Rick Zabel sets off to a 600km ride to see Champions League finals and raise money for clean water in Africa
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With some extra free time on his hands with his professional career recently over, Rick Zabel picked up his friend and videographer Norbert Szekely and set on for a 600km ride from Germany to United Kingdom for the UEFA Champions League final.
"Let's hit the road! On our way to London, we're on the road, six hundred kilometres and our only plan is there is no plan. Five countries, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France and Great Britain. All freestyle, let's go, we're going to bring you all along," he said.
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In the spirit of the early days of the Tour de France, Zabel and Szekely boarded a train to shorten their time on the repetitive Belgian roads. "Nobody would notice if we took the train, right? Let's cheat a bit, nobody is going to notice anyway. Now in Belgium by the canal the whole time, it's so boring anyway," quipped Zabel. "Just before France we get off and then we ride a few more kilometres and then the ferry again."
At the time of writing, Zabel and Szekely have already made it to London, but the duo aren't the only Dortmund fans travelling to the Champions League Final by bike.
"Access to clean water, sanitary facilities and hygiene - WASH for short - is the basis for children to attend school regularly. Through education, children are given the sustainable opportunity to lead a self-determined life - this creates a real future perspective." A trio of Dortmund supporters was able to raise over €11.000 for the Neven Subotić Foundation. The project aims to create access to clean water in Africa

Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- This is a phenomenal course design. I do wish that they'd stretch these tours for the women to at least 2 weeks.RidesHills03-11-2026
- This is an amazing route, honestly. Let's hope that it attracts riders to make it a compelling and competitive race. Side bar amusement: going to Slovenia and passing pretty close to Pogačar's house. I wonder if they were tempting him to get all 3 jerseys at once after winning the Tour and Vuelta. After all, only a very few have ever had all three at the same time (Froome being the last).RidesHills03-11-2026
- He was a child two years ago
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - A great route aswell. Col d'Arpy is a toughie
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - Let Torito have a shot at it
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - A great route, much more exciting than the Tour de France. Monte Livata is an interesting one, because they experimented with it at the 2026 Baby Giro, and it was fantastic. 4 km at 10%, then 10 km at 6.5% made for a great spectacle. The stage 16 is horrible. Montaner is also used in the U23s, in Giro del Belvedere
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - I remember when Mark went through that. He was really experiencing lows and thought about quiting many times. It took him a long time to recover. I, like many others were overjoyed when he came back. I hope Lafay has been tested. I wish him the best.Paggss03-11-2026
- That sucks for him. I've always wondered what guys like him do after retiring from cycling - go back to uni? He's still a very young manCrashjames03-11-2026
- Good Point, I wonder if he's been testedmhfrvz03-11-2026
- A busy boy!Lozza03-11-2026
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