WORLDTRAVELLERS.DK

Over the last 1.402 days I’ve cycled 62.000 km on an uninterrupted solo ride around the world - the longest in Danish history, by the way.

Since the departure from Denmark April 10, 2006 I’ve cycled through 53 countries on 6 continents and now, 4 years later, it’s almost over.

Tomorrow, Tuesday February 08, 2010 I’ll thus cross the Danish/German border at noon, 12.00PM at the Niehuus/Padborg crossing (see this link for more info).

Officially, the WT Expedition will finish at the Raadhuspladsen (Town Hall Square) in Copenhagen (more info to come on www.worldtravellers.dk).

If you feel like sharing that (personally) epic moment with me, well, see you tomorrow at the border at 12.00PM/noon then.

Nicolai (in Flensburg, Germany. 5 km to go…)

PS. Yes, I do drink hot coffee…

The following link shows a screen shot of the route I’ve cycled since I left Denmark on April 10, 2006.

6 continents, 52 countries, 1.400 days, and 61.500 km later I’m in Holland, only 500 km from home.

Click here for the WT Route Map 2006-2010

Nicolai (Enschede, Netherlands)

Day 1.395 – 02FEB2010: Oostrum -> Enschede
Distance (km) : 122
Time on bike : 5h 40m
Brutto time: 09.10 – 16.15
Avg : 21.6 km/h
Max.speed: 38.0
Total (km) : 61.481
Altitude: 70 m
Difficulty: 3

Text to come…

Day 1.394 – 01FEB2010: Zonhoven (B) -> Oostrum (NL)
Distance (km) : 102
Time on bike : 5h 34m
Brutto time: 10.10 – 17.30
Avg : 18.3 km/h
Max.speed: 32.9
Total (km) : 61.359
Altitude: 100 m
Difficulty: 3½

Text missing for now…

Text missing for now…

The Walk…

Though part of me is itching to get back to Denmark, to get this WT-thing over and done with, hanging out with Sofie here in Zonhoven (east of Hasselt, northeastern Belgium) - which will only be my second and last stop-over in tiny Belgium - has paused me for a moment, and, really, there’s no rush getting back.

With nigh on 1.400 days in the bag, what’s another few days?

Such a lovely dad (thank you so much, Papa Jan)…

Weird Belgian signposting…

At night Sofie and I go to the movies in neighboring Genk, then a quick kebab in Hasselt through the snowstorm (above). All good!

Indoor comforts are supremely on the agenda today. I don’t leave the house today at all. Don’t take pity on me. It’s exactly how I wanted it to be. Tennis semi-finals from Melbourne keep me glued to the TV set all morning.

I have a long chat with Sofie’s Papa Jan - a Jack of all trades, as Sofie said - about his seafaring youth on the Seven Seas e.g. Papa Jan even dismantles the Dannebrog on my bike and gives a good scrub and wash. Very kind.

The TLC makes the flag real red and alive as when Carolyne made it in Adelaide in 2007…

Chilling with Sofie (and her family), sharing stories about our love for (almost) everything Australia, watching a movie…it all eats away the afternoon. Feeling very good here.

Day 1.390 – 28JAN2010: Namur -> Zonhoven
Distance (km) : 111
Time on bike : 6h 04m
Brutto time: 09.45 – 17.30
Avg : 18.1 km/h
Max.speed: 35.3
Total (km) : 61.257
Altitude: 120 m
Difficulty: 4

Leaving Namur proper turns out to be more complicated than expected. In town I manage to find the bike route (Ravel) that Nicolas recommended last night. It’s snowcovered though, so I opt for the road running parallel to it, hoping things will stay parallel. Bad choice. Gradually, the main road veers off the bike track, up to a 150-200 m plateau north of Namur, leaving me in smalltown territory, with no map, and no way of navigating with the sun since the sky’s cloudy and lousy.

After 16 km cycling I suddenly recognize a shop sign that I passed 45 minutes earlier, just 3 km north of Namur, and realize that I’ve been cycling in circles (well, just one circle, but that was more than enough). Frustrating. Especially, since I have a rare appointment today and I’m already running late.

Sofie has invited me to come and stay with her and her family in Zonhoven. Halfway between Namur and Zonhoven we’re supposed to meet up in Landen at 1PM from where we’ll ride back to her house. I hate being late, so for the next 3 hours solid I just kick the pedals hard (my knee luckily agrees to this plan) and focused, and make it just in time, with the biggest hole in my stomach.

I’ve now entered the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium, and this province, Limburg, is literally plastered with fine-fine cycling paths. Sofie’s done her homework and we stay on mostly car-free bike tracks all the way home (ca. 55 km).

Sitting in In De Zwaan Restaurant near Hasselt (Belgium) just a few hours after we’ve met, it feels like I’ve known Sofie much longer. It’s great company, the atmosphere’s right, and the food’s super delicious (and plentiful - Hungry Wolf likes). And did I mention the Westmalle?

In Zonhoven I get my own room, complete with TV, wifi, DVD, elevation bed (love it!), and it all feels wicked. Will stay some days here, I’m sure…

After a good, solid gnocchi lunch with Nicolas and Sophie in a Italian restaurant, I head off for a bit of sightseeing. Namur’s impressive citadel is on top of most tourists’ agenda in town, I guess. Rightly so…

My left knee was somewhat sore this morning so I turn to the trusty Ibuprofen again (the last dose this time around). I’m pretty careful walking up the stairs to the citadel and as long as I keep the grandpa speed, things are all right.

I hardly meet other people on the massive citadel, and the joy of sniffing around foreign towns is back, full-on.

Nicolas, Sophie, and Raja all know perfectly how to make you feel at home (less so, when Raja is in his warrior-must-destroy-all-mode). I really love it here and feel sad that the departure’s waiting at the other end of tonights’ sleep…

Just a hasty update from Givet, northern France where I’ve been staying for two weeks now due to a knee injury.

To the late-comers: I Bourges, France - beginning of January - I got some new and heavy winterboots ‘cos I couldn’t keep my feet warm on the bike. The boots have a thick 3-4 cm sole which, naturally, affects the distance from my crotch to the pedals. I was aware of this, but couldn’t be bothered doing anything about it (e.g. adjusting the saddle height accordingly). My bad.

After a few days of cycling in hilly and cold central France my knee started feeling sore. I had the accomodation situation planned well ahead, and thus didn’t really “have time” for listening to this sudden knee soreness nor to stop and rest/find out what was wrong all of a sudden, after more than 60.000 km on the bike.

The pain was pretty bad when I arrived here in Givet 14 days ago, knee swollen and the stairs caused me a lot of trouble etc, and further pedalling didn’t really seem like an option. Luckily, I was invited by Elodie to stay in her apartment for as long as I wanted. As I said, French hospitality never failed on me.

It’s been a great rest here. New friends, WT-projects done, lots of Australian Open tennis from Melbourne, eating well, drinking ditto, resting, thinking…Looking back, I can’t really believe that I’ve been here for so long - actually the longest break where I’ve stayed in one single place since Sydney in March 2008.

The pain in my knee didn’t really get any better within the first few days, so after a long research on the internet I realized that patellar tendinitis was the name of the game. Off the the pharmacy I went, and over the next 9 days I swallowed more pills than ever before (50!). The swell is gone, I’ve been doing basic exercises for my knee everyday, I’ve been on gentle rides (5 and 20 km) to check the knee, and everything seems (knock-on-wood) to be fairly all right.

So I’ll be off very shortly. My bike’s been crying loudly lately (from the laundry room next door) for me to come back and caress it/her. Belgium is just a few kilometers down (north) the Meuse River, and it will be my country #50 in WT-time. Namur, then Zonhoven is the first stops in Belgium - the remaining route through the Netherlands and Germany hasn’t been planned yet.

Thanks for the perpetual support, guys and girls. It (still) means everything to me.

Thus perceived - and with love,

Nicolai

Givet (FR) -> Namur (B)
Distance (km) : 55
Time on bike : 3h 37m
Brutto time: 12.20 – 16.40
Avg : 15.3 km/h
Max.speed: 27.3
Total (km) : 61.147
Altitude: 80 m
Difficulty: 3

As with all other good things in life, my stay in Givet has come to an end. 14 days with indoor comforts (incl. immense amounts of wifi and time in Camp WT), relaxation, knee exercises, Ibuprofen, chill-out time with new friends in Givet - not to mention the mild frustration about the knee situation.

I leave Givet just after noon and have an easy 55 km ride to Namur in Belgium. The winter’s suddenly back in Givet, and the temperature’s minus 3 degrees Celsius. To spice things up, I’m hit by a brisk headwind all day. Not quite what I was hoping for.

The bike computer says 61.097 when, after 15 minutes, I reach the unpatrolled Belgian border along the Meuse River. WT-country #50 in 45½ months.

Naturally, I’m careful not to push it today. My knee seems to be doing all right (after I put the saddle up some 3 cm the other day - the equivalent to the thickness of the sole of my new, trouble-making (but warm) boots), but still I somehow feel a bit fragile, a bit vulnerable, having realized how thin the line between feeling like Superman and being handicapped can be.

The scenery along the Meuse River is equally great on the Belgian side, with lots of impressive, vertical rock formations right on the edge of the river. Most of the day I’m on a car-free bike path, sometimes cobblestoned (no like), often paved (yes like).

Via Hospitalityclub.org I’ve organized a place to stay in Namur at Nicolas’ and Sophies house in the centre of the city of 110.000 inhabitants. Nicolas (professor of geography) and Sophie (graphic designer) recently moved into their beautiful 3-story apartment with Raja, the 3-months-old Bengal cat - it didn’t take long before I’d completely lost my heart to this little furry nugget.

There’s Belgian beer, French red, Sophie’s delicious lasagne, non-stop conversations and cosy times in the house with my new friends/hosts. The decision to take tomorrow off to do some sightseeing in Namur and to spend a little more time with Nicolas and Sophie (and to rest my knee that started feeling a little sore this evening (despite the beer, wine and Belgian whisky!)) is an easy one…

…plus, Raja needs more cuddles! You see why, right…

No photos today

No diary notes today

No milk today

Knee’s not too bad

Will leave tomorrow /

Looking forward to Belgium

After 11 days off the bike, I feel it’s time to give the not-so-good old knee a little test ride today. The Belgian border is just 4 km down the road, and because crossing borders always had a certain charm for me, I make Beauraing on the other side of the border the aim of the test ride.

Uhu, and Belgium it is. Knee is doing okay on the 20 km ride, but it’s still to early to feel too confident.

I spend the afternoon with Elodie and Yannick in the great Rivea Espace Aquatique (French) a few kilometers down the road from Elodie’s apt. For hygienic reasons, shorts are not allowed in the pools. Shorts is what I’ve got in my bag. Because I’m cheap, I can’t be bothered buying a 12 Euro pair in the vending machine, so I put my underwear on, pretending it’s swimming trunks, hoping the elastic band will keep the trunks in its place.

The Rivea center is water haven with water slides, jacuzzi, hammam, sauna. The rocks.

My knee’s been responding quite positively to the floor exercises I’ve been doing over the last week. This is all good news. Obviously.

It’s a rare, sunny day outside today, so the bear decides to leave the hibernation and snoop about smalltown Givet…

I’ve spent most of the last two days editing this new documentary from Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Mali, West Africa.

It’s an interesting and laborious process making these mini-movies - even though the process of cutting down hours of footage to the final product, a mere 8 minutes, involves a lot of “kill your darlings”.

I’m quite pleased with this movie. After all, there’s nothing like being the star of your own movie, right…

Full-screen, HQ mode recommended. Comments welcome.

Sit back. Enjoy a slice of West Africa.

Nicolai (Givet, France)

A silent day, indeed…

This is how I spend most of my days here in Givet - it’s much more interesting than it looks!

Most of the last two days, I’ve been working on a WT Docu from West Africa. It’s sometimes a tedious process, yet also quite creative and all-up I do enjoy the making/editing of the movies.

Chilling with friends in Givet usually involves good beer.

I’d be hard pushed to try and find something worth telling about today. I’ll make it quick this time.

Training my knee free-style (above), making most of a new WT minimovie from Africa, heaps of live tennis from Australian Open, hanging out with Elodie and Jean-Baptiste is on the open agenda.

It’s been one week since I arrived here in Givet, and I really like the “settling in”-feeling…It’s a welcome change from the usual, nomadic walkabouts.

Being forced to stay put here in Givet, northern France, is kind of a pain/pleasure, two-headed Janus situation for me.

One the one hand, my sore knee (Patellar tendinitis) has forced me to really slow down (physically more than anything), and I can’t recall when was the last time of such immobility. But one door closes, another one opens, and this rest has given me plenty of time to do some WT-stuff that I’ve been wanting for a while now.

On the other hand, after 5 days of indoor comforts, I’m starting to feel a little eager to get back on the road, like a caged tiger (to keep it in the cat vernacular), to get this WT-thing over with, being a mere 1.000 km from Denmark now. As one reader put it, resistance is really cranking up now, at the end of the line. So true.

Anyway, the Ibuprofen seems to be working all right, my left knee isn’t as swollen anymore, I can move around without much trouble, and I’ve started doing a bit of exercise in order to strengthen the knees (as if that should be a problem after 61.000 km on the bike, right).

I optimistically hope that I’ll be able to get back on the bike later this week. My knee and time will tell.

Love,

Nicolai

PS. Being stuck isn’t really a big ordeal, since I’m in good hands with my friend/host Elodie + the Australian Open 2010 Tennis just started and my wifi-sucking laptop displays all the goodies.
Don’t take pity on me, please…

Here you go!

Knee Status Update: The swell has decreased along with the pain. Seems like those pretty heavy doses of Ibuprofen are doing a dandy job. I’ve started doing a few exercises to strenghten the knee (and who would’ve thought that would be necessary after 61.000 km on the roads? Life’s weird sometimes)

Running low on visuals here in Givet - because I spend most days indoor, resting my knee, eating Ibuprofen, working on my laptop, hanging out with Elodie and friends - today’s photo presentation shows my room (yes, it’s mine, and Elodie calls me her flatmate by now )…

…and the view from my room…

And please have a look at the latest mini-docu from WT (Northwestern Africa) in case you haven’t seen it:

Some people claim it’s always weekend in my world (which is of course bullocks), but since it’s officially also weekend time for Elodie today, we take her cute little Fiat Panda and drive to big-city Lille, some 2½ hours to the west of Givet to meet up with her uni-friend Sebastien.

Heavy and good: the regional favorite (apparently), Welch - a strange but delicious mix of ham, bread, cheese, fried egg…

…and yes, I like pepper!

As was the case between Xmas and NYE a few weeks ago, when Pablo and I drove to Gent for the day, this happens to be a rainy day too. Bummer, but nonetheless it’s obvious that Lille is a very pretty town with lots of French life and stimmung all around.

Physically, I’m still in low gear due to my sore knee. This seems to be the result of my self-diagnosis.

My bike’s been wanting to grab a shower for the last few weeks, so today I take it downstairs/outdoor from the 3rd floor apartment, and give it a good scrub and a little oily massage to make up for the negligence of lately…

But in WT World I continue the hyper-activity of the last days…

Tune of the Day: A Thousand Kisses Deep - Leonard Cohen

Hugely delayed, here is my selected photos from my 3 months in the USA, from 07MAY09 - 01AUG09 (incl. 3 weeks in Canada).

US Route:

I pedaled a total of 5.071 km in the USA and went through 16 states (plus Wash., D.C), from the US/Mexican border town Brownsville, Texas through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York State, (Quebec, Canada), Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts (then plane from Boston to Accra, Ghana, West Africa).

The USA soon turned out to be one of my absolute favorite WT-countries…I think the following photos would give you an idea why…

See the album (270 photos, standard view) here