My EUT poem
by Christian Hoverath

Ten riders made it all the way
From Germany, southwest to Spain
They rode their Cokers, have had fun
1800k is what they’ve done.

It started back in 99
Talking ‘bout a German ride
That ride would have been too short
Let us do some real fun sport

Cologne the start, and what the end?
Barcelona thought the planning friends
Inviting guys from everywhere
10 then said that they could get there.

Cologne Cathedral was the start
Wow, the first two days were hard
But they all learned pretty quick
Distrusting estimates’ the trick

Following Mosel and the Rhine
From time to time a little climb
Reaching the Luxembourgish border
There they left the flowing water

Riding up and down it was
How they could get there across
The country of the 100 hills
A nice guy giving them refills

He let them into France and then
The next adventure’s part began
It started out with sun and fields
Their sunburns made some people peel

Northern France was really nice
Hills, hay, a great countryside
Riders started now to fall
Tie your shoelace they were taught

Racing down, hard to control
The smallest rocks made people fall
Some riders never met the street
Their worst problem was the heat

The restaurants all closed at one
Too bad for you if you weren’t done
No idea how to get food
Some fell in a cranky mood

But they changed their minds real’ soon
Eating yogurt with no spoon
Thanks to you, support, a lot
Connie, Dana, you did a great job

Going south and to the west
The long, steep hills got less and less
Between Ardennes and Pyrenees
They had time to rest their knees

After 10 days of the ride
Clouds came up and stopped the light
To Lyon they hardly sweat
The rain it was which got them wet

There a day off for a break
They met Olivier Dupre
He led them all around the city
Showing them the sights, they’re pretty

Only four days to the Med
A canal took the group to Sete
Water was around the riders
Who were now called pothole fighters

A single hill there was in town
Where was the hostel to be found
A final seventeen percent
That was a nice day’s end

Sleeping, cliffs, Nutella crepes
To get some back of the lost weight
Recharging, getting rid of pain
To make it in two days to Spain

Most people missed the border’s sign
Concentrating on their climb
In the Pyrenees’ foothills
Avoiding dang’rous body tilts

It was L’Escala where they stopped
And in the salty water hopped
The group of riders, having fun
The last three days had just begun

You could see ‘em all in line
Their destination, reached in time
Barcelona’s where they went
The second capital, it was the end

And even though the ride was over
The riders they came so much closer
A great job, they all did it
In my heart there’s EUT’s spirit

Ten riders made it all the way
From Germany, southwest to Spain
They rode their Cokers, have had fun
1800k is what they’ve done.