Chainreaction – bike convoy for ukraine
The Project – Ambulances for Ukraine
The Ambulances
A used ambulance costs between 12,000 and 20,000 euros, depending on the engine type and year of manufacture. In partnership with Bamberg:UA we will purchase the vehicles. Since February 2022, Bamberg has already delivered over 30 ambulances, more than 40 evacuation buses, and tons of medical supplies to Ukraine. All vehicles will undergo a fresh TÜV inspection and come equipped with life-saving medical equipment such as evacuation stretchers, defibrillators, infusion pumps, VAC pumps and oxygen devices.
The ambulances will be handed over by Bamburg:UA to the emergency services in Lviv, where they will be deployed to eastern and southern Ukraine. On average, each ambulance saves five lives per day. Every vehicle makes a vital difference.
The Funding
We plan to raise funds through crowdfunding, reaching out directly to cyclists and the broader cycling community. Our campaign will target influential figures within the community—athletes, clubs, influencers, celebrities, and organisations—both in Germany and globally.
We also aim to partner with companies whose products contribute to the sense of freedom we experience on our bikes. We welcome monetary donations, in-kind contributions, or any other form of support from the cycling industry. Your help is essential!
All funds will be donated to Bamberg:UA, a nonprofit organisation that has been organising aid for Ukraine for years. They will handle all formalities related to transferring the ambulances to Ukraine. As a registered nonprofit, Bamberg:UA can issue donation receipts for contributions of 300 euros or more.
Chainreaction – Bike convoy for ukraine
Donation
Thank you for your support.
Every amount makes a difference and helps save lives.
228.955 €
in donations have already reached us – via IBAN account and Donorbox (06/25)
We purchased 14 ambulances and handed them over in Ukraine on July 12.
Thank you — thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
And still, you can keep donating. Any money we receive now will help fund additional ambulances.
As things stand, the budget already covers one more vehicle, which can be delivered after the summer. Unfortunately, ambulances are still urgently needed. The more we can buy, the more people we can help.
All donations go to Bamberg:UA – and from there as (many) ambulances to Ukraine.
You can choose here whether you want to donate via Donorbox or IBAN transfer. The Donorbox displays in real time how much has been received through this system. Donations made via IBAN account are manually evaluated, and we update the total amount of all received donations once a week.
or visit the Website Donorbox
If you are in Germany or within the EU, please feel free to make a bank transfer via IBAN to Bamberg:UA as an alternative to Donorbox. Make sure to use ‘Chainreaction Bikeconvoy Rettungswagen’ as the reference.
If you are in Germany or within the EU, you can use the bank transfer via IBAN to Bamberg UA as an alternative to Donorbox.
Account holder: Bamberg:UA e.V.
IBAN: DE05 7639 1000 0001 5183 13
Reference: Chainreaction Bikeconvoy Rettungswagen
You can request a donation receipt here.
Have we sparked your sense of adventure?
The Bike Tour
The ride starts in July 2025.
In July 2025, we plan to saddle up in Munich and set off with bicycles and ambulances. The route to the Polish-Ukrainian border near Przemyśl is approximately 1,270 kilometers long with nearly 7,000 meters of elevation gain. We will offer the tour in two formats: first, as an official brevet with a time limit. This long-distance ride, following the regulations of the Audax Club Parisien, will start on July 8, 2025. Second, we will offer the tour as a convoy version, dividing the route into six stages. The start date for this version is July 5, 2025.
Both versions of the tour will follow the randonneuring or bikepacking mode, meaning that each participant rides at their own responsibility and risk, organizing their own food, accommodation, and return journey. Whether and, if so, how many riders will ultimately be able to cross the border into Lviv will depend on the situation in the summer of 2025 and cannot be planned at this time.
Chainreaction – Bike convoy for ukraine
The Bike Tour
We offer the tour in two variants – as a stage ride with rescue vehicles as support cars and as an official brevet with a time limit. Both variants follow the same route.
STAGE RIDE
The stage ride starts on July 5, 2025, in Munich. Registration is open and will be managed by our friends at Ara Munich/Upper Bavaria.
All details around the stage ride can be found here. Registration is unfortunately already closed.
BREVET
The brevet variant starts on July 8, 2025, in Munich. Registration is open since January 1, 2025.
You can find information here on the Ara Munich/Upper Bavaria website. Registration is unfortunately already closed.
The route to the Ukrainian border leads from Munich to Passau, then continues to Linz and Vienna, passing close by Bratislava. After a short section through Slovakia, we continue through the Czech Republic into Poland. There, we’ll hopefully be riding with a tailwind eastward, through Krakow’s historic old town, and onward via Tarnow to the border at Przemysl, in eastern Poland. This is where the official brevet ends.
We hope that we’ll be able to cross the border and, accompanied by the ambulances, continue riding to Lviv. Members of the Lviv Bicycle Club would welcome us on the Ukrainian side of the border and escort us to the city. Whether and how many of us will be able to ride this last stretch through Ukraine in summer 2025 depends on the situation next year, which we cannot plan for at this time.
The route is being planned by Jörg Kurzke, an experienced brevet rider and long-distance cyclist who has been organizing wonderful brevets with ARA Munich / Upper Bavaria (aramuc.de) for years. At the end of October, Jörg set out to scout and explore the route by bike.
The brevet will be organized according to the rules of the Audax Club Parisien and hosted by Ara Munich / Upper Bavaria. The number of participants is limited, and registration is expected to open in early January.
The convoy version, without a time limit, will be divided into six stages, each roughly 200 kilometers long. The ambulances will be primarily deployed along this tour or waiting at predefined points. They will also serve as support and escort vehicles, meaning we can carry some luggage and transport food.
We want to show that we stand for our freedom and the freedom of the people of Ukraine.
Along the way, we want to meet as many people as possible, exchange ideas, push our limits together, and make a statement – a statement of what is possible when we all come together and collaborate. We want to show that we stand for our freedom and the freedom of the people of Ukraine. We feel this freedom on our bikes. We will never give it up!
We cannot yet say if everyone will be able to join the convoy tour without a time limit. We hope to inspire as many cyclists as possible, but it is unclear if any legal hurdles may impose limitations.
What we can already say with certainty: No one has to ride the entire route. We’re also happy if you join the Chainreaction Bikeconvoy peloton for a few kilometers, a few hours, a stage, or a few days. This is about visibility and making a statement – one that can’t be ignored, creating powerful emotions and unforgettable images.
The route is deliberately designed to allow easy joining or exiting along the way – in Passau, Linz, Vienna, Krakow, and elsewhere.
We’ll keep you updated here. As soon as things become more concrete, we’ll update the information about the bike and ambulance tour.
Onward, ever onward – we won’t stop!
Chainreaction – bike convoy for ukraine
The Timeline
– 11/2024
By the end of November, we will have built a network of supporters.
– 04/2024
From December through spring, we will organise a crowdfunding campaign and reach out to companies interested in supporting the project.
05/2024
In May, we will purchase the ambulances and finalise the tour details.
Are you in?
Together, we are strong and fast. We know the incredible things we can accomplish when we ride as one, united in a peloton.
Why are we doing this?
Because we are cyclists. Because we want to help those in need. Because when our friends are in trouble, we answer the call. We are a global network of cyclists, powerful enough to move mountains when we unite and start a chain reaction of support.