If you’ve ever run a “turkey trot” on Thanksgiving Day, you know that many 5K and 10K road races serve as fundraisers for charities like local food banks. Now the Austrian freight forwarder Gebrüder Weiss is applying that model on a much wider scale.
On April 1, the company launched the fourth season of its international cycling campaign, GWcycles, calling on cycling enthusiasts worldwide to hit the saddle and pedal with purpose until Oct. 31. This year’s campaign, dubbed “Cycling for the Seas,” will support ocean cleanup efforts in addition to raising awareness about sustainable mobility. For every 100,000 kilometers (62,137 miles) cycled collectively, the company’s new partner, waste management solutions specialist CleanHub, will remove a ton of plastic waste from rivers and coastal regions of Southeast Asia.
That may sound like a long way to ride, but during last year’s event, cyclists around the world pedaled over 810,000 kilometers (503,310 miles)—the equivalent of riding to the moon and back—and the 2025 campaign runs a month longer than usual. When the clock runs out, the 300 most active riders will be entered into a drawing for a gravel bike, while the top-ranked cyclist will receive a Gebrüder Weiss winner’s jersey.
To register for GWcycles, which is open to all, go to www.gw-world.com/gwcycles.
