LILA LOGISITK Charity Bike Cup 2025: The Big Day of Records

First published: October 24, 2025

The 19th LILA LOGISTIK Charity Bike Cup at the Solitude Race Track in Leonberg on October 3, 2025, was a huge success, with a great atmosphere and new records set.

A total of over 1,500 amateur cyclists took to the starting line; the LILA RACE in the morning had been fully booked for weeks. A new attendance record that is unlikely to be broken anytime soon.

Once again, several LILA colleagues were at the starting line, primarily for the LILA Tour in the afternoon. The event was accompanied by two LILA pavilions in the start/finish area, where some LILA youngsters sold cycling jerseys and shorts from past years for a good cause.

Of course, we could list all the Olympic champions, world champions, and TV stars who were at the starting line. One person who made headlines was Richy Müller, known as Stuttgart’s “Tatort” detective Thorsten Lannert. “I’m having an incredible time here, and I get to help kids at the same time,” he says, “it doesn’t get any better than this.”

Making its debut as a sponsor: the ADAC. The automobile club pulled out all the stops—and put on quite a show. Not only did it make part of its traffic training facility available as the event venue, but it also contributed a Formula 1 simulator, a rollover simulator, and the mascot Buddy, who made the kids’ eyes light up. ADAC CFO Volker Schwarz didn’t miss the chance to hop on a bike himself that morning.

By the end of the day, there were nothing but beaming faces—including among the controllers at STAR CARE. The association supports social projects for children and is traditionally the beneficiary of the LILA LOGISTIK Charity Bike Cup. And never before in the event’s 19-year history has the total amount raised been higher. A whopping 80,000 euros were raised for the good cause. Since the first edition in 2007, a total of 820,000 euros has been raised for the good cause.

Of course, the primary focus was on the good cause. Nevertheless, riders really went all out during the morning’s LILA RACE. The competitors had to complete the 12.1-kilometer circuit seven times. The first lap was neutralized to allow riders to warm up and get to know the course—but after that, the action really heated up. After 1:43:50 hours, Hugo Esch (Gotha) prevailed in the final sprint against Wilhelm Buchmüller (Jettingen). The runner-up took it in stride and said with a beaming smile, “That was really cool—a great course.” In the women’s race, Julia Gruber (Stuttgart) won in 1:55.27 hours ahead of Alena Sophie Janik (Heidelberg).

A very special team took the starting line at noon for the more leisurely LILA TOUR: the para-sports division of MTV Stuttgart. Joining them as team captain was Hans-Peter Durst, a two-time Paralympic gold medalist and multiple world champion in road racing and individual time trials.

It was a first. For the first time, the LILA LOGISTIK Charity Bike Cup was held on the legendary Solitude race course. And there’s no doubt about it: there have

certainly been worse ideas in the history of cycling. The unanimous verdict from all the riders: “A fantastic course.”

The event even garnered attention and a spot on the SWR aktuell Baden-Württemberg program—see starting at minute 7:35.

https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/Y3JpZDovL3N3ci5kZS9hZXgvbzIyNzAxMzk

In 2026, the event will take place in Ditzingen-Heimerdingen, as it does every two years. Anyone who’s been there before knows: that’s certainly not a bad choice either.