Mühlviertel woman active

Thieves put an abrupt end to a cycle tour for a good cause

For passionate cyclist Isabella Pühringer, the theft of her bike was the worst thing that could have happened.(Bild: zVg)

Isabella Pühringer wanted to cycle from Gutau to Oslo to collect donations. But her bike was stolen. However, this did not stop her from doing her bit and many people who followed her tour said: "Now more than ever!" However, the loss of her beloved racing bike hurts the woman from Mühlviertel very much.

Isabella Pühringer from Gutau wanted to cover more than 1500 kilometers on her racing bike to collect donations for the "Rollende Engel" association. She set off from Gutau on June 22 with the Norwegian capital Oslo as her destination. The passionate racing cyclist and ward manager at the Barmherzige Brüder Linz made good progress, reaching Denmark on the sixth day and having already "cycled" over 1000 euros in donations.

All that remained of her bike was the broken lock(Bild: zVg)

Stolen while buying food
On Friday, she boarded the ferry to Gothenburg, her destination only a good 300 kilometers away. "I arrived there in the evening and bought something to eat on the way to my accommodation. When I got back, my bike was gone, just the broken lock lying next to it," she says. "For me, it's the worst thing that could have happened because road cycling is such a great passion. Anyone who knows me knows that my bike and I are inseparable," says Pühringer.

Emotional video
She received many encouraging comments on her social media channels, and on Sunday she boarded the plane home. The woman from Gutau is not letting the theft get her down. In an emotional video, she calls on people to support the non-profit organization that enables terminally ill people to take their last wish trip. "Many people have said that they will donate now more than ever, and that's what it's all about," says Pühringer, who is continuing her fundraising campaign and is not discouraged by the thieves.