"Fahren, Grillen, Gutes tun!"
In the summer of 2017 I decided to do something useful with my wheels, my social media reach and my inability to sit still. Inspired by a friend's charity ride in Italy, I organised a massive solo loop through the German-speaking world to support the Waldpiraten-Camp — a rehabilitation centre run by the German Children's Cancer Foundation for children recovering from chemotherapy.
The plan: visit as many Vespa clubs as possible, eat as many free bratwursts as possible, and raise as much money as possible for kids who deserved a better summer than the one cancer had given them.
"Fahren, Grillen, Gutes tun." Ride, grill, do good.
I did not use a shiny new machine. I built one from leftovers in my garage. The result was a custom Vespa that answered to two names — Latina Loca in polite company, Trash Porno everywhere else. She was not beautiful. She was not elegant. She was built for 8,290 km of rain, blistering heat and high alpine passes, and she delivered every single one of them.
You do not need a high-end adventure bike to complete a marathon journey. You need heart and a few spare parts.
My target: the Waldpiraten-Camp of the Deutsche Kinderkrebsstiftung — a place where children recovering from chemotherapy can just be kids again. For 42 days I rode from club to club, barbecue to barbecue, asking people to dig into their pockets for something that mattered.
100% of every donation went directly to the foundation. My costs — fuel, food, accommodation — I covered myself.
This was less a solo tour and more a 42-day relay of hospitality. I was escorted from town to town by local clubs who organised events at every stop. Major stops included Cologne, Berlin, Munich, Vienna and Zurich.
Clubs like the Vespa Club Hannover, the Vespa Cowboys and the Red Lions Luxembourg escorted me between cities. At every stop: barbecues, Poker Runs, donation drives, and the kind of warmth that makes you remember why you started riding in the first place.
The Giro Germanica proved something I had suspected but never seen at this scale: the Vespa community is not just a hobby. It is a global family that rides together when it matters most.
Four years later I took that lesson and made it bigger. The Vespa Gentleman Giro 2021 — 6,300 km in a suit and tie on a 50cc Vespa — raised €88,000 for cancer foundations across 20 countries.
Combined total: €113,000 raised for children with cancer.
What was the Giro Germanica? A 2017 solo charity ride covering 8,290 km through 5 countries in 42 days — raising €25,000 for the Waldpiraten-Camp of the Deutsche Kinderkrebsstiftung. Events at 30–40 Vespa clubs along the route.
What is the Waldpiraten-Camp? A rehabilitation centre run by the Deutsche Kinderkrebsstiftung — the German Children's Cancer Foundation — where children recovering from chemotherapy can rest, play and simply be kids again.
What was Latina Loca? My self-built custom Vespa for the Giro Germanica — assembled from garage leftovers. Also known as Trash Porno. Not pretty. Absolutely reliable.
Did all donations reach the charity? Yes — 100% of every donation went directly to the foundation. I covered my own travel costs.
How much has been raised in total? €113,000 — €25,000 from the Giro Germanica in 2017 and €88,000 from the Vespa Gentleman Giro in 2021.
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