de website. No word. No replies. Silence.
A consequence of the silence since 2021, the head of the organisation team of the original Michael Lemke gathered the old crew together as usual, got money, sponsors, help and after a 2-year break planned the race again on his own.
Jens-Holger Mey once called for bridge-building: "Micha" in particular had been trying for months to cooperate with the BRV board. His written offer included, among other things, a complete financial relief for the Berlin Cycling Federation, a media upgrade of the public relations work and a single task for the BRV: the organisation of the ceremonies. The little should be compensated financially. A blessing for the Berlin cycling children, because they have to pay a toxic amount, too much, for their track races, among other things, due to the desolate financial situation of the BRV. Nevertheless, the BRV board cancelled after weeks.
For weeks now, the biggest obstacles for the organiser Lemke have been coming from him and his Berlin cycling federation, from its president and its road racing manager. Both of them prevent the announcement on the official website of the German Cycling Federation again and again, tactic, stall. Michael will find a solution for this too. According to cycling experts Bernd Mülle and Arne Mill, the Tour still exists thanks to him alone.
The tour will take place as planned from 26.08.22- 28.08.22
on the 4th stages will take place.
"Fair goes first."
So the preparations for his traditional event on the traditional weekend continue unabated. The many registrations from home and abroad, the promises of his sponsors, the help of his supporters and his will to have the kids-tour traditionally take place in 2022 as well are motivation enough.
"Micha" gave Jens- Holger his word. And while some try to preserve tradition, others change entire events; exchange content without re-labelling them. Developments that seem to have been agreed with no one. Whether the widow and heiress of the originator Giesela Dietz-Mey or the originator of the kids-tour website Dietmar Silber or the long-time head of the organising committee Michael Lemke - all of them have now been thrown out by the board of the Berlin Cycling Federation. The general meeting of the BRV was also not informed, one hears. So the BRV, of all people, still has no approved budget for 2022 and certainly not for the financial burdens and risks of such a stage ride.
The BRV now suddenly wants to rewrite the kids-tour story, give it a different face, change it completely, and that alone. For 27 years, the kids-tour has traditionally taken place on the last weekend in August and not on 19.08.ff. Instead of public profiles that have been tried and tested over the years. routes, roads and destinations of today's world champions now the exchange for secluded small parkours. Instead of children and cycling races in public, teams and winners are now to be crowned off the beaten track. No audience, no public, unknown disciplines, wrong age groups.
The orga team is building a bridge. Running across it seems obviously difficult.