On 13 September 2025, the European Peace Ride reached its destination in Chemnitz. After three stages covering over 500 kilometres and around 6,500 metres in altitude, more than 220 participants from several countries rode together to the Jutta Müller Ice Sports Centre. The final party, the Sattelfest, took place there, with music, encounters and socialising.
The fifth edition of the European Peace Ride began on 8 September in Nova Gorica, Chemnitz's European Partner City of Culture. A 20-strong team first covered the route to Passau, where the official starting signal was given on 11 September. At the same time, 50 riders started in the Polish city of Wałbrzych and joined the main field in Ústí nad Labem. Along the way, there were meetings with the local population and a cultural programme in Plzeň and Ústí.
The European Peace Ride is one of the central projects in the Chemnitz 2025 programme and recalls the tradition of the International Peace Ride. With the first edition in 2021, the idea of closely combining sport and culture and building bridges between countries and people was taken up. The fact that the application book for the title of Capital of Culture was brought to Berlin by bike in 2020 is still regarded as the symbolic starting point of the project.
This year, riders from Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Slovenia, Austria and Brazil took part. In addition to its sporting character, the cycle race is also a platform for exchange: representatives from companies, universities and institutions accompanied the stages, took part in discussions and established new contacts in the partner cities.
The arrival in Chemnitz once again emphasised the extent to which the project connects the city with other Capitals of Culture and European regions. Initiator Kai Winkler emphasises: "The Ride shows that sport and culture belong together. It's not just about the kilometres, but about the encounters along the way and togetherness in Europe."