This summer marks 11 years since Søren Birk cycled from Vejle to Paris for the first time with only one leg. One moment still stands out as unforgettable: The climb up the legendary Mur de Huy. Ever since, it has been an experience he has drawn strength from whenever life has presented him with a challenge. This year, he is riding with Team Rynkeby for the third time.

At the top of the Mur de Huy, two men dressed in yellow cycling jerseys embrace tightly. They are clearly moved — and with good reason.

One reason being that, on their way to Paris, they have just fought their way to the top of the famous Belgian “wall” dubbed Mur de Huy and can now take stock of the one-kilometre-long, famous and feared climb - averaging more than 9 per cent and reaching gradients of over 20 per cent in several sections.

But there is something even more special about the joy felt on that summer day. One of the two conquerors of the Mur de Huy is Søren Birk, who has only one leg and who, just under ten minutes earlier, had been given a push into the climb to get him started.

“It was a very special moment. I had to mentally pull myself together at the bottom before starting the 1,300 metres to the top. And speaking of the top — it was absolutely amazing that I could hear all my teammates cheering as I got closer. That gave me the final push. I will never forget the welcome I received at the top,” Søren Birk says today.

We will return to that moment.

Lost his leg as an infant

Søren Birk is 37 years old and has lived with one leg since he was an infant. As a baby, he was diagnosed with cancer in his leg, which led to an amputation all the way up to the hip. As a result, it is not something he spends much time thinking about.

“It may sound strange, but I don’t think much about missing a leg. It has always been that way, so I simply see it as an extra challenge,” says Søren Birk, who works as Head of Development for automation solutions within a collaboration of Danish educational institutions.

“I live a completely normal life with a full-time job, a family and children. That said, I was well aware that it was an ambitious project I was taking on when I signed up for Team Rynkeby. On the other hand, cycling has always played a big role in my family, and since I have had cancer myself, it felt like a natural project to be part of,” he says.

Team Rynkeby is for everyone

The man Søren Birk embraced at the top of the Mur de Huy was Ole Nikolajsen. Ole was team captain of Team Rynkeby Trekanten in 2015, and he clearly remembers his first meeting with the one-legged Team Rynkeby aspirant.

“I looked him in the eye and asked whether he really understood what he had signed up for. I could see that his participation would present some different challenges compared to what we were used to. But Søren had an incredible mindset and strong belief in his own abilities. I never doubted his determination to complete the ride. And that is exactly what Team Rynkeby should be able to embrace — so of course I wanted him on the team,” says Ole Nikolajsen.

Already at the introductory meeting, the iconic Belgian climb on the route to Paris became a topic of conversation. As a result, Søren Birk and Ole Nikolajsen spent many training rides battling the hills in and around the Danish city of Vejle in preparation for the journey.

A clear plan and a strong community

Søren was therefore well prepared — but naturally also nervous about whether he would be able to conquer “the wall”. Only once the Mur de Huy had been climbed was he truly able to focus on the main goal: Paris.

“Everyone talks about the Mur de Huy. It’s something you genuinely fear as a Rynkeby rider. That’s why Ole and I did a lot of hill training ahead of the ride, talking through our strategy for the Mur de Huy. It became my primary goal on the journey. It was only after reaching the top that I really started thinking about Paris,” says Søren Birk.

His team captain clearly remembers struggling to keep up with his teammate during the 1,300 metres to the top.

“He almost flew up the Mur de Huy. We were two riders assigned to support him along the way — helping him keep his balance and giving him a push if his speed dropped too much. But that hardly happened, only maybe once or twice. In fact, we had trouble keeping up with him,” Ole Nikolajsen recalls.

Søren Birk himself remembers the climb a little differently.

“I was really under pressure during the climb, but I was determined to make it. At one point I thought I wouldn’t manage it — and that was when I heard all my teammates cheering from the top. That gave me the final strength,” he says of the unique sense of community that carried him all the way up.

Lessons for life

The achievement has since become something Søren Birk has drawn on in other areas of life when facing challenges.

“There are many everyday situations where thinking back on that achievement helps me breathe a little easier and make more considered decisions. And when I’m faced with a real challenge, I can use the ride up the Mur de Huy to put things into perspective and think: Come on — it’s not worse than that,” he says.

His first ride with Team Rynkeby has also led to many more achievements on the bike. He has completed the queen stage of the PostNord Danmark Rundt cycling race three times, as well as ‘Denmark’s highest cycling race’. In addition, he has ridden countless long-distance amateur races and even competed in an official UCI para-cycling race. And he is eager for more.

In the 2026 season, he will once again ride to Paris with Team Rynkeby Trekanten.

This story is one of 10 gathered to mark Team Rynkeby’s 25th anniversary — stories about people who have helped shape our journey. Those who fight for others. Those who’ve received help. And those we’ve lost along the way.