100 DAYS IN CAPTIVITY: GLOBAL SOLIDARITY RIDE SEES TENS OF THOUSANDS TAKE TO THEIR BIKES TO DEMAND HOSTAGES' RELEASE 
 

























TEL AVIV, Israel -- In an extraordinary display of global solidarity, tens of thousands of cyclists around the world united recnetly in a collective call to free the 136 hostages held in Gaza, 100 days after their capture in the October 7 attacks. The central event took place at the Tel Aviv Velodrome, where 136 cyclists, each with photos of one of the hostages, encircled the stadium, in a powerful plea for their release.  

Approximately 136 riders, led by released hostage Erez Kalderon and widowed father Avida Bachar, encircle Tel Aviv Velodrome as mass cycle rides held in at least 40 cities across the world. 

Sylvan Adams Israel – Premier Tech owner: "We are riding to demand that the Red Cross gain access to our people, and learn how they are coping, as well as to provide medical care to our 136 citizens that are cruelly being held in Gaza"  

The initiative, spearheaded by the Israeli professional cycling team Israel – Premier Tech, in collaboration with The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, the Israeli Cycling Federation and the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saw solidarity for the hostages extend beyond borders. Mass cycling events unfolded simultaneously in at least 40 cities across the globe, with thousands more riders making their own solidarity rides by tying a yellow ribbon to their bikes.    

In Tel Aviv, the Sylvan Adams National Velodrome saw 136 riders ride the track, including Erez Kalderon, who was captured as a hostage on October 7 along with his sister Sahar and father Ofer, and released with his sister after 51 days in captivity; and cyclist Avida Bachar, who lost a leg in the October 7 attack when his wife and son were killed, and completed the route in a wheelchair.  

Speaking on behalf of the hostage families, Hadas Kalderon, whose 12-year-old son Erez, 16-year-old daughter, and their father Ofer, 53, all cyclists, were abducted on October 7, said: "100 days of pain, anxiety, longing, disappointment, grief, and abandonment. 100 days, and the hostages are still in Gaza. 100 days of hell. Ofer Kalderon, unique and special, is still there in hell. I am here to remind - he is alive! Full of hope, waiting, expecting, relying on us to rescue him. I commit to you here and now, Ofer, as I committed to your son Erez Calderon that he would ride bicycles with this wonderful group, I also commit to you that we are here and we will not give up until you are back with us, wearing a helmet and riding again, including in the Tour de France."    

Sahar Kalderon, 16, who was released from Hamas captivity after 51 days along with her brother Erez Kalderon, said: “Now I am trying to rebuild my life, but how can I build anything and keep going when my father is missing, when he is still facing horrors? 100 days of terrible longing, thoughts that never stop entering my thoughts. I want my father back and all the hostages who are waiting to be rescued. They deserve to come back."  

Speaking to the event in a video message from Spain where Israel – Premier Tech team is training, team owner Sylvan Adams said, “We've just finished our ride in solidarity with our 136 hostages, marking their 100th day in captivity, which breaks our heart, thinking about their fate and worried about how they are holding up, physically and emotionally. We are thinking of you. I personally think about you every single day, about our hostages, about you, the families. In fact, I think about you almost every single hour. We have riders today from six continents, as far away as Hong Kong, Sydney and Melbourne; in Buenos Aires, in São Paulo, in Miami and Los Angeles, in Capetown, in London, in Paris, here in Spain, of course, to demand that our hostages be freed. To demand that the Red Cross gain access to our people, and learn how they are coping, as well as to provide medical care to our 136 citizens that are cruelly being held in Gaza. The 136 families, each of you has a rider representing and riding for your loved one in captivity today at the National Velodrome in Tel Aviv, as part of this international cycling ride in solidarity with the hostages. We're all riding with a yellow ribbon attached to our bikes today, as brothers and sisters, all together. Bring them home now! Am Yisrael Chai."  

Ayelet Binyamin, the wife of 57-year-old cyclist Ron Bnyamin, who was taken hostage while out for his Saturday ride on October 7, said: “Today, our dear Ron is experiencing his 100th day of fear and anxiety, of abuse, cruelty, and crimes against humanity. But to see the global and Israeli cycling community rallying for our Ron brings us hope. The return of the kidnapped should be at the top of our priorities. I ask you to raise your voice, a voice that cannot be heard from the tunnels in Gaza.”  

Avida Bachar, who lost a leg in the October 7 attack when his wife and son were killed, and completed the route in a wheelchair, said: "This event warms the heart and provides hope for the future. To continue living, riding, to keep going – it’s inspiring."  

Across the world, thousands of individual riders took to the streets and bike routes, uploading photos of their rides with the hashtag #RideToBringThemHomeNow while large cycling events, organized by Israel – Premier Tech, the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, were held in major cities around the world including Sidney and Melbourne in Australia; Brussels and Antwerp in Belgium; Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in Brazil; Santiago in Chile; Bogota in Colombia; San José in Costa Rica; Paris in France; Milano in Italy; Amsterdam, Hague, Friesland, Groningen, Utrecht, and Maastricht in the Netherlands; Oakland and Christchurch in New Zealand; Capetown and Johannesburg in South Africa; Madrid and Barcelona in Spain; London in the UK, Punta del Este in Uruguay; New Jersey, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Boston, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma, and Arizona in the USA; as well as in Ghana, Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador and elsewhere.   

One notable individual rider was 28-year-old Czech rider Lukas Klement, inspired by Israeli riders who supported him when his bike was stolen during a visit. In a remarkable effort, Klement rode for 24 full hours this weekend, creating a course across the Czech Republic in the shape of a Star of David and the number "100."  

Announcing his participation in the ride earlier this month, Israel – Premier Tech team member Chris Froome, the legendary four-time Tour de France winner, considered one of the greatest cyclists in history, said: "As a human being, as a father myself – I cannot stand idly by. Their suffering and that of all the other hostages deeply affects me, and I call on all cyclists to come out for a solidarity ride that day – just as I will myself - in the hope that this show of support will bring them closer to returning home."  




                                                                                                                     






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