The "A Bike for a Village" charity auction, in which the wining bidder took home a customer gold-colored Gunn-Rita Dahle signature Merida mountain bike, came to a close this week.
Belgian Valerie Custers too possession of her bike at the Grand Prix Roel Paulissen in her home country, in turn handing over $2,550US to the "Village of of Friendship". "Riding Gunn-Rita's bike is like a dream come true," Custers raved in Genk. She called herself a huge fan of the Norwegian pro rider, whose Olympic victory inspired the building of the bike.
"We are very happy about the financial support but also about the publicity brought about by the campaign. 30 years after the end of the Vietnam War it's hard to raise awareness, even though the people there are still suffering from the effects," said charity chairperson Rosi Höhn-Mizo. The money for the bike will be spent on the equipment at a wing of the clinic in the Village of Friendship in Vietnam. The plan is to buy a dental x-ray machine. "We can move a lot with 2500 dollar. Another option would be to hire a special education teacher for two years," explained Rosemarie Höhn-Mizo at the handing over of bike by Merida team manager Andi Rottler.
