Who cycles the most kilometers?
Foregoing train rides and leaving their cars behind, these employees pedaled with determination. Staff from 23 Berlin-based companies competed against each other in the annual contest "Who cycles the most?" Throughout the period from May 1st to June 30th, 2023, many employees from Campus Berlin-Buch and the Max Delbrück Center at both locations used their bicycles for commuting to work, the lab, or exploring the outskirts of Berlin on weekends.
In total, the team from Campus Buch, including employees from the Max Delbrück Center in Mitte, covered 155,801.9 kilometers and secured the third position. About nine percent of the nearly 2,900 people working here participated in "Who cycles the most?" (Wer radelt am moisten?). The top individual performer in the overall competition was Günther Pätz from the Bucher Celares GmbH, who rode an astounding 6,106 kilometers. Among all the cyclists at the Max Delbrück Center, Holger Gerhardt and Thomas Gladytz led the pack to 2,644 kilometers each. The winners of the competition were the Berliner Wasserbetriebe, followed by the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG).
Leading the board team
Participants in the competition could either accumulate kilometers individually or form a team with colleagues. The best teams from Campus Buch were congratulated during a ceremony held in July.
The MDC Board Team "Wheels of Change" excelled, with the most kilometers per team member, as Maike Sander and Holger Gerhardt collectively cycled 3,567.1 kilometers. Another successful team from EPO GmbH, including Maria Stecklum, Ole Daberkow, Nils Hauptstein, Diana Behrens, and Birgit Durieux, covered a total of 6,766 kilometers. The third position was secured by eleven cyclists from Max Delbrück Center and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, who formed the team "Kleinvieh macht auch Mist" (Small Livestock Matters Too): Sophie Niemeyer, Sarah Jeuthe, Ingo Polczyk, Petra Stallerow, Gabriele Ndiaye, Nicole Schirm, Markus Bürger, Marion Rösch, Katarina Schnell, Carina Richter, and Christine Krause covered a combined distance of 8,389.8 kilometers.
In total, 2,650 employees in Berlin collected 1,555,542 kilometers. This distance translates to savings of 295,553 kilograms of CO2 emissions if participants had chosen cars instead of bicycles. The number of participants increased by nearly 40 percent compared to the previous year.
About "Who cycles the most"
The competition originated from a cycling campaign initiated by the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe in collaboration with the Berliner Stadtreinigung and the Berliner Wasserbetriebe. It is organized by the "mehrwert Initiative Berlin," a consortium of Berlin's municipal companies. The competition aims not only to promote eco-friendly and healthy mobility, but also to showcase an enhanced quality of life while simultaneously cutting costs.
