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These pages are designed to offer you up to date news about smaller
biketours which I have undertaken during the last months. As you know, I am
working with a number of international companies testing a variety of
materials and products. These shorter tours are an excellent opportunity for
me to get away for a couple of weeks in order to do some testing and
fotoshooting or filming on the road. Not everybody has the chance to combine
their sport with work. I do feel very priviledged to have the opportuntity
to do just that. However it is not very easy to get established in this
type of work.
It requires a lot of hard work and much time travelling, a profound
professional knowhow and patience. Apart from that one has to be honest, and
trusted, straight forward without hurting other persons feelings and
absolutely keen on doing the job. The best way of being successful in doing
such a job is actually simple, do it with persuation and out of conviction.
Even if you fail in certain aspects keep smiling, life is short, nobody is
perfect I am no exeption.
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Travelling in Marocco:
During one of my slideshows in germany, I have met Stefan Adam, a student at
a german film-akademy. Apparently he had read my book "The Equatour" and was somehow
fascinated by my travels, my way of life and all the happenings. He decided
to make a film about me.
Between April 99 and November 99 Stefan filmed many sequences in South
Tyrol, during my slideshows, cyclefairs in germany and many other aspects of
my work and life. We decided to do some biking sequences in Marocco. In the
end Stefan and his fellow students made a film of 33 minutes duration.
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The Mongolian Adventure:
I thought it would have been a nice idea to accompany my travelling friend
Tobias Fischnaller on his first solotour through the
mongolian countryside. He cycled accross
Mongolia and tried to climb the three highest mountains there. I took a break from here and flew
to Mongolia with him. I spend some 10 days in Mongolia by -24°C. Very cold
and uncomfortable to do any decent cycling. On my flight back to Europe I
stopped for 3 days in Moscow.
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Biken and Subway surfen in Moscow:
Biken in Moscow is an experience I can do without in the future. Large
streets, massive buildings and very chaotic traffic is something the cyclist
has to get used to very quickly when cruising in Moscow. To visit the red
square and the many interesting historical places has been a
highlite which I enjoyed very much. The worlds biggest Mc Donald Restaurant
(seating 800 people) is ofcourse, in downtown Moscow is a whooper.
Fascination pur was my experience riding the subway in Moscow. Wealth and
poverty are to be seen on every streetcorner. Many poor people have made the
subwaystations their homes as the winters are very cold and Moscow can be
such an inhospitable place. Vodka seems to be the best heatproducing liquid
in Russia. It is available just about on every streetcorner in Moscow.
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A short visit by friends in Vietnam:
During my visit by friends in North Vietnam I had the chance to test the new
Koga Miyata World Traveller Model 2000. To visit North Vietnam has always been one of my
wishes. Wonderful people and very easy to travel I have spend three weeks in this wonderful
place. The people of North Vietnam have suffered so much and yet they are so
friendly and hospitable, it has been an unforgettable experience. What makes
cycling so fascinating in Vietnam? There seems to be nothing on earth which
cannot be transported on a bike.
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Tilmann and Friends in Himalaya:
During August 2000 I travelled with 5 other cyclists for 3 weeks in Ladakh.
During that trip we cycled the worlds highest mountainpasses (The Kardhung
La 5600m) as well as the Taglang La at (5400m) the world second highest mountain pass. I think that this tour
has been a very personal challenge for everyone on the tour. We were
accompanied by a television crew. The film should be shown during march 2001.
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The Canning Stock Route:
In preparation for my tour from Alaska to Patagonia, I wanted to travel
along the Canning Stock Route in Australia. The CSR is a 1900 km long Track
through Australias most inhospitable countryside.
Apart from 900 dunes, a lot of sand and barren places there isn`t realy much
to see.
Maybe just because of that and due to the historical importance of that
route I thought that this tour would be an enormous challenge. The idea was to travel the CSR from
Wiluna to Halls Creek using Toyota Landcruisers to carry enough food and water supplies to
organize enough depots for the returntrip with our mountainbikes. The majority of the 51 wells made
by Alfred Cannings crew about 100 years ago contain very poor water. Many of
the wells have caved in and the water supply along the route is of rather
poor quality. This is not a place to take chances, so I decided
to take every possible precaution. Water, food, spare fuel, even a satelite
emergency signal linked to an australian rescue system has been taken along.
Unfortunatelly, bushfires, and too much sand
on the track made the returntrip on our bikes very tricky and almost impossible.
The fires destroyed some of our depots.
We decided that it was impossible to do the trip as planned. The possible
alternatives were unaceptable to my longtime travelmate Tobias and so I had
to decide to abandon the idea.
Knowing very well that failing to achieve ones goal is a continues
possibility on any and every adventure it still is a very disappointing
experience to actually stand there in the desert with nothing else but
shattered dreams.
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