2024 — What a Year! ✨

New Year 2024 🎊 we celebrated in Dubai, UAE. From there, we set off on a journey to cycle through and explore 16 amazing countries 🚴‍♀️🚴‍♂️🌎❤️ Each one offered unique and unforgettable experiences 🤩
🇦🇪 🇮🇷 🇧🇬 🇷🇴 🇵🇾 🇭🇺 🇷🇸 🇵🇱 🇱🇹 🇱🇻 🇪🇪 🇫🇮 🇳🇴 🇦🇷 🇨🇱 🇵🇪

We were lucky to reunite with beloved family members 🥰 and make new friends along the way 🫶 The people we met, the stories we shared, and the memories we created will stay with us forever 💖

Looking back on this extraordinary year, we feel deeply grateful for this life-changing experience, the challenges we've overcome, and the opportunities we've had 🤩

Can't wait to see what 2025 has in store! 😎

—> 12 📸 pictures in this post

#2024Recap
#cycling #bikepacking #biketouring #cyclinglife #adventure #traveling #cyclingaroundtheworld #adventuretravel #exploringbybicycle #globetrottingonwheels
#photography #photo #visualart #capturethemoment #focus #photographylover

During a rainy week in Puerto Montt, things suddenly started to snowball.🤪 It became clear that Marc now needs a break. After many discussions and back and forth, considering different options — (does Fiona continue on her own?🚴‍♀️does Marc want to join again in 2-3 weeks?🚴‍♀️🚴 is Ushuaia still our goal as planned a few months ago?🤔 are we still excited and motivated to cycle south?), — we came to the conclusion that we will board a plane together✈️, take break, have some quality time for each of us (together an especially also not together 😉) Suddenly we were relieved, the decision we made felt good for both of us.😎 Within a few days, the flight and a small bungalow at the destination were booked. We got two bike boxes for free from the big French sportsshop "D". We packed the bikes and all our belongings into the boxes and made our way to the airport of Puerto Montt.
The check-in process went absolutely smoothly, the bike boxes weighing 35kg and 37kg were checked in without any issues. While the check-in we got informed that there was a strike of the pilots and boardcrew predicted.🤯 But because we arrived at the airport very early we were rebooked onto an earier flight, and could go directly to the gate and board the plane right after check-in, without any further waiting.😄 Our originally booked flight was then cancelled.
What a crazy portion of luck! 🍀

—> 6 📸 pictures in this post

#cycling #bikepacking #cyclinglife #adventure #traveling #cyclingaroundtheworld #adventuretravel

Some specs, numbers, pictures ( 20 📸 ) and our sleeping spots (blue dots on the map) from our journey through Argentina and Chile
🇦🇷 —> 🇨🇱
In Córdoba we started pedaling and cycled 1'461 km (in Argentina) southwards through a lot of pampa and vast regions to the amazing green northern part of Patagonia, crossed the border to Chile and covered the last 209 km in the beautiful lake region until we reached Puerto Montt.

total cycled 🚴 🚴‍♀️ 1'674 km
28 days on the bikes
total days: 72

hitchhiking 🛻: 5x / total ~ 350km
by train 🚂: Buenos Aires to Cordoba
by bus 🚌: Chos Malal to Zapala 215km

punctures:
Marc 1
Fiona 1

conversations with birds 🐦: several
bee 🐝 attack: 1x
encounters with scorpions 🦂: 1x (2 scorpions)

max heat 🥵: ~35°C
min heat 🥶 (cold): 0°C

critical situations:
1x no more water 🚰 in deserted strech of pampa (we got water gifted from friendly car drivers)
1x Fiona nearly killed (overrolled) by a truck 😱

nicest parts 😎:
Valle Grande/ canyon de Atuel (near San Rafael Mendoza) and the route of the seven lakes in north Patagonia Argentina

worst parts 😣:
fences, fences, fences.... and the extreme tough gravel part of the ruta 40 near Bardas Blancas

#cycling #bikapackingj #fedibikes #cyclingaroundtheworld #argentina #chile #travelphotography #photography

🥳 Whoop, whoop, whoop for us! 🎉
We hit the amazing milestone of 25,000 km
❤️🌎🚴‍♀️🚴🌎❤️

Early in the morning, traffic began to flow again, but the night was very quiet, almost no cars passed by due to the closed border. For breakfast, we had chickpeas (same for lunch, since we still had no fresh food 🙃) and of course a cup of coffee ☕️ —After nearly two months in Argentina, we finally found a decent drinkable coffee in Villa la Angostura. Now, in Chile, the search for good coffee starts all over again... It's really a frustrating act to find good ground coffee! 🧐
In the few rays of sunshine through the tall trees, we dried the damp tent and set off. The route took us through a landscape that reminded us to 100% of Switzerland. Lush green meadows filled with Simmental cows and a large variety of plant and tree species. It felt really good. I noticed with joy how many different plants were growing there, like ferns, dandelion, other green plants with huge leaves, various deciduous trees, red and yellow blooming trees and bushes only to list some of them...
In Argentinian Pampa there were just thorny acacias, eucalyptus and poplar trees in the villages, and in Northern Patagonia finally also pine trees, Arrayàn trees, the famous Chilean pine (Araucaria) also called the monkey puzzle tree and many bright yellow-flowering broom bushes...

—> 11 photos in this post

#cycling #bikepacking #biketouring #cyclinglife #cyclingaroundtheworld #cyclingtogether #photography #naturephotography

...Chile 😎 🇨🇱 🤩

3 📸 in this post

#cycling #bikepacking #biketouring #cyclinglife #adventure #traveling #pedalandexplore #cyclingaroundtheworld #adventuretravel #exploringbybicycle #globetrottingonwheels #photography #naturephotography #travelphotography #capturethemoment #chile #patagonia

While resting in San Rafael, we studied
the maps for the next leg of our journey. The question was: is this white line on the map cyclable, or should we opt for the orange-colored line (ruta nacional) instead? Would we find enough food and water supplies along the way? Finally, well-rested, clean, and with food for up to three days, we cycled on. Yes, we began the adventure and said 'no, thanks' to the big road. well, the first part was still a well-paved road, but with most likely less traffic. Quite soon after we departed from San Rafael, we also left the flat area filled with many vineyards. Suddenly, mountains appeared—wow, what a view! Our eyes were delighted after so many days without seeing anything like mountains. Even more, it filled us with energy to see the vivid river with its beautiful ice-blue color and the extremely green trees lining the river...

—> stay tuned for the next post, the next part of this adventurous day 🤩

📸 6 pictures in this post

#cycling #bikepacking #biketouring #cyclinglife #adventure #traveling #pedalandexplore #cyclingaroundtheworld #adventuretravel #exploringbybicycle #nature #argentina

About the last three days there is not a lot to tell and show... The pampa where we are cycling through is really boring... At least we are now on a street with almost no traffic 😎
To camp we've found a spot next to a still closed and fenced campground at the border of a lake, the other night we found a campground with houndreds of fix installed tables, benches, grillstations and even a solar powered mate-water-dispenser 😅. Since the season hasn't started yet it was free of charge but without sanitary facilities. The third night we searched for a spot in a area with only fenced fields and privat land. In the end we pitched our tent on the only available public land, in front of the entrance to a privat land.
That night we could hear very funny frog sounds. Do you know the music instrument, a wooden frog with a stick to scratch over its back? Or the metal frogs where you squeeze the belly? Exactly these sounds! Next time we have to go with the headlamp to see them 😉
For breakfast Marc made some super delicious pancakes with corn-, oat-flour and apples 🥰
Yesterday it was hard to move forward. We had a strong headwind with stronger gusts blowing towards us across the deserted and heavy fenced farmland. see 📸 9/10
We reached the village Achiras while sunset. Aproximately 10 minutes after sunset it was already dark. We went to the signed campground (again not officially open yet) and pitched our tent in the windshade of the sanitary building. A streetdog came and stayed the whole night infront of our tent. Such a kind protector 😍

#cycling #bikepacking #cyclinglife #cyclingtogether #nomad #cyclingaroundtheworld #argentina #lapampa

📸 1: Half an hour before we left Buenos Aires by train, a crazy thunderstorm broke out over the city. Luckily, we were at a 'papas fritas' stall during this time...
📸 2 & 3: Twenty-two hours later, we reached Córdoba. Of course, first we had to make a coffee at 'Plaza San Martín'
📸 4: A funny, bumpy, and zigzag cycling lane out of Córdoba...
📸 5: Our first campsite in Argentina. Due to fences everywhere, it was super difficult to find a spot, and even in this vast cornfield in the middle of nowhere, some locals told us to leave because it's too dangerous. In their opinion, next to the busy highway, it would be safer 🤔
📸 6: After we cycled for a while on the very busy Ruta 5, a friendly local told us about the empty highway that wasn't yet open. This was—at least for a few kilometers—a relief for our nerves...
📸 7: Here in the desert-like Pampa, the trees have huge thorns... Fiona had her first puncture in ages... Let's hope it will be the only one!
📸 8: View of the lake/reservoir 'Embalse Los Molinos'
📸 9: Second campspot. We found this spot yesterday evening after searching for over two hours between all the fenced 'Propriedad Privada'. The sun had already set, and we had just enough twilight to pitch the tent before it was darkest night.


#cycling #bikepacking #cyclinglife #cyclingtogether #nomad #cyclingaroundtheworld #traveling #photography #naturephotography #travelphotography #SouthAmerica #BuenosAires #Cordoba

An end does not mean "the end"... 😇
Thank you all so much for your nice words, comments and wishings in the previous post! 🤗
Our adventure on two wheels continues!
🚴‍♀️🚴🌎 ❤️
For our third year, we’re off to an amazing new destination: South America! 🇦🇷 ☀️

For the past few months, the plan has been in our heads, but from where to where 🏁, when 📆 and how 🚂 ⛵️✈️🚀 ??? That was still not clear until we reached Trondheim. As we are —we go with the flow— when it feels right, it just happens! In Trondheim, we celebrated our two-year anniversary with a big leap to a new horizon: 🌄 flight tickets booked, Pauline and Max packed in bike boxes, uff... carried all our gear to the bus station 🥵 and off to the airport! 🛫

After a long journey with almost no sleep and a little jet lag, we landed in Buenos Aires 🛬 🇦🇷 🎉
Somehow it feels a bit surreal. Normally, we are used to slow travel; and now we jumped in just 17 hours to the other side of the globe, from near the northern hemisphere to the southern part of the planet, from early autumn to early spring.

We can hardly wait to discover all the new countries, landscapes, cultures, and people that await us! 🤩 But here in Buenos Aires it’s time to take a break first; process the last few months in the Eastern Balkans, the Baltics, and Scandinavia, fully arrive in Argentina and plan our route through South America 🌎

stay tuned and travel with us 🤗
🚴‍♂️🚴‍♀️🌎 ❤️ 😎 💨 ☀️ 🌈 😍 🚵‍♀️ 🚵

—> 8 📸 in this post

#NewBeginning
#cycling #bikepacking #cyclinglife #cyclingtogether #nomad #cyclingaroundtheworld #traveling #photography #travelphotography #SouthAmerica #BuenosAires #argentina #GoingWithTheFlow

🚴‍♂️🚴‍♀️🌍❤️ 😎 💨💦☀️⛈️🌈 😍 🚵‍♀️ 🚵
with Pauline and Max — our bicycles — we cycled through Europe, West Africa, the Middle East, and through the Balkans, the Balticum and Scandinavia all up to the North Cape.
This exactly 2-year adventure ends today here in Trondheim.
It has been a rollercoaster of emotions: beautiful, exhausting, exciting, tiring, overwhelming, captivating, boring, draining, entertaining, amazing...
Every pedal stroke, all the experiences and the encounters with locals and other travelers has shaped us!
The last 2 years we've cycled over 23'400km (this is more than half way (~54%) around the globe 🌍 ) and crossed 38 countries
🇨🇭 🇨🇵 🇪🇦 🇲🇦 🇪🇭 🇲🇷 🇸🇳 🇬🇳 🇵🇹 🇯🇪 🇬🇧 🇮🇪 🇧🇪 🇱🇺 🇩🇪 🇦🇹 🇮🇹 🇷🇺 🇭🇷 🇧🇦 🇲🇪 🇦🇱 🇬🇷🇹🇷 🇴🇲 🇦🇪 🇮🇷 🇧🇬 🇷🇴 🇵🇾 🇭🇺 🇷🇸 🇵🇱 🇱🇹 🇱🇻 🇪🇪 🇫🇮 🇳🇴

But now it’s time: onward to new horizons! 🌅
into a new chapter of life. ❤️

#NewBeginning #Adventure #JourneyEnd #BicycleLove
#cycling #bikepacking #cyclinglife #cyclingtogether #nomad #cyclingaroundtheworld #traveling #photography #naturephotography #travelphotography