New impetus for German cycling: the NGIY association is committed to supporting young German cycling talent on their way to the top. This is how the plan is to be realised.
Cycling is certainly not a fringe sport in Germany - but despite a lively club scene, a national umbrella organisation German Cycling (formerly BDR) and broad public interest, which is, however, very much focused on the Tour de France, it is not easy for young talents and up-and-coming athletes to assert themselves in cycling and perhaps even make it to the top internationally. This is why the newly founded NGIY association has set itself the task of supporting young talent on their way. The acronym NGIY stands for "Next German in Yellow" - the next German in the yellow jersey (of the Tour de France).
Primary goal: money for young talent and new talent
The association was recently founded in Willingen in the Sauerland region. The driving force behind the organisation is entrepreneur and idea generator Stefan Penno, Managing Director of Rembe, one of the world's leading companies for process technology and safety. Rembe is already involved in cycling as sponsor of the Continental team of the same name, Rembe | rad-net: On the occasion of the founding of the association, he said: "Germany has first-class engineering skills, leading bicycle manufacturers, innovative drive technology and high-quality clothing and accessories - a product landscape that sets international standards. At the same time, it is clear that it has not yet been possible to systematically bring young talent to the top."
This is where the new support association wants to get involved and does not see itself in competition with the cycling association German Cycling. It is not about parallel structures, bypassing the classic career paths in cycling. The primary aim is to make money available through memberships and sponsorships to provide targeted support for young cyclists. This could be petrol money for the parents of a young cyclist to be able to drive her to races, new helmets for the youth team or a subsidy for a training camp.
Decisions on the use of the funds are made by the organisation's advisory board, which is chaired by two-time Olympic champion Kristina Vogel and Frank Richter, content creator from Magdeburg. The president of the organisation is former track cyclist Robert Förstemann. The executive committee also includes Roger Kluge, three-time Madison world champion, German cyclocross champion Marcel Meisen, Frankfurt lawyer Nicolas Dumont from the law firm Graf von Westphalen as legal advisor and Timo Jaschke, Senior Advisor Wealth Management at DZ Privatbank as treasurer.
Prominent ambassador is the "Tourteufel"
The founders presented the "tour devil" Didi Senft as an ambassador. In future, he will use the new club bus to raise awareness of NGIY's mission worldwide. All members who wish to do so will have their names printed on the vehicle.
Vice President Bernd Sudhoff also made it clear at the founding event: "We want to make cycling dreams tangible and are aimed at people, partners and investors who want to actively promote the development of German cycling - with the aim of not leaving sporting success to chance, but rather making it possible in a targeted manner."
Thomas Musch
Publisher
