Heroes on Wheels: ReCycling Tour by Manu Delago

Manu Delago is a man who makes you weak. And I mean that in a contemporary and gender-neutral way, because I also count myself among the ranks of the languishing fans. How it came just the other day with music and six bikes, I would not withhold from you in the following.

It's one of those gentle spring Fridays, when the sun is summery and adventure is in the air. On Innsbruck's market square there is a mood of optimism as Manu Delago 's team gets into position: their Re-Cycling Tour starts today. The curious camera lenses of the assembled media representatives are presented with an unusual start to the tour, because in the spirit of sustainability, the six-member troupe is contesting its entire Austrian tour on a bicycle. But a good 1,600 kilometres of muscle power is not enough: With the solar collectors of the trailer boxes, the glorious six also collect their own electric concert energy on the road, even the food is donated by fans and partners without waste at the tour stops across Austria.

The six heroes had to fight for their recycling tour before it even started, says Simon, the team's electrical engineer. The tour trailers are self-made, the concept was perfected over 18 months and all tasks in the team are distributed very precisely: Manu plays handpan, is tour technician and the team captain. Tobias does percussion and the laundry, Alois blows the trombone, squeezes the accordion and is the Smutje ("ship's cook"). Simon takes care of the solar and lighting backstage, Lukas does the sound and the bikes and the other Simon takes care of photos, videos and social media. Through the band's channels, the six friends of nature take their fans and supporters with them on all tour stages and report on life on the road.

From the road, however, the team shares not only their concerts and behind-the-scenes looks at the tour in their regular video blogs, but also behind our own habits. The fact that the average car spends 95 percent of its life parked makes me just as thoughtful as Manu Delago. But the fact that the man just gets on with things and does them better makes him and his team true heroes of our time. By the way, you can follow, support and be inspired a little bit here.

Meanwhile, at the market square, the guys don't let themselves be ruffled, dress Innsbruck's mayor Willi in a green ReCycling Tour shirt, beam sportily into the cameras once more and already saddle their steel steeds towards the new start. And for that we can really use a few real heroes.

At the time of publishing this article, the ReCycling team around Manu Delago is just arriving in Linz at a sweaty 31°C. The other scheduled concert stops according to the schedule: 12.05. Freistadt, 13.05. Schrems, 14.05. Krems, 19.05. Vienna, 22.05. Bruck an der Mur, 23.05. Graz, 25.05. Wolfsberg, 26.05. Klagenfurt, 27.05. Villach, 29.05. Lienz, 31.05. Brixen, 01.06. Pfons and on 02. June 2021 the brilliant tour finale including a live concert at the Treibhaus Innsbruck. All trackings, dates and updates can be found here.

By the way, if you want to pass the waiting time with a few calf cramps yourself, you will also find many beautiful spring routes for bikes and mountain boots around the provincial capital Innsbruck. How to make your bike fit for the mountains in spring, Lena Koller told us here.