Velocipedists on rebuilt historic vehicles, headed by the Vice World
Champion in hobbyhorse riding Walter Werner from Austria, and newly
made
vehicles, built by the carpenter
guild of Mannheim, historic bicycles as well as Rikschas,
a brand-new "conference-bike"
for a driver and 6 participents were riding the historic way of the
first
ride from Mannheim castle to the Drais memorial, close to the former
mail
station
Schwetzinger Relaishaus. Returning to town, a rebuilt of
the original Benz motorcar did join the parade and did remember on
Berta
Benz' return from the first over-land tour from Mannheim to Pforzheim.
The
initiative Local Agenda 21 Mannheim-Neckarau e.V. and ADFC
section Mannheim (ADFC = Overall German Cyclist
Club)
had invited schools situated in Mannheim and in the Rhein-Neckar area,
if they were bearing Karl Drais or Carl Benz in their names to join the
parade. Far more than 1300 pupils from Mannheim, Ladenburg and
Karlsruhe
were announced to participate. Many other persons did show up also, the
Mannheim police was reporting about 2000 participents in total.
The Goethe-Institut
Mannheim-Heidelberg submitting already the biography of Carl Drais
in many languages such as French,
Spanish,
Thai and Japanese did join the parade also, being equipped with
bicycles
by Biotopia
Fahrradstation
or being carried by Rikscha-Service
Rhein-Neckar.
Rudolf Höcker (head of committee), Paul Buchert (member of
Mannheim
city parliament) and the Lord Major of Mannheim Gerhard Widder,
participating
together with his deputies Mechthild Fürst-Diery, Dr. Peter Kurz,
Lothar Quast and Christian Specht, did welcome in the yard of Konrad-Duden-Schule
many prominent guests: former federal trainer of cyclists Karl Ziegler,
the cyclist racing legend Willi Altig, the head of US army in Mannheim
Melissa Sturgeon, the deputy head of University of Mannheim Prof. Dr.
Martin
Schader, the head of Goethe-Institut Dr. Barbara Malchow-Tayebi,
several
members of city parliament and Klaus-Peter Wunderlich, head of
Deutschen
Bank in Mannheim presenting the trophy given by the Initiative „Germany
– Land of Ideas“. Songs being presented by chorus of Pfingstbergschule
conducted by Esther Fröhlich.
Having far more participents showing up in the morning than being
announced,
the drinks and Pretzel handed out at the break became short. Little
number
of broken bicycles did enable the mobile bike repair team by Neckarauer
Radsporthauses Schmidt and the bus collecting the "bikeless" or
exhausted
sponsored by Carsharing
organisation Stadtmobil Rhein-Neckar AG to provide each help being
required. A relaxed morning was enjoyed also by the emmergency service
of Arbeiter Samariter Bund and Johanniter Unfall Hilfe, since no
one was hurt.
Even the push given by a non-participating motorcar to a guarding police motorbike was not too serious. Last, not least a very special help was offered by the head of police guarding the parade. A well decorated hobby-horse did loose it's bell, the rip being broken. Commenting whilst driving in a car, the shoe would fit anyhow, police officer Klaus Wiedeholt did present one of his shoe-lace for an immediate repair.
ADFC Mannheim and Lokale Agenda 21 MA-Neckarau wish to thank for
support:
Biotopia
Fahrradstation, DaimlerChrysler
Lehrwerkstatt Mannheim, Deutsche
Bank Mannheim, Gewerbeverein Rheinau, Johanniter
Unfall Hilfe and Arbeiter
Samariter Bund, Landesmuseum
für Technik und Arbeit, Konrad-Duden-Schule,
Mercedes-Benz
Rhein-Neckar, MVV
Energie AG, Neckarauer Radsporthaus Schmidt, Pfingstbergschule,
Rikscha-Service
Rhein-Neckar,
Schreinerinnung
Mannheim, Stadtmarketing
Mannheim und Karlsruhe,
Stadtmobil
Rhein-Neckar AG, Stadtverwaltung
Mannheim, Verkehrspolizei
Mannheim and the ADFC/Agenda-Team Barbara and Rudolf Höcker,
Peter
Grosse, Karlheinz Hauk, Christel Hittinger, Gerhard And Gerd
Hüttmann,
Ming Luk, Sieglinde Rinderknecht, Armin Winkler und Elke
Wolff, Mannheim and Ludwigshafen.
We wish to thank all participents, who joining the parade gave their respect to Karl Drais and Carl Benz !
»Tradition is not adoring the ash, but carring on the fire
«
(Gustav Mahler, austrian composer, 1860 – 1911)