Fun Rally Draws Hundreds of Hobby Cyclists to the “World’s Biggest Folding-Bike Hill Race”

About 1,100 people are expected to tackle Germany’s highest point in the Palatinate Forest on folding bicycles, in a race that is as sweaty as it is tongue-in-cheek.

The event, officially called the Kalmit Folding-Bike Cup, starts in Maikammer south of Neustadt an der Weinstraße. Organizers promote it as the “world’s biggest folding-bike hill race.” The 35th edition covers 6.5 kilometers and climbs 450 meters to the Kalmit.

Only folding bicycles without gears are allowed. Race director Holger Gockel said the registered participants range from an 86-year-old competitor to a three-year-old, while women account for 25 percent of the field for the first time.

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The oldest participant is 86 years old, the youngest 3 years old. This year, the proportion of women has risen to 25 percent for the first time.

The event’s playful theme is reflected in its expected participants, including Michel from Klappeberga, Pippi Klappstrumpf and the Hellsinki Hellriders. Peter Zürker, chairman of the Palatinate Folding-Bike Club, said the race had developed into a parade in recent years. “Most participants are no longer focused on winning, but rather on showing off their creativity and ability to endure,” he said.

Creative costumes, elaborately decorated bicycles and good spirits are central to the event, which is popular across Rhineland-Palatinate and neighboring Saarland. The folding bicycle, also known as a collapsible bike, is presented as a symbol of the 1970s.

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Most participants are no longer focused on winning, but rather on showing off their creativity and ability to endure.