Tölzer District Administrator Niedermaier pedals on the "Tour of Hope".
Created: 08/18/2022, 09:00
By: Veronika Ahn-Tauchnitz
Raised money for a good cause in the saddle of a bicycle: District Administrator Josef Niedermaier (right) and biathlon double world champion Erik Lesser.
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District Administrator Josef Niedermaier was there again when cycling in the fight against childhood cancer.
Every year he pedals for a good cause in the "Tour of Hope".
Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen –
District Administrator Josef Niedermaier is an avid racing cyclist.
Once a year he combines his hobby with a good cause.
He pedals the "Tour of Hope" and helps raise money for childhood cancer research.
It was brought into being almost 40 years ago by Professor Dr.
Fritz Lampert from Gießen, who was tired of the fact that in 1983 half of the children suffering from leukemia were still dying.
More funds for research, but also more funds to improve the care of young patients - that was the goal.
Goal: Collecting donations for research and better care for sick children
From the first benefit tour, one of the largest fundraising campaigns in the fight against childhood cancer has developed to this day.
Since then, 42 million euros have been collected and flowed into research, new treatment concepts, nursing and psychosocial care and clinical care.
This year's three-day tour with stops in Frankfurt and Fulda has just come to an end.
Niedermaier pedaled together with boxing world champion Henry Maske, biathlon Olympic champion Petra Behle, Klaus Peter Thaler, world champion in cross-country racing, and biathlon world champion Erik Lesser.
Mr. Niedermaier, how did you come to the "Tour of Hope"?
Former District Administrator Otmar Huber († 2021) was part of the tour from the start.
The start takes place every year in Gießen, after which it always goes to a different part of the country.
When the tour came to us in 2009, I was told what to organize here (laughs).
Then the organizer asked me if I rode a racing bike – and I've been there ever since.
For the first few years I drove together with Otmar Huber.
How's the fundraising going?
The participants are expected not to come empty-handed, but rather to promote the “Tour of Hope” all year round.
I place the topic again and again - for example at birthday parties.
How much money did you bring with you to the start this year?
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2240 euros.
But there are people who arrive with 30,000 or 40,000 euros.
But during the stages you also collect, right?
Yes, it's not like you ride your bike a bit and sit down in the ice cream parlor during the break.
Usually you are woken up at 6 a.m., then you cycle 80 to 120 kilometers a day.
At seven or eight stops, the group will be welcomed at the marketplace or at companies willing to donate.
And while someone is presenting the tour, you are handed a donation pig and collected.
There are also benefit events in the evenings where money is raised.
Almost sounds like stress...
No, it's great fun.
The participants are really enthusiastic about combining sport and a good cause.
And it is a super project to collect donations for sick children.
I am grateful to be a grandfather to two healthy grandchildren.
When you get to a children's leukemia ward, you know why you're doing something like that.
How much money did you raise this time?
Definitely over 2.5 million euros.
The exact sum is still being evaluated.
Further information
information about the charity campaign is available on the Internet at www.tour-der-hoffung.de
You can find more current news from the region around Bad Tölz at Merkur.de/Bad Tölz.
