Peter Winnen
There are beautiful dreams and there are magnificent dreams.
An example of a beautiful dream could be: a cycling tour of a good 5500km from the North Cape to Athens. Some dreamers even take it on an, even better, they finish it too. Another almost superhuman achievement added to the record of mankind. Respect!
An example of a magnificent dream could be: a cycling tour from the North Cape to Athens within thirty days. This implies a daily average of 183.333km. That is an average professional racing cyclists make and it deserves even more respect. And if one considers that these dreamers don’t just do this to satisfy their personal ambitions, one can only stand still and make a bow.
I very much applaud the decision to link this, as yet to be completed, tour de force to KiKa. There can not be too much research into cancer in children. A lot has been achieved to date, but there are still many victories to be won. I wish the entire team, cyclists, helpers, organisers and all the best of success both in the preparation and in the actual tour itself in August 2012.
No doubt there will be bad and even horrible days during the tour, taking into account this hefty daily average. At those times, remember that with a little bit of pain you are helping to fight a much more intense pain elsewhere.
Peter Winnen,
3rd place in the Tour de France,
2x winner at Alpe d’Huez