Bikester Magazine EN Summer 2021

Last summer, you embarked on a
journey most people can only dream
of, spending three months on the road.
Why did you decide on an e-bike for
your tour from Germany to Estonia?
I‘d done some extreme sports before, like
CrossFit and obstacle courses. So, I know
my body quite well and knew that I probably
wouldn‘t be able to do it with a standard bike
and luggage, or only very, very slowly. That‘s
how I came to the e-bike and the cooperation
with Bikester. Regarding trip planning, it was
all about: what makes sense for such long a
distance?
Did you prepare physically in any
particular way?
No, I trained normally: resistance training in
the gym, a bit of endurance, a lot of rowing
and otherwise some exercises with the barbell
– general fitness training. Later, it dawned on
me that it doesn‘t hurt to have a bit of extra
muscle when you‘re riding a fully-loaded bike:
I had to carry it over a few railway tracks on
the trip. But no, I didn‘t specifically train for
the cycling.
This brings us to our next question: how
did you stow your luggage? Were there
any challenges, and if so, how did you
overcome them?
I rearranged my luggage about five times
before setting off! Then, at some point, I said
to myself, „Well, I‘ve got to ride to Vienna
first anyway, so I can sort it out there“. I
ended up sending eight kilos back to Berlin.
I‘d recommend this approach to everyone. In
the beginning, I had a big backpack on the
rear rack but realised pretty early that wasn‘t
going to work. On flat stretches, excess
luggage isn‘t a problem because the e-bike‘s
motor compensates; in the mountains or on
uneven paths it becomes more difficult to
balance.
So in the end, the idea is: plan well but
keep your options open?
Exactly. Don‘t approach it too cerebrally,
either. I set myself a start date and resolved to
really take off then. There are supermarkets,
drugstores and bicycle shops all over Europe,
where you can buy the essentials. I wasn‘t
heading into the wilderness all alone.
BIKESTER