16 clubs registered for the relay. They start on Kaiser-Wilhelm-Allee (in front of the Bayer casino) with a run to the Rhine and the the relay baton is handed on to a swimmer who swims the Rhine upstream and then on to a cyclist. The cycle race via Bürrig goes to Bahnhof Küppersteg, followed by a runner and then another cyclist. That is the last of the five participants to reach their target of the velodrome in Wiesdorf.
Velodrome? Yes, where the building of the employment agency in Leverkusen stands today was the sportsground of BV Wiesdorf 100 years ago. And there was a velodrome added to that ground. It is of historical significance for Bayer 04 as in 1928 athletes from the Wiesdorf boxing club and FV Leverkusen, the breakaway football department of TuS Leverkusen, met on the field to play a bit of handball. From there came the idea of forming a club together. That led to the Sportvereinigung Wiesdorf-Leverkusen and then to SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen in 1935.
After the relay on 12 July 1925 there was a handball match – also on the pitch of BV Wiesdorf – and a cycle race to finish. The spectators have enough to watch and listen to as a concert was held during the race.
The winners were honoured in the garden of the recreation house at 19:30 with the social part of the day. Of course, the organisers hope the weather god plays long and that it doesn't rain as the evening event would have to be moved into the ballroom at the recreation house in the event of rain.
And that's the agenda for the week. Every day there is sporting entertainment. TuS Leverkusen ensure that the sports week was limited in terms of quantity but improved in terms of quality: sometimes less is more. The experience from the previous year appears to make it advisable to avoid fragmentation through a too rapid succession of events. That also avoids athletes not giving too much in several events thus denying them performing in their usual form of their main sporting activity. Back then it was usual to do different sports with a cyclist also being a runner or a football player. As a journalist wrote 100 years ago, "it doesn't help us if hundreds of sports people toil away just for a change or to drive out boredom for the spectators, the sports week should be an appeal to everybody to help with this great work. It is organised with the intention of turning spectators into competitors."
The Wiesdorfer Sportwoche lasted from 12 July to 19 July 2025 and entertained people in and around Wiesdorf.
Bayer 04 started the new season on 20 July 1950. To the applause from almost 2,000 spectators, the Werkself stepped onto the pitch at the Am Stadtpark stadium and the season target was clear to the supporters: finally achieve promotion to the Oberliga West. Under the direction of new coach Raymond Schwab, who brought one of his Essen players with him in the shape of Karl-Heinz Spikofski, the team did a couple of laps. Coach Schwab gave a speech in front of all the fans where he clearly imparted his request for calm in the stands and he said he hated nothing more than heckling or laughing when mistakes are made. He hoped the Bayer 04 supporters would follow his advice.
Show moreHorst Knauf was born in Cologne on 16 August 1960. As a teenager he played for PSV Köln before signing for the Bayer 04 Leverkusen U19s as a talented midfielder in 1976. He made the move up from the second team to the Bundesliga squad in 1980. Over the following three years he played 39 Bundesliga games and scored two goals. Above all in the difficult 1981/82 season for the Werkself with the play-off games against Kickers Offenbach, he played a big part in saving Bayer 04 with 21 appearances. But under the new coach Dettmar Cramer he rarely made a start and he decided to move on.
Show moreHolger Aden was born in Hamburg on 25 August 1965. He learned all about playing football and, above all, scoring goals at the two Hamburg clubs Niendorfer TSV and TSV DuWo 08 Hamburg. After progression from the youth teams, he played for other Hamburg clubs. One after the other he appeared for Concordia Hamburg, Altona 93 and SC Norderstedt. The centre-forward regularly found the back of the opposition net. He scored 22 goals for SC Norderstedt in the 1988/89 season.
Show moreMichael Ballack was born in Görlitz in the GDR on 26 September 1976. He displayed his talent for football at a young age. After his family moved to Karl-Marx-Stadt, now called Chemnitz, he started playing for BSG Motor ‘Fritz Heckert’ Karl-Marx-Stadt where he constantly continued to develop his ability on the pitch. From year seven he went to the children and youth sports college and there he received systematic support in sport that led, against the background of his increasing ability, to a move to FC Karl-Marx-Stadt. At the age of 16, he had to take a six-month break due to growing pains, but then there was no stopping Michael after that.
Show moreIn this video you can watch impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 in the month of August. It is not always about the beauty of the goals but also about remembering special games and players.
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