A doctor’s visit 25 years ago set everything in motion. It inspired Knud Vilstrup to turn his dream of cycling to Paris into reality — and became the starting point of what is today Europe’s largest charity cycling team, Team Rynkeby. “Never in my wildest imagination did I think it would grow this big,” Knud says today.
Knud Vilstrup still regularly meets up with the doctor who, 25 years ago, gave him the wake-up call that changed everything: “You have smoker’s lungs.”
The message did not just change Knud Vilstrup’s life. It also marked the beginning of Team Rynkeby and a fundraising effort that has since raised more than DKK 850 million – more than EUR 113 million - for children with critical illnesses.
Instead of throwing up his hands and carrying on as before, Knud Vilstrup pulled himself together. He began dreaming of cycling to Paris to watch the Tour de France — and enjoy a cool pastis in the shade of the Eiffel Tower.
A few months after the doctor’s visit, Knud Vilstrup sat down with colleagues from Rynkeby Foods at the company’s annual Christmas party. Somewhere between the pickled herring and the obligatory schnapps, he shared the doctor’s message — and his dream of cycling to Paris, seeing the Tour de France and improving his own health along the way.
The idea was planted. The foundation laid. And just over half a year later, Knud Vilstrup and ten fellow recreational cyclists with ties to Rynkeby Foods rode to Paris — creating what would become the Team Rynkeby we know today.
We just wanted to get to Paris
Between 2002 and 2008, Knud Vilstrup completed seven rides to Paris with Team Rynkeby before parking the yellow bike and turning his attention to other projects.
Today, Team Rynkeby is something entirely different from the small group of cyclists who once rolled out from the small Danish town of Ringe. Knud Vilstrup therefore does not wish to take credit for what the project has become.
“We were just a small team doing it for fun — and to help some children who were having a hard time. It was never meant to become something big. We just wanted to get to Paris,” he says, adding:
“When I stopped after seven years, we were maybe around 100 riders. I remember Rynkeby’s CEO at the time, Jørgen Dirksen, saying he hoped we could one day reach 500 participants. I told him that would never happen. Now there are 3,000, if you count it all up. It’s hard to grasp.”
A famous actress played a key role
The early years were marked by a kind of chaotic charm. There were no support vehicles, no mechanics, no well-stocked rest stops with hot meals. The riders survived on jam sandwiches and often had little more than a loose sense of direction towards the next hotel.
“We rode with paper maps and had to figure things out as we went. We got lost several times a day and had to ask for directions. But that was part of the charm. It may have been a bit messy — but that was also what made it fun,” he recalls.
In the first year, Knud Vilstrup and his cycling friends raised DKK 38,000, which was donated to the paediatric oncology department at Odense University Hospital. The following year, the amount grew to DKK 100,000 — and suddenly a question arose: who should receive the money?
That was when Knud Vilstrup’s long-time colleague, Bente Madsen, suggested the Danish Childhood Cancer Foundation (Børnecancerfonden) — inspired by a rather unexpected source.
“It was actually because of the actress Ghita Nørby. She was an ambassador for the Childhood Cancer Foundation at the time, and we absolutely adored her. So Bente said it should be them. And that’s how it became them,” Knud says with a small laugh.
There was no strategy or lengthy analysis. Just a decision that felt right.
A memory that never fades
Although Knud Vilstrup stepped away from the project many years ago, he still follows Team Rynkeby’s development from a distance — some years more closely than others — but the fascination remains.
“I’m still amazed by how many people Team Rynkeby can attract, and how much money the volunteers are able to raise. I never imagined it would become this big. I’m proud, but also humble. Because it’s not me who has done this. It’s all the people who carried it forward,” he says.
The 25-year anniversary has brought back old memories, and at his home on Funen, small reminders of his Team Rynkeby years still stand on the shelves.
“I still get a flutter in my stomach when I see a group of yellow cyclists on the road. It reminds me of everything we experienced. The camaraderie. The long days on the bike. The laughter. And, of course, the feeling of riding into Paris. That’s something you never forget,” Knud concludes.
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.
