In February, 2008, RTL World Headquarters received this newspaper report from Essen, Germany:
"Arne Tilgen of Essen becomes the first rider from Germany to qualify for “Ride The Lobster” in Nova Scotia, Canada.
After one hour with the local media, Arne was finally able to begin the first day of his qualification ride. Sixty kilometres from Essen, he left his escort, Holger (on a bicycle), in pain. But Arne continued on in sub-zero weather and into darkness, wearing a battery-operated bicycle light. His drinking water froze. To make matters worse, he rode 10 kilometres off-target, to the wrong town.
Arne’s second day began from Nehein, again in cold weather. The route was uphill most of the way, up to 16% slopes with the hardest stretch near Assinghausen. A flat tire did not help.
The final stretch of his ride was, again, in the dark, through forests, over snow and ice. He met up with his colleagues at the end then cooled his bare feet in the Ruhr river, despite sub-zero temperatures."
