With cheers, dozens of people pounce on the overturned container and stuff their pockets with potatoes. Many wear colorful Lycra and bicycle helmets. Because this is the start of the so-called potato ride – from a farm behind Mammendorf in the Fürstenfeldbruck district you cycle a good 30 kilometers to Munich.
The starting point of the charity campaign is the so-called potato combine, a cooperatively organized community gardening company that supplies 2,300 Munich households with an organic vegetable box every week and also grows the potatoes on half a hectare of field. 65 volunteers are now driving the harvest of three tons to the city center. For example, Caritas is waiting here to distribute the tubers to those in need – including free cooking workshops.
With the campaign, the helpers are bringing together six future topics on a small scale: sustainable consumption, natural agriculture, regional production, emission-free freight transport, nutritional education and financial relief for those in need. The campaign is supported by the Federation for Nature Conservation, the Munich Nutrition Council and the ADFC. But cultivation costs money. The donation goal is 15,000 euros, only half of which has been collected so far.
Some cyclists can transport more than 200 kilograms – such as bicycle activist Martin Laschewski, who is there with his cargo bike team. “Basically, it is also a showcase of cargo bikes and bicycle trailers,” says Laschewski. “I have a payload of 120 kilos at the front and back.” But he doesn’t want to exhaust these values this year: “With 240 kilos of potatoes it’s no longer fun. And we’re here for a bit of fun today.”
The trip is organized by bicycle activist Martin Laschewski and Katharina Horn from the Federal Nature Conservation Association.
(Photo: Felix Hartmann)
65 helpers pedal during the campaign.
(Photo: Felix Hartmann)
The overturned potato container is the third that the Spandex athletes have reloaded. There was about a ton in each one. With 65 helpers, everyone puts an average load of around 45 kilograms on their bike – and especially their calves – on the two-hour journey.
When the entourage sets off under rainbow flags and the sound of countless bicycle bells, the mood is good. It’s different for a few drivers who have to exercise patience behind the line every now and then. At kilometer three of 30 there was a whistling noise: the first tire gave way under the load. But the plan is working, co-organizer Katharina Horn from the Federal Nature Conservation Agency reports happily upon arrival: “All panels have been repaired and no accidents.”
Information at www.kartoffelfahrt.de and www.kartoffelkombinat.dedonate at betterplace.org.