Day 13 – Eisenhuttenstadt to Berlin

If the old adage stands that Rain brings good fortune, then today was to be an extremely lucky day. At about 2am, the HSBC Lifecycle Team was abruptly startled out of its sleep by a massive thunderstorm, with torrential rain pours. Luckily, by dawn, the storm had passed, with a mere drizzle by the time the team woke up. Later on during the day, they were even blessed with sunny spells. Today, there was no need of a wake up call as all the cyclists woke up early, eager to start their last part of the HSBC Life Cycle Challenge – a ride that would take them from their accommodation in Eisenhuttenstadt right up to the famous Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. The camp was buzzing with excitement as the cyclists made their last minute arrangements, with the support team checking their bikes and the medical team massaging and treating sore and tired bodies. Psychological support was not lacking, not only from the back up team, but also the cyclists themselves reminding each other that the worst was over and that they would all make it to Berlin. The teams started leaving at 8am, proudly displaying the Maltese flag. Then, it was 130 km right up to Köpenick, where the HSBC Life Cycle Team met all together at the old city Council Hall, being greeted by Ms. Chantal Sciberras, first secretary of the Maltese Embassy, and by Ms. Christiane Leschirski, PA to the Ambassador. Following a narration of the history of Köpenick, the team was joined by none other than Benno Koch, director of the Cycling Federation of Germany, who kindly offered to take the cyclists himself to the Brandenburg Gate, some 30km away. The cyclists rode on a separate route from the support vehicles who, nonetheless drove in together to this historical part of Berlin. It was indeed an incredible sight with the cyclists cheering and proudly waving Maltese Flags as they all rode en masse to the Brandenburg Gate, where they were proudly cheered in by the whole support team, and by the Maltese Ambassador – Dr. John Paul Grech, and Parliamentary Secretary Mr. Clyde Puli, who happened to be on holiday in Berlin. The stunned German public and tourists looked on curiously at this minor invasion of this great capital city, while many clapped and cheered regardless. Indeed, a stunning finish to an incredible challenge – a Challenge full of challenges, where even experienced and past cyclists had felt the strain. 22 cyclists managed to finish the challenge, but hats off to the two cyclists who dropped out because of their injuries and who kept on supporting their team mates, and to the one cyclist who had to abruptly cut short his participation due to unforeseen circumstances, although there is no doubt that he would have made it to the end as he was in a very good time frame. The team then left for their accommodation in Berlin, where they set to work on packing their bikes. And finally, a well-deserved celebratory meal where they could finally relax and eat all together, without worrying about, or dreading the next day. The HSBC Life Cycle team will fly back to Malta tomorrow, 22nd August, and will be arriving at Malta International Airport at 16.30hrs. The Maltese public is encouraged to turn up to give a glorious welcome to these Maltese heroes, for achieving what few others dare try, indeed going Where Only Eagles Dare.