Reduce carbon footprint
What? Is it really that early? The alarm clock jolts me out of a deep sleep at 6.30 in the morning. Ouch... as I get out of bed in the hotel I can feel my thighs burning, and my legs shake as I make my way sleepily to the bathroom. Twenty minutes later I’m seeing the first familiar faces in the breakfast room. Sausage, cheese, bread rolls and smelling freshly-brewed coffee... if only it weren’t so early I could really indulge myself here! I force myself to take a bowl of muesli, although I’m not hungry. I know I need energy for the day ahead. At the thought of my bike saddle, my sit-bones begin to ache. We’ve been on the road for two days already, at the halfway point on the EXPOBIKE TOUR. But there’s no time for musing. In a few minutes I’m meeting my comrades in arms at the bike racks in the basement and we’re setting off on the leg from Bad Salzungen to Schweinfurt. The rain makes my heart sink, but there’s no going back now. We just have to keep pedaling, switch off our minds and conserve our strength. After the lunch break we start the last segment to our next overnight stop, where a well-earned evening meal will be awaiting us. But there’s also a certain sense of anticipation. I take a last mouthful and smile to myself. Target of the day: 100 kilometers? Yes, I can. // Some memories of the journey – by Sina Faass
480 kilometers in four days by bike through Germany. To a professional cyclist this is just a warm-up, but to an amateur it’s a form of torture. For the participants in this year’s EXPOBIKE TOUR, it’s both an inspiration and a challenge. The aim of ImmoSport, the initiator of the Tour, is to promote sustainability by offering a physically active alternative way of travelling to EXPO REAL, providing participants with an opportunity to network while reducing their carbon footprint. Eleven Dreso staff members joined the Tour, which is organized by real estate professionals, for real estate professionals. How did our colleagues Sina Faass, Nina Demirer, Franziska Polleter and Joachim Lenschow manage to complete the Hanover to Nuremberg leg together in only four days? What do they tell us about this special journey?
As the 2022 EXPOBIKE TOUR was the twelfth one, many of the participants already knew each other from previous years. How long have you been taking part in the Tour?
Franziska: For me, as for Sina and Nina, it was the first EXPOBIKE TOUR, but hopefully not the last!
Joachim: I’ve actually been taking part for a long time – since 2012, in fact. So this was my sixth or seventh time on the start list. Why I keep coming back? Riding with a group of cycling enthusiasts is such fun, and the motivation behind the Tour is just brilliant.
Hats off to you, and congratulations on a successful Tour! To an outsider, it’s incredibly impressive that you cycled almost 500 kilometers. How long did you train for the Tour?
Sina: Thank you. It is a big thing, and not only for outsiders – I found it quite daunting myself. Dreso’s social media involvement in advance of the Tour got me started with cycling at the end of March 2022 – but not regularly and mostly only over short distances. I started properly, with my own new gear, in the beginning of July.
Nina: I actually hadn’t sat on a bike for two years. So, before I started training, I also found the daily distances very daunting. But because I work out a lot – I do crossfit training – I knew I could push myself to my physical limits and beyond.
With or without training, you must have had new emotions every day. Hand on heart: What was the most difficult thing for you on the journey?
Nina: Having to stuff tons of food into myself every morning at 7 o’clock, so that I had enough energy for the next few hours on the bike – I wasn’t used to that at all!
Sina: For me, the hardest thing mentally was definitely the rain. Having to just keep going, even when it’s pouring with rain and you lose the will to continue. It’s slippery, you can’t see anything, you’re cold, you get hungry... no matter how much training you’ve done, the unaccustomed physical strain is something else! Your shorts are likely to chafe at times, your arms will hurt from stretching and supporting your weight, your neck will hurt from looking ahead all the time. But there are little tricks for improving all these things.
It sounds like a real extreme sport! You all deserve a big pat on the back for making it. What were you most proud of?
Franziska: For me, right from the start I knew that taking part meant going all the way to Munich. I wanted to cover the distance by muscle power alone and make a statement that the bicycle is a great mode of transport, even for long journeys. To have made it in all kinds of weather was a wonderful feeling.
Sina: That’s true – BUT: sometimes the hardest thing is to listen to yourself. That’s how I felt on the third day, when I couldn’t finish the last twenty kilometers because I had bad knee pain. I was holding up the group and running the risk of not being able to take part on the fourth day. I had to force myself to show my weakness and do the sensible thing by dropping out that day.
Nina: It’s also hard to resist the temptation to take the easy way out and allow the ‘broom wagon’ to take you to the finish.
Now let’s look at the positive things: what were your personal highlights of the EXPOBIKE TOUR?
Sina: The best thing for me was the opportunity to network with the other participants, and the fact that we became so close to each other so quickly. It is like a school trip – I would say, like being in a small family. We were all in the same situation and had to get on with it. But everything is easier together than alone. Another highlight for me was the route, which took us through areas which, while not popular holiday destinations, were really beautiful. And when the sun was shining, that made everything perfect!
Nina: Like Sina, the networking aspect was the most important thing for me. It’s amazing how quickly we were able to meet so many interesting contacts from the real estate sector – especially for newcomers like me. I’ve already bumped into some of the other participants by chance at subsequent events – it was a great pleasure to see each of them again. Another highlight was realizing that it’s possible to travel more than 100 kilometers per day on a bike without any major problems. I was really daunted by this fitness challenge in the run-up to the event – but as part of the group it was quite manageable.
Franziska: I have to agree. Each stage had its own challenges and rewards, and it was always fantastic to arrive together at the next destination and see the other participants again and find out how they got on. Another personal highlight for me was the long additional stage from Nuremberg to Munich. Only the hard core among us were still on the road that day.
The route ran very close to where I come from. That gave me extra motivation and encouragement to finish the 215 kilometers, which we covered in extremely good time despite considerable differences in altitude. On the previous days there was heavy rain, but although we started off from Nuremberg in fog, the sun soon came out and stayed with us until Munich. Arriving at the finish line in Munich – Luitpoldstrasse, Odeonsplatz and then we reached Marienplatz – was the crowning moment of the Tour.
Joachim: Yes, the weather really matters. The last segment to Munich, which we completed as a small group, was unforgettable for me too: After being soaked during two days of rain, that last segment in sunshine was just indescribable.
The aim of ImmoSport, the initiator of the Tour, was to promote sustainability by offering a physically active alternative way of travelling to EXPO REAL, providing participants with an opportunity to network while reducing their carbon footprint. Did the Tour fulfill its purpose as far as you’re concerned?
Sina: Absolutely, the Tour showed that it’s possible to make alternative arrangements for travel to an event, and the benefits from doing so – for instance, a bike tour like this brings people together and enables them to get to know others from the same sector in a different way. Hierarchies have no role to play here – everyone has the same goal and they want to reach it together. But the Tour also showed that there is still room for improvement in relation to sustainability. We will work on that together with ImmoSport for 2023. Stay tuned!
Joachim: I fully agree. I’d suggest that for 2023, it would be nice if maybe not only the sponsors, but also the other participants, were able to say a few words about their work at the start of the Tour. There are lots of opportunities for networking.
Nina: For me, the Tour had more of a symbolic value – a great way of initiating discussions about the important issue of C02 emissions.
Franziska: Exactly. This activity was about setting an example and creating awareness of C02 emissions in our daily activities – both privately and at work – and it succeeded. Of course, this mode of transport will not be appropriate for every journey, but what is important here is being conscious of the impact every journey has on the climate. That was highlighted by the EXPOBIKE TOUR and, of course, by the calculations by EPEA and Drees & Sommer.
The tour organization was perfect, it was thoroughly planned and carried out with passion. Thank you so much to ImmoSport e.V., the tour guides and, of course, Dreso and the sponsors of this year’s tour.
However, what I’d like to see in the coming years is for women from the real estate industry to be more visible and drive sustainability in our sector. I was struck by the small number of women on the EXPOBIKE TOUR, and it was even more noticeable at the EXPO REAL: with ten women out of eighty participants, there is still a lot of development potential for women!
I’m sure I’ll see some of the participants in the Tour again on future projects or at future events. Cycling brings people together, and I’m already looking forward to EXPOBIKE TOUR 2023!
On that note, many thanks for the very interesting insights into the Tour and for telling us about your experiences. That sounded like a very clear call for women in particular to take part next year!
How can I participate in the EXPOBIKE TOUR?
The answer to this question and many other details about the Tour can be found here (in German language): ImmoSport e.V. – Expobike
We will be happy to inform you about the role of Drees & Sommer and our activities. Please contact: sina.faass(at)dreso.com.
