Under the title "7 Summits", the non-profit organisation Radeln und Helfen e.V. has announced an ambitious charity cycle tour. Under the motto "Seven days, seven summits, seven challenges", the participants plan to symbolically conquer the altitude metres of the Seven Summits - the highest mountains on each continent - by road bike. They will be climbing from 19 to 27 July 2025, covering a total of over 43,000 metres in altitude and around 1,200 kilometres. The planned route leads through South Tyrol, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Some of the highest Alpine passes will be crossed along the way. With this campaign, the association wants to collect donations for aid projects in favour of children in need.
7 Summits daily stages and route
The 7 Summits Tour is divided into seven daily stages, each dedicated to one of the Seven Summits. On the first day, Denali (North America) is on the programme. The participants will cycle up the Traunstein high mountain 36 times to reach the required 6,190 metres in altitude. Day two symbolises the Elbrus (Europe) with 5,642 metres in altitude and leads over the route of the Ötztal Cycle Marathon. On the third day, the route climbs the Stilfser Joch three times to tackle the 4,884 metres of altitude difference of the Puncak Jaya (Australia). The fourth stage is dominated by the Aconcagua (South America) with 6,961 metres of altitude, which is to be achieved by cycling the Sellaronda in the Dolomites four times. Mount Vinson (Antarctica) is symbolised on the fifth day by climbing the Grossglockner and the Edelweissspitze three times. Day six leads to the Kitzbüheler Horn five times in order to conquer the 5,895 metres of altitude of Kilimanjaro (Africa). The seventh day concludes with Mount Everest (Asia) with 8,848 metres of altitude, which is to be achieved by climbing the Schlossberg in Garching near Munich 118 times.
7 Summits participation
Interested parties can take part in the campaign in various ways. The first option is to set your own goal and create a fundraising campaign on the organisation's website. This involves selecting a summit and the corresponding metres in altitude that you would like to symbolically climb by bike. These metres in altitude can then be completed on a suitable climb in your own area.
The second option is to join the team directly. You can come to the starting point and ride along on one of the stages or follow the ride live and join along the way. The organisers carry a tracker with them so that you can see where they are at all times.
As a third option, the organisation offers participation in the "grand finale". On the last day of the campaign, Mount Everest will be symbolically climbed together. On this day, a summer party is planned at the start and turnaround point, where anyone interested can cycle along and enjoy the atmosphere. Conquering the vertical metres of Everest has become a popular challenge in the cycling world. The rules for the Everesting are simple: a climb is cycled as many times as it takes to reach the height of Everest. In this specific case, the Schlossberg in Garching/Wald has to be cycled exactly 118 times.
7 Summits tracking and reports
The entire route of 7 Summits, including all climbs, is stored in the Komoot route planning app and can be viewed publicly. During the ride, participants will carry trackers with them so that interested parties can follow their progress live. The organisation also plans to share pictures, videos and impressions of the ride via various social media channels such as Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Background and motivation
Radeln und Helfen e.V. has been in existence for 13 years and is committed to helping children in need worldwide. With the planned campaign, the organisation not only wants to collect donations, but also raise awareness of the fact that each individual can take responsibility for the protection and well-being of the world. The symbolism of the highest peaks is intended to illustrate how important it is to change perspectives and recognise the need for action. The association emphasises that the campaign will push participants to their physical and mental limits, but sees it as an opportunity to inspire people to push their own boundaries and work for a good cause.
Kristian Bauer
Editor
