Eurotour 2012 Moscow
25th May 2012 Luxembourg – Dresden
Once again the Eurobiker get ready for the departure of a further edition of their annual Charity Tour, the 10th anniversary Eurotour! First they are received on the 22nd floor of the Parliament Building by Mr Claude Wiseler in presence of HE Mr Alexander Shulgin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Luxembourg, the Mayor of the City of Luxembourg Mr Xavier Bettel, the chairman of the European Motorcycle Union UEM Mr Vincenzo Mazzi and the 1rst Vice president of the International Motorcycle Federation FIM Mr Jorge Viegas. The first stage of this memorable anniversary tour is started with the benediction of Mgr. Jean-Claude Hollerich, archbishop of Luxembourg, and escorted by the police of Luxembourg under a bright sky. In the evening all participants arrive safe and sound to their first stop in Dresden after a trip of 675 km for “training”
26th May 2012 Dresden – Warsaw
The Eurobiker have to get up early to tackle the 614 km to Warsaw in Poland. Here and there one road
works meets the other and it doesn’t advance really speedy. Nevertheless the participants succeed to arrive at time at the stipulated gathering point at the entry of Warsaw. Here they are expected from a police escort that leads them first to the Embassy of Luxembourg to Poland, where they are cordially received from HE Mr Conrad Bruch. The participants have the opportunity to visit an exhibition of RTL, the only western radio station that could be received in the eastern countries even at the era of the Iron Curtain. The first 1300 km of the tour are accomplished!
27th May 2012 Warsaw – Kaunas
Up from Warsaw the itinerary continues to Lithuania. At the Nemuno Žiedas, the only Lithuanian motorsport track, the Eurobiker are still expected from members of different Lithuanian motorcycle clubs. The participants who wish or need to really speed up once their engines may catch the opportunity to buck up on this well designed track. Finally a round is turned in convoy with all the bikes and vehicles, according to the statement of Virginijus Visockis, chairman of the Lithuanian Motorcycle Federation, the slowest round that has ever been officially stopped on the track. On the picturesque town hall square in Kaunas the 10th Eurotour is received with folkloristic performances. Here are also dispensed gifts to children living in foster families. After this relatively short leg of 464 km the participants are always fit enough to enjoy a common dinner in the old town. The evening shower is freely supplied with a heavy thunderstorm.
28th May 2012 Kaunas – Bauska – Riga
The first stop in Latvia is at the SOS children’s village in Bauska. Here the Eurobiker meet the children with their foster mothers in presence of Ms Kristiãna Lĩbane-Škẽle, the consul for Luxembourg in Latvia. Like always the impressing strong motorbikes are the main attraction and with a little tour with the children the ice is quickly broken. In spite of all language problems the contact difficulties are overcome at a small common lunch. And of course the Eurobiker don’t start again before to handover material gifts like toys, blankets, laptops and a donation cheque. With the help of the motorcycle clubs Hermejs and Brothers of the wind the tour goes rapidly on to Riga and from here with police escort to a reception in the City Hall by the Mayor Nils Ušakovs. After that the Eurobiker visit the Riga Motor Museum that shelters numerous worth seeing old-timers. The participants who like may also test the old track located behind the Museum. In the evening everybody is free to explore at will the old and excellently conserved hanseatic town.
29th – 30th May 2012 Riga – Velikiye Luki – Istra
At last, at the start to the Russian border guard Burachki the participants show some edginess. But thanks to the excellent preparatory work of the organization team together with the chairman of the Russian Motorcycle Federation Alexander Lunkin and the Luxemburgish embassy in Moscow it succeeds to bring within a few more than 4 hours the complete 10th Eurobiker anniversary tour with all participants,
vehicles and luggage to Russian territory. At the Russian side the Eurobiker are welcomed by Alexander Lunkin, his assistant Natalia Borodulina and members of the “Night Wolves”, the most important Russian motorcycle club. From here and while the whole stay in Russia each group is accompanied by 2 members of the Night Wolves respectively by Alexander and Natalia them-selves. This escort is soon proving absolutely indispensable. Most of the navigation devices don’t know Russia, signboards are only labelled with Cyrillic scripts and the streets are in a very bad state. After a stage that has been a few more arduous than those before the Eurobiker arrive with some delay at Velikiye Luki. Nevertheless they are very cordially received by the responsive of the City and of the Pskov Oblast and the children of the Rodnichok children’s home with folkloristic performances and music. And again, there are the motorbikes as well as a small ride on the passenger seat that raise real enthusiasm and prove that thanks to simple means communication difficulties do not exist. At the handover of a donation cheque to the orphanage follows with a silent ceremony the lay down of a wreath and 2 red carnations by each participant at the Memorial in tribute to the victims of the fierce fighting around Velikiye Luki during the Second World War. Next day, the penultimate stage of the tour is taken to an overnight stop in Istra
31st May – 3rd June 2012 Istra – Moscow
Finally the tour nears more and more to the final destination Moscow, and the anticipation and excitement increase. But at first the Eurobiker are confronted with the everyday traffic around and in Moscow that moves somewhere between stagnation and pace. After this very exhausted tour one last challenge for patience and nerves! And then the unrivalled highlight of this and all the previous Eurotours: the 10th Eurobiker anniversary tour arrives at the Red Square whose northern area is edged left and right with the bikes of different Russian motorcycle clubs. The participants are already expected from the Luxemburgish consul in Russia Mr Jean-Claude Kugener, the chairman of the Benelux office in the Russian ministry for foreign affairs Mr Vadim Razumovski and the chairman of the Russian ministry for sports Mr Vladimir Pavlov on a specially established stage. The official welcoming is preluded with the traditional proffering
of bread and salt. After different speeches the Eurobiker attend to excellent performances of a children song and rap group and a majorette group. The participants of the anniversary tour are entirely aware of attending a very extraordinary event: never before in the history of motorcycle sport has a motorcycle tour or club been received at the Red Square! Nobody feels ashamed of his eyes filled with tears in this emotional moment. During the following 3 days one unforgettable event follows to the other: a performance of the choir of the Black Sea Fleet, an evening at the very special main seat of the Night Wolves that is a copy of the arena from the movie “Mad Max”, a traditional sightseeing tour, an emotional lay down of a wreath and flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for which the concerned area at the Kremlin Wall has been closed for all other visitors, a visit of the Kremlin with a parade of the Presidential Guard, a meeting with children from a children’s home at Zvenigorod at the Donskoy Monastery including the handover of a donation cheque and a common lunch with the children in ectory of the monastery, fantastic dinners with all that the Russian kitchen can offer and entertainment. And of course there remains also time for the individual exploration of the city that enables everybody to add his own special experiences. The
permanent and competent guiding of our Russian Motorcycle friends allows to the Eurobiker to know Moscow in a way usually refused to normal tourists. The cordiality and warmth of the people beside of the administrative institutions have no equal and deeply reforms the images planted in some heads. The hosting in the famous and impressing Hotel Metropol close to the Read Square is a deserved recuperation from all the strains before.
