It wasn’t exactly a pleasant Sunday morning that dawned on September 8th in Gelnhausen in central Germany. The summer had said farewell the day before and a steady drizzle fell out of a cold, grey sky.

Nonetheless, a small group of brave bikers met shortly after 7 a.m. at the central bus station to load their bicycles onto a chartered bus. Then they quickly boarded themselves, rather wet, cold, a bit sleepy, but full of good cheer. They were the "Shadow Riders", and nothing could daunt them.

An hour later, the group of 16 bikers and one inline-skater reached Sterbfritz, a small town close to the source of the Kinzig river. There, they disembarked from the bus, got on their bikes, and waited patiently for 9 o’clock to arrive.

In the Kinzig valley in central Germany, the second Sunday in September is always reserved for a special event: "Kinzigtal Total". On this day, the main highway through the valley, all the way from the source of the Kinzig river to where it flows into the Main river, is closed to motorised vehicles from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Usually thousands of cyclists and inline skaters participate in this event and enjoy the ride along the car-free roads.

Since 2012, the "Shadow Riders" ride among them. They are riding "in the shadow" of David Argabright, who over the past few years has raised more than half a million dollars for child development centres (CDCs) in South Asia through his bicycle rides of compassion. The first German Shadow Riders event raised about 2,000 Euros for this cause. This year’s event raised about 1,500 euros.

Last year, the Shadow Riders rode in brilliant sunshine. This year, it looked like it was going to be a very wet 45 kilometres back to Gelnhausen.

But exactly at 9 a.m., the rain stopped.

"Wherever the Shadow Riders were riding on that day, it wasn’t raining", Elke Tengler, office manager of Helping Hands, reported. Helping Hands is the German partner of NCM International and organized the Shadow Riders event.

And despite its grey beginning, it was a lovely day. The sky remained mainly overcast and for much of the route the riders had to fight against a nasty wind. But the temperature was just right for a nice ride, and the roads were wonderfully free.

As in the previous year, the Shadow Riders thoroughly enjoyed the event. A few even went on past Gelnhausen, the fastest reaching Hanau in a total of 3.5 hours for a 70 kilometre distance.

And after all, what’s a bit of wind and rain compared to the privilege of making a difference?

Each Shadow Rider either paid an entry fee or was sponsored by friends or colleagues. Several local companies also supported the Shadow Riders financially or with gifts in kind.

All money raised in this event makes a difference in the lives of children in South Asia: underprivileged children who receive an education, health care and nutrition, spiritual and social training and emotional support at Nazarene child development centres. In addition, their families and communities are transformed through a variety of awareness raising and income generating measures.

Is transforming children’s lives worth a bit of an effort? The Shadow Riders undoubtedly think so.

(More info about this event on www.helpinghandsev.org)