By Helena Wimpole
The Cycling to Serve Fellowship had its origins in Belgium in 1984 when a Rotary club organised the first World Rotary Cycling Championships. The championships were held again in 1985 and 1986, but it was then decided that the effort was too much for a single club. Consequently, some of the Belgian and Dutch participants got together and formed the Cycling to Serve Fellowship in 1988 and annual events have been organised by Rotary clubs in many countries throughout the world, including Australia.
The Fellowship is a group of Rotarians dedicated to cycling with the objectives of developing worldwide friendship through cycling, both competitively and recreationally; to serve the community locally, nationally and internationally through cycling activities; and, to promote international understanding and peace.
Cycling is a wonderful way to keep fit and to maintain good physical and mental health. Rotarians from different age groups participate in the Fellowship’s activities and events, resulting in significant health improvements. One young Californian Rotarian with type one diabetes has been able to reduce his insulin considerably and avoid thousands of injections each year by cycling regularly.
The Cycling to Serve Fellowship particularly lends itself to raising funds and awareness about major medical and social issues. Some worldwide examples include Rotarian Action Group for Diabetes, which has been championed by the young Rotarian mentioned above; the UK Red Rubber Ball Foundation, which aims to help young Kenyan children obtain an education; in Lima, the Rotary Pedal, a collective of over 20 clubs, campaigns to “Respect the cyclist” to promote bicycles as sustainable transport and an aid to a healthy lifestyle, as well as a means to promote Rotary’s image in the community.
In Australia, the Cycling Fellowship strongly supports Australian Rotary Health and until this year there have been 33 annual bike rides for this cause. Bike rides to conferences occur annually and over recent years, these rides have raised funds and awareness for RoCan (Rotary Ovarian Cancer Research).
The Cycling to Serve Fellowship is dedicated to promoting cycling as an opportunity to develop friendships, enjoy a healthy lifestyle—physically and mentally—help the environment, and raise funds and awareness of important social issues.
For more information go to: https://cyclingtoserve.org/