The race against the Stasi

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When the 'Iron Curtain' descended across Europe, Dieter Wiedemann was a celebrated athlete in East Germany, known for his achievements in The Peace Race, the Eastern Bloc's answer to the Tour de France. However, he secretly loved Sylvia Hermann, a girl from the West, making them 'class enemies' in the eyes of the socialist regime. Under constant surveillance by the Stasi, Dieter despised their ideology and saw Sylvia as his only chance for freedom. In a dangerous game of cat and mouse, he devised a plan to escape. In 1964, he was sent to West Germany for a qualification race for the Tokyo Olympics but instead committed an act of defection, the ultimate betrayal of socialism. While he achieved his dream of racing in the Tour de France, his defection sparked a scandal, prompting the Stasi to attempt to 'repatriate' him, leading to dire consequences for him and his family. Fifty years later, and twenty-five years after the Berlin Wall fell, Dieter decided to share his story. Through his own account, testimonies from others, and insights from his Stasi file, Herbie Sykes reveals a remarkable narrative of love, betrayal, and the tumultuous backdrop of the Cold War, centered around one of history's greatest bike races.