The Tortour, held this year from August 16 to 19, is an ultra-cycling event for professionals and ambitious amateurs. Its main race covers a route of around 1,000 kilometers, parts of which traversing Swiss Alpine passes lying between the start/finish line in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Cyclists entered in the main event (not to mention their crew) have to pedal through the day and night in a test of endurance. That Tortour sounds like “torture” is just apt.
At the start of the 2018 edition, IWC Schaffhausen CEO and cycling enthusiast Christoph Grainger-Herr—just as he did last year—led seven IWC teams depart for the event. The teams, all of which completed the Tortour, represented the Laureus Foundation Switzerland, which IWC and Mercedes-Benz have established in 2006. The foundation is an offshoot of the international Laureus Sport for Good, and aims to enrich the lives of young people through sports and other social activities.
As such, IWC’s participation in the event is meant to raise funds for a worthy cause—the Laureus Girls in Sports—which is relying on sporting activities to instill self-confidence and develop character in ladies aged 11 to 17. At present, donations coming from a crowdfunding platform have totaled CHF60,000.
“The Tortour unites competitive sport, extreme endurance and team spirit in a unique way, and for a good cause. I was thrilled to see so many members of the IWC family at the starting line ready to support Laureus, especially in the 150th anniversary year of our company,” said Grainger-Herr.
The team to which Grainger-Herr, along with professional cyclist Simon Zahner and IWC watchmaker Samuel Vuillemez, belonged finished the Tortour’s “Challenge” portion in sixth place. Challenge is a medium-length course of 550 kilometers.
The other cyclists who formed the rest of the IWC contingent came from the professional AMG Rotwild team, as well as sports enthusiasts from among the staff of the watchmaker. One of them, Juurgen Kallfass, distinguished himself from the rest by entering the main Tortour category, meaning he cycled the entire race route.
And it’s all for a worthy pursuit— IWC, you see, has been sponsoring the Tortour since the event began in 2009.
