"Only a life lived for others is worth living" (A. Einstein)

Team Rynkeby is a Nordic charity cycling team that travels from Denmark and Sweden to Paris by bike, with the purpose of raising money for the Child Cancer Foundation.

There are 13 Danish and 4 Swedish crews with 790 cyclists altogether. One of them was our colleague from Koyo Sweden, Mr. Bela Repits. He made it from Lund, Sweden to the Eiffel Tower in Paris in a strenuous trip of seven days, rasing considerable funds to help those in need. 

This year the goal was to raise money to build a hostel for the relatives of children with cancer in the vicinity of the hospital in Lund. The investment would allow the families to spend valuable time together, giving their little ones the loving support they need so much in those difficult times. Many of the parents have to travel long distance between their homes and the hospital - the Rynkeby Team have been very creative and enthusiastic in finding a solution.  Another spin-off of the event is raising the awareness of child cancer among the general public.

In the seven days of the tour the cyclists covered above 1000 km, often in very challenging conditions. Despite the summer period, the days abounded in rain and strong winds. According to Bela, the most difficult stage was the 260 km climb in the Belgian Ardennes, with slopes as steep as 22% and descents at 60 km/h on very jumpy roads. Sleepless nights, early mornings, small accidents resulting in bruises and scratches, numerous flat tyres were all part of the undertaking. All participants realized that this was nothing compared to the suffering the little cancer patients and their families have to go through.

JTEKT is proud of having sponsored an event of such significance and especially of the contribution of our colleague to its success.