Peace Cyclists in Damascus

On an international cycle tour from Germany to Egypt, twenty cyclists from Dresden are spreading the message of "peace and understanding." En route through the Near East, the Saxonians arrived in the Syrian capital of Damascus shortly before Christmas. Manuela Römer reports

Stefan Frotzschner, photo: Manuela Römer — "We are simply making a plea for a deepening of relations between Germany and each guest country we are visiting," says team leader Stefan Frotzschner

A reception at the Mayor's office. In the wood-paneled town hall in Damascus, the amateur cyclists from Dresden drop gratefully into the fine brocade armchairs. Their bicycles are parked just outside the door. Tanned, visibly exhausted and in full cycling gear, they are glad for this opportunity to relax after mastering the hilly route from Beirut to Damascus.

All of them are wearing yellow jerseys, each one a winner who has managed to cover 3,000 kilometers in the last four weeks. By the time they reach their final destination in Cairo, the "Tour de Peace" will have traversed a total of 4,500 kilometers – longer than the Tour de France.

"It's an athletic challenge. We want to prove that we can do it and at the same time promote understanding of other peoples. When we ride through the towns and villages, children cheer us on, and when we tell them we're from Alemania, they are thrilled that we have come such a long way to visit their country.

"It shouldn't be overrated: what we're doing is not going to start a revolution," says Dresden's City Councilor, Dietrich Ewers, modestly. At 66, he is the oldest participant in the tour.

A welcome sign of solidarity

photo: Manuela Römer — Peace Cyclists in Damascus, Mektab al-Anbar

The unusual visit from Germany comes at a good time for Bashar al-Mufti, Mayor of the Syrian capital. With the international pressure currently being exerted on Syria, every sign of solidarity is welcome, especially coming from the country where he did his studies:

"These people are visiting our country for the first time. That is very important. In this way, they can get to know our people, our lifestyle and our civilization." Al-Mufti accepts a message of greeting from Saxony's Minister President, Georg Milbradt.

A Syrian is taking part in the tour alongside the German cyclists. Omar Hassanein is his country's only top athlete in the field of cycling. Just back from the Asian Tour with a second-place trophy in hand, he joined up with the Germans in the city of Aleppo, in northern Syria.

Cycling is a fringe sport in Syria, and Hassanein repeatedly excites disfavor when seen in public wearing his cycling shorts. The ardent Jan Ulrich fan has great admiration for the German leisure-time athletes: "The participants in the tour are not young. Many are over 50, some even 66 years old, taking on such a long journey. Where I come from, we die at 66!"

In favor of a deepening of relations

In fluent German, Mayor Al-Mufti thanks the team leader, Stefan Frotzschner, for organizing the tour. Frotzschner, in real life an engineer at the Coswig roller foundry, explains in old East German jargon with a charming Saxonian accent the contents of the greeting from his Minister President:

"It says that peace is an honorable thing …" But how do Milbradt, Saxony and the peace message on two wheels all fit together? Is this a new take on advertising for the German state? Frotzschner denies this: Milbradt is merely the project's patron.

"We neither want to advertise Saxony specifically, nor do we want to interfere in the politics of the countries involved. We have no right to do so. We are simply making a plea for a deepening of relations between Germany and each guest country we are visiting. And we have been pleasantly surprised by how helpful the people here in Syria have been."

A small contribution to peace

On December 23, the group takes off again, rolling in the early morning hours through Damascus' still-sleeping Old Town. A stop is made at the city's most famous landmark, the Ummayyaden Mosque.

"What we're doing is a small contribution to the cause; we won't be able to achieve anything more. But perhaps it's enough when many people make small contributions. Then, all together, they can make a big difference. We just toured the mosque and there we saw huge pictures made up of many small mosaic pieces."

Manuela Römer

Translated from the German by Jennifer Taylor-Gaida

Qantara.de

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