Badreddin Wais will compete in the time trial at the World Cycling Championships on September 26. For the Syrian, who lives in Pfäffikon (SZ), this is about more than just participating following his World Championships debut last year. The athlete, who rides for Team Tempo-Sport bikespeed.ch, hopes to keep pace with the European athletes in Innsbruck, Austria, and views his performance primarily as a test to see if qualifying for the Olympics is a realistic possibility. All of this comes roughly four years after he fled the war zone in Syria.

A year ago, Syrian refugee Badreddin Wais’s debut at the World Championships in Norway was a story that touched people’s hearts. The likable cyclist’s story even made it onto Swiss television. At the time, the athlete—who had fled Aleppo four years earlier—wanted to enjoy the experience of the World Championships and give it his all. This year, however, his athletic ambitions take center stage. The former bronze medalist at the Arab Games has since settled in Switzerland. He landed a job at a bike shop and is now pursuing an education. This has also cleared his mind for the sport. His selection for the World Championships in Innsbruck came early. As a result, he was able to focus specifically on preparing for the demanding time trial in neighboring Austria.

An ambitious goal

After a successful season on the road and many grueling races at the open velodrome in Oerlikon, Wais has been focusing entirely on time trial training since August: “In recent weeks, I’ve been training about 20 hours a week, often specifically on the time trial bike.” That’s necessary to achieve a good result on the roughly 52-kilometer course. Because it’s no walk in the park. After 30 flat kilometers, the route enters a five-kilometer climb with sections as steep as 14%. The remaining kilometers are undulating and will demand everything he has. For Wais, this is actually ideal. He isn’t a particularly heavy athlete and therefore handles such climbs better than many heavier time trialists. But he has no illusions: “I won’t be able to keep up with Küng and the others, despite the climb. But my goal is still ambitious. I want to catch up with the European athletes. If I succeed, I’ll seriously consider trying to qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo,” Wais describes his goals. On Wednesday, September 26, things get serious starting at 2 p.m. Then we’ll also know whether Wais will even be dreaming of the Olympics.

An incredible wave of solidarity

Badreddin Wais fled to Switzerland from the war zone in Syria. Sports helped him get through that difficult time. Soon after arriving in Switzerland, he began riding his road bike as often as possible. He was even able to compete in races again. Various clubs and teams supported him from the very beginning. In the spring of 2017, Tempo-Sport launched a fundraising campaign, enabling him to compete in various cycling races with competitive equipment. Thanks to many individuals—especially from the Tempo-Sport bikespeed.ch team—and several equipment sponsors such as CUAG (Argon 18, etc.) and Velok (Profile Design, etc.), Badreddin Wais’s entire season was secured within just a few days.