Henry Tell was 10 years old when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The diagnosis took a toll on the whole family, but a visit from Team Rynkeby gave hope in a difficult time. 10 years later, father and son crossed the finish line together in Paris.

Even though it’s been many years since, both Henry Tell and his father, Magnus Tell, have a crystal-clear memory of the same, watershed moment.

The year is 2012. It's the day of departure for the local Team Rynkeby team, Team Malmö, as their journey to Paris begins. The first stop is to wave goodbye to families and children at the hospital in Lund.

Here, then 10-year-old Henry Tell is hospitalized with acute lymphoblastic leukemia – blood cancer. Together with his father, he has spent the past many weeks on treatments and tests.

- Initially, we went to the doctor because Henry's throat was swollen. We thought he had an infection, Magnus Tell remembers.

It was far worse. Henry's condition was critical and required both surgery and a transplant. Hours, days and weeks flowed together until life in the hospital became a kind of strange routine.

- We kept our focus on the simple things. We couldn't do the doctors' work, but we could stand together as a family and keep believing, says Magnus Tell.

Yellow hope

It is during Henry’s hospitalization that Team Rynkeby visits the hospital. Henry is in isolation and isn’t allowed to leave nor have visits. That's why he’s not at the main entrance when the yellow-clad riders wave goodbye to the attendees.

But a few weeks earlier, his father Magnus had fallen into conversation with other fathers at the hospital. He has told them about his son's situation, and as a couple of his new acquaintances ride on the Team Rynkeby team, the story has spread. During their visit to the hospital in Lund, the team suddenly takes a detour and stops under the window of Henry's isolation room.

Here they wave up to the 10-year-old boy and shout encouraging words.

- At that time, I probably just thought it was cool to see all the riders, but since then the experience has taken on a special meaning, says Henry Tell.

Bicycle therapy

For Henry, the experience is a good example of what makes Team Rynkeby unique.

- It is more than an organization. Everyone who participates does so for the same reason and with the same intent; to help sick children. This makes Team Rynkeby one big family, he says.

His treatment is successful, and in 2014 Henry is declared cancer-free. That same year, his father Magnus cycles with Team Rynkeby to Paris, where Henry and the rest of the family welcome him at the finish line.

- The training as well as the trip itself was a kind of therapy for me; a way to process everything that had happened to Henry and to our family. It was also a way of giving back for all the help and support we had received, Magnus recalls.

The trip was tough, and Magnus Tell is convinced that it would be the first, only and last journey to Paris. But nine years later, in 2023, Henry decides to join Team Rynkeby himself – and he wants his father to ride along with him.

- I couldn’t really say no to that, says Magnus.

Leading their team across the finish line

Their whole team knew the father and son's story and insisted that they were leading the way across the finish line as the team approached Paris.

- It was a fantastic experience to be able to share the trip, the views and the experiences with each other and always have someone to lean on along the way. The highlight was of course crossing the finish line side by side with my father in Paris. I'll never forget that everything was just painted in yellow, Henry remembers.

The following year, in 2025, Henry and Magnus crossed the finish line together again in Paris. Now Henry is training for his first ride alone, while Magnus is cycling with Team Europe. Next year, father and son will begin their routes from Sweden and France respectively – but as always, they will meet at the finish line in Paris.

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.