25 Jul Our Ride for the Roses journey
ITW Contamination Control EMEA has been participating in the charity Ride (and Walk) for the Roses, taking place in the Netherlands, for a few years now and this all started in 2017 when a few brave souls from our office decided to join the 100 KM cycling tour to raise money and awareness into battling cancer.
What follows is a short interview with Menno Niehe, Managing Director of ITW Contamination Control EMEA, about this first adventure and how our participation grew throughout the years.
What was the reasoning for you and the rest of the team to participate in this 2017 edition of the Ride for the Roses?
Menno: “I had participated in the Ride a few times privately already, first as a challenge with a friend in 2011, and later becoming more involved with the research topics of the Ride due to a few people in my surroundings getting into contact with cancer.”
When in 2017 the Ride would take place near to where our office is located, I was able to convince a few others from the company to join, although everyone signed up as an individual still at the time.”
The 1st team of ITW Contamination Control in 2017
How did this then evolve into the big participation you have seen in more recent years?
Menno: “Well, after this edition in 2017 we did not involve ourselves much with the Ride as a company until in 2023 we had a few newer colleagues who got to talking with me about the Ride and how fun it would be to join this again with a group from the company.
This then spiraled into us recruiting participants, not just for the 100 KM ride, but also for the 50 and 25 KM rides to accommodate also the colleagues who not necessarily were experienced cyclists. The decision was quickly made to create an official company team consisting of colleagues and a few loved ones, including making company outfits for all participants.
This then kept on growing from 12 participants in 2023 to now more than 30 in the upcoming 2025 edition.”
The team in 2024
What is in your opinion the reason for so many extra people joining the team compared to 2017?
Menno: “The recent addition of the Walk for the Roses, which only started in 2024 and gives participants the option to walk 15 KM instead of cycling, has been a big positive influence on the number of people joining which we saw was an obstacle for some. This is in addition to us, as a company, helping our team members with providing clothes, creating “Fund me” messages to share and offering training schedules for interested participants lowers the bar to join. We started with a little friendly competition to see who raises the most money, but now it is a joint effort to help this great cause as much as we can as a company.”
What are additional values, besides supporting a great cause, that an event like Ride for the Roses brings to ITW?
Menno: “I believe it is great to see how together the team becomes during these events. You get to know people in a very different way than how you would be involved with them during a regular working day. This also brings out a lot of camaraderie between everyone, also with the loved ones of colleagues who join. It makes it a complete event, where people do sports together while mixing it up with people they don’t usually talk to while helping a great charity.”
Do you have any standout moments related to the Ride for the Roses?
Menno: I personally find it fantastic to see that as a group a lot of our pictures have been seen throughout a lot of the promotion the Ride uses themselves. To see how as a team you can make an impact and hopefully inspire others to also join as a group/business. It really shows that every donation helps, whether this is 5 euro or 100 euro, all is welcome in our mutual effort to get rid of cancer.”
Our 2025 Ride for the Roses campaign has kicked off and the team is slowly coming together. Currently the team already has 30 participants but more are still expected to join us. Our teampage is live and donations can already be made to help our efforts. Can we count on your support?
