2024 without Querfeldrhein

Dear cycling community, dear hat friends,
After internal discussions in the organization team, we have decided to cancel Querfeldrhein 2024. Believe us, this decision was not easy for anyone, but given the experiences of the last few years, the current situation in the cycling industry and the prospects for the fall, this seems to us to be the best option at the moment. It was and is important to us to make a decision ourselves before we realize halfway through the process that our cycling festival in Grafenberg cannot be implemented.
We don't want to complain, after all, we are happy and grateful in retrospect that we were able to create an event within three years that, with its independent character, location and diversity, had significance far beyond the local community. In 2023, we were delighted to have an international field of riders that we certainly would never have expected in terms of quality and breadth at our debut. We would have liked to continue down this path in the spirit of #makecyclocrossgreatagain, but we also have to recognize that our options as a team to manage an event of this magnitude on a purely voluntary basis have been exhausted. We have implemented Querfeldrhein with dedication and passion over the last three years, but too many other private and professional projects have fallen by the wayside.
The positive response we have received from countless participants over the three years shows that the event has fulfilled its purpose of being a colorful, professional and serious event for the daily growing cycling community. And that there is a need and potential for such an event. But it is a shame to see that too few cities, too few sponsors and brands recognize and are able and/or willing to honor this.
The quality of this type of cycling event, which is really made by the community for the community, may not always be apparent at first glance. But if you look closely, the direct contact on site, spectators and participants on an equal footing, the positive atmosphere and all of this at a relatively manageable cost should have partners and sponsors lining up. We keep our fingers crossed for all colleagues out there who continue to organize high-quality events and take our hats off to your commitment.
Perhaps other opportunities will arise in the future, perhaps there will be ways and means for Querfeldrhein to make a comeback. Until then, we will focus our voluntary commitment on RUND UM DIE KÖ with an almost identical, but slightly larger, organizing team in order to continue to secure a place for the sports city of Düsseldorf in the national and international cycling calendar.
Our big thank you goes to everyone who has helped to realize this great event over the last three years, whether as a partner, helper, sponsor, spectator or participant.
Carsten Wien on behalf of QFR
PS: The hat says thank you to Alexandra from DestinationX, Mats from g31, to the Cycling Club Düsseldorf and to Ingo and the team from Wahoo, without you we would not have started...
2 comments
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Lothar Katzer on
Schade, ich bedauere es sehr. Danke für die bisherige Arbeit.
Schade und gleichzeitig vielen Dank für die tollen Austragungen! :)