During his tenure as Prime Minister of Denmark, Lars Løkke Rasmussen participated in Team Rynkeby twice. Although time was a scarce resource for a top politician, it felt “only natural” for him to prioritize such a “meaningful project.” To this day, he still considers whether he should sign up for yet another ride to Paris.

Denmark’s Foreign Minister and former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen still clearly remembers the phone call that put him in the saddle of a yellow bicycle. One day in 2006, the phone rang, and on the line was former professional cyclist Jørgen Emil Hansen with an unexpected proposal.

“He wanted me to ride to Paris, and when I asked how far it was, he answered 1,238 km. I asked how much time we had, and he replied ‘a week.’ There was definitely a moment when I thought, ‘Well, I can’t do that,’” Lars Løkke Rasmussen recalls with a smile.

However, during a training ride around Græsted, Jørgen Emil Hansen managed to convince the then Minister of Health that anything is possible—and that he should join the team.

“At that time, Team Rynkeby was still a small project with only one team from Ringe. I had never cycled to any meaningful extent apart from delivering newspapers as a boy. But I got my racing bike, and we had a great trip to Paris in 2007. Nothing beats the first time you ride into Paris with the feeling of having just won a world championship. There was enormous euphoria after having cycled all the way from Denmark,” says Lars Løkke Rasmussen.

“I also remember waking up in my hotel room the next morning completely exhausted. The following year, things went much better, and since then I have had many great experiences for which I owe Team Rynkeby a lot of thanks.”

A Prime Minister on two wheels
Lars Løkke Rasmussen rode with Team Rynkeby five times, completing the entire route from Denmark to Paris. Even though it was time-consuming, he never doubted whether he should continue when he succeeded Anders Fogh Rasmussen as prime minister in 2009.

“At that point, I was already hooked. I had become part of the Rynkeby family. It was enjoyable, and I had discovered the joy of cycling. It made sense—and it was good for my health. Continuing was quite natural,” he says.

During his years as Prime Minister, he had to balance his official duties with cycling. His position also required extensive security measures, which gave his teammates a unique experience.

“Of course it was a bit of a hassle with the extra security, but it also had its perks. Some of my teammates especially enjoyed having the police escort us on descents, as it allowed us to ride at a pace that would otherwise not be possible.”

Founded on long-lasting values
Lars Løkke Rasmussen feels privileged to have been part of Team Rynkeby during its first 25 years, and he has no doubt that the project remains both attractive and enduring.

“Team Rynkeby has undergone tremendous development, and I feel extremely privileged to have been part of it. It’s remarkable to think that in the first year I participated, we were 40 people who raised just over DKK 250,000—and only a few years later, more than 1,000 people cycled to Paris,” he says, adding:

“What the Team Rynkeby project offers is the opportunity to do something good for others while also doing something good for yourself. You gain friendships and an exceptional sense of community. And the reason the project endures (now after 25 years) is that camaraderie, togetherness, physical activity, and looking beyond one’s own interests to do something meaningful for others are long-lasting values.”

Team Rynkeby’s influence on the Tour de France Grand Départ
The camaraderie also means that Lars Løkke Rasmussen still has friends from his very first year in the yellow jersey.

“Now, 18 years after my first ride with Team Rynkeby, I still have communities and friendships from that first year because of the serendipitous circumstances that placed us side by side on our yellow bikes and in our uniforms. That’s also what is so fascinating about Team Rynkeby. One moment you’re talking to an export director from Rynkeby Foods, and the next an apprentice rides up. When we’re on the bikes, we all look the same. That’s what a uniform can do—it removes the divides between people,” he says.

He also credits Team Rynkeby with contributing to the Tour de France starting in Denmark in 2022.

“If I hadn’t cycled with Team Rynkeby, I wouldn’t have gotten to know Christian Prudhomme (the Tour de France director). That connection also helped Denmark secure the Grand Départ in 2022.”

Considering a comeback
Lars Løkke Rasmussen has continued to use his passion for cycling later in life—for example in the LøkkeFonden project “DrengeAkademiet,” where “boys on the edge” are introduced to racing bikes.

And perhaps he himself will get back on the yellow bike in the future.

His affection for Team Rynkeby means that he refers to himself as a “temporarily retired Team Rynkeby rider,” and he openly hopes to ride again one day.

“I often wonder whether I should join again, and fortunately I still have the privilege of being asked year after year,” says Lars Løkke Rasmussen.