In Switzerland, Manuel Scheidegger is known for his aesthetically ambitious touring trial videos. Some may remember that in 2015 he improved the world hour record for wheelie riding to 25.7km. The aim of the (now broken) record, which was set on a 400m track in Thun, was to raise funds for Nepal. More specifically, for reconstruction after the devastating earthquake in 2015 and for street children in Pokhara, the country's second-largest city.

Scheidegger transferred CHF 35,000 to the two projects at the beginning of 2016. A good two thirds went towards the restoration of a hydropower plant in the remote Yangri Valley. 9,000 francs went to "Indreni". This organization distributes food to homeless minors and runs a residential home on the outskirts of Pokhara for children aged 12 and over who want to leave life on the streets behind them. The money from Switzerland was used to buy twelve mountain bikes, tools and spare parts. And since then, a bike tour for ten young people and two supervisors has been taking place twice a day.

What has become of the donations

Maenu Scheidegger wanted to see this for himself. "I want to share the joy of mountain biking with these kids," he explained before his departure. In October 2016, he visited the hostel and the biking street children of Pokhara. "They're all fit," he said, impressed, having been on the road with several groups. "They master 1000 meters of altitude without any problems."

Trails are foreign to them, however. They ride up and down on tarmac or natural roads. The person in charge was not very enthusiastic when Scheidegger encouraged the youngsters to try off-road. The leader was convinced that the bikes would be damaged if they were moved around like this. In the end, he nevertheless allowed the Swiss to teach the young Nepalese the basics of trail riding.

There were other reasons why the condition of the bikes purchased a good six months ago was not the best: "Every bike is on the road every day, even in the monsoon. Although each one is thoroughly cleaned after every ride, the bearings and suspension forks were already very dirty," explains Scheidegger. He showed the managers and young people how to dismantle, clean and grease certain bearings. "We also made sure that they don't move out in the rain. Otherwise the bikes can't be repaired after two years."

Bike repair is a difficult issue in Nepal anyway. There are simply no spare parts. "Even a broken brake lever becomes a big problem," explains Scheidegger. His idea is to open the bike workshop in the youth hostel to the public and, not least, to the increasing number of bike tourists. After all, there is currently no one in Nepal who can repair modern bikes. However, this also means that the supply of spare parts has to be organized.

Resocialization on the bike

Now you might ask yourself whether bike tours and a workshop can really make a difference in a country that lacks everything. It has to be said that Indreni offers the young people far more than just cycling: many of them receive schooling for the first time in their lives at the hostel. Simple vocational courses and internships have already paved the way for some former street children to earn a living and become self-employed. Recently, the home began collecting and recycling PET bottles - the first ever to do so in Nepal. The bikes are one way among many to escape the misery of the streets, begging and sniffing glue.

The tours open the young people's eyes and make some of them believe that life could hold something different for them than life on the streets. Scheidegger puts it in a nutshell: "Every mountain biker or hiker knows the feeling when you get to the top of the mountain. For these young people, who are treated like mangy dogs by society, this is particularly valuable."

In the meantime, the Bernese Oberlander is certain that he wants to continue supporting the street children of Pokhara. His aim is for the home to open a public bicycle workshop where some of the home's residents can earn money. The organization Wheels4Nepal, founded by Scheidegger and his friends, accepts donations and provides information on what becomes of them.

www.wheels4nepal.ch