At the beginning of November, 30 Swiss mountain bikers will set off on a 1,500-kilometer tour, including celebrities such as Andreas Meyer, André Lüthi, Nina Burri, and Alec von Graffenried. With this sporting adventure, they are raising money for the expansion of trauma surgery in Ethiopia.
This mountain bike tour is no walk in the park: on November 2, 2019, 30 men and women from Switzerland will set off on a two-week journey covering 1,500 kilometers across southwestern Ethiopia. With temperatures reaching up to 50 degrees Celsius, this is a major sporting challenge. But that's not all.
The adventure is characterized by its humanitarian purpose: anyone who wants to take part in the tour pays 20,000 Swiss francs for their entry ticket in the form of donations and personal sponsorship. For example, participants motivate people in their circle to make a certain donation for every kilometer they cycle. The aim is to raise at least CHF 800,000 in this way, and perhaps even CHF 1 million.
The money will go to the Swiss Surgeons in Ethiopia Foundation (GOSTAR), which uses it to finance sustainable improvements in medical care, particularly trauma surgery, for the population of Ethiopia. The driving force behind GOSTAR is Swiss surgeon Jörg Peltzer: after working as a doctor in various development projects in southwestern Ethiopia, he opened Ethiopia's first trauma surgery center at the University Hospital in Jimma in 2006 – the only such facility in a catchment area with over 20 million inhabitants. In 2009, he founded the GOSTAR Foundation. Since then, Swiss specialists in surgery and physiotherapy have been working regularly with Peltzer in Jimma. The focus is on training medical professionals in Ethiopia – a commitment that has saved many lives over the past 10 years.

The mountain bike tour is one of the ways to help cover the annual financial requirements of around 500,000 Swiss francs. This has also inspired prominent Swiss personalities. Andreas Meyer, CEO of SBB, will be among the participants at the beginning of November: "I find it fascinating what Jörg Peltzer has achieved.
 This project is a perfect way to help people who are suffering. Saving a small child's leg from amputation for 30 Swiss francs is a wonderful incentive for me.“ André Lüthi, CEO of Globetrotter, will also be taking part: ”I have a deep connection to Africa.
 Now I want to give something back to the continent in this way.“ Contortionist Nina Burri is also taking part: ”I am 100 percent convinced of the project and hope that my fame will encourage many people to donate.“ And the mayor of Bern, Alec von Graffenried, is combining the tour with his professional life: ”I wanted to take part in this tour earlier, but it never worked out schedule-wise. This year, I have a window of opportunity and will also be attending a conference in Africa in an official capacity, where I will meet the mayor of Addis Ababa."
The GOSTAR bike tour takes place every three to four years – this year for the fifth time. It will show participants the beauty of the country, but also its poverty and misery. The destination of the tour is the university hospital in Jimma, where a new orthopedic ward will be inaugurated to crown the adventure. “At the finish line, everyone will see for themselves what they have pedaled and sweated for and that the hardships were worth it for the future of the people of Ethiopia,” says initiator Jörg Peltzer.