Project VELAIA

When do you start?

There are two starting dates. First, I’ll start in Germany at the Special Bikes Show 2007 in Germersheim April 28 + 29. This will mark my kilometer -700 or so. Then I’ll cycle to Paris where I will have my official start of my Paris to Peking trip right under the Eifel tower at 10 May. I’ve chosen this date because it’s in the middle of the dates of the other starters of the great Beijing to Paris 2007 Carfree rallye and because this seemed to give me enough time for both preparation and maybe even reaching Chine before winter.

How did you get involved with Beijing to Paris?

By pure fate! I happend to donate a one year subscription of the Carbusters Magazine to my sister when she got 18 and by that the drivers license. I thought that was a good compensation for her not to get too much into the motorists way of thinking and to open up far better alternatives for her. As we come from an car manufacturing area it’s normal for parents to pay the drivers license to their kids when they get 18 and many even bind their children to their first car by giving it to them to top it all of.

Are you riding solo?

I hope not! There’s one other rider doing the tour in the same direction but starting from Istanbul, as he cycled the Paris-Istanbul trip last year. He wants to start in Istanbul May 15th or so. We wanted to cycle together but don’t know whether the large time lag can be compensated some way.

Besides that I’m alway happy to cycle with others and with locals. So if you want to cycle with me (and are quite fit) or want me to participate in a local race or cycling tour/event that can in some way be combined with my tour, please please get in contact! I want to get to know (cycling) culture and that is cyclists and locals from all around the world!

How long do you plan to take for the whole trip?

I am planning with 100km / day and therefore about 220 days, so about 7 to 8 months. If I get problems with the weather (winter in Himalaya) or with bureaucracy it could take somewhat longer and I would even consider a more southern or northern route.

What do you want to do after the tour?

I’ve thought about continuing with physics at the university even though I’m tending to change to a more environmental study. It would also be great to get involved in environmental or bicycle activism through the tour and continue therewith after the tour. I’m also planing to learn at least French but maybe also some other languages. And of course I will continue touring (hiking, cycling, whatever!) around the planet as long as I can afford – I don’t want to work too much – Henry David Thoreau worked only for 60 days a year in 1850 – so why sould I work more with a tremendously increased productivity and therewith even destroy our beautiful planet further?

How do you finance the tour?

I primarily try to live with less. That is 5-10€ per day in Europe and in developed countries for food, internet, insurance, repair parts and 3-7€ per day in Asia for the same + visa. Many relatives and friends have offered me their help and I will use it if I need to – thanks! Especially my father, mother and sister support me. Thank you very much!

What about the toilets since Turkey?

No big deal!

When have you decided to continue?

The idea of continuing was already in my head before I actually started – it’s just the perfect time to do that kind of adventure, very likely a ‘once in my life’ chance. And during the tour it got more and more likely that I want to see more of this beautiful planet, this jewel that has been given to us.

Why have you changed to mountainbike?

First: I regret that I have changed! I will change back again. And here the reasons why I have changed:

• the publicity and curiosity of people since Central Asia and all through till Beijing was so big I often felt uncomfortable and annoyed alone on the recumbent – they were touching sensitive parts of the electronics, jumping on the bike while I was away … it was easier when I cycled with someone else
• the StreetMachine GT I had was too heavy – an estimated 20kg is not what an ultralight cyclist traveling at an average of over 100km/day even in bad terrain wants to invest too big proportions of his energy in to get it over steep and high mountains
• city cycling was not as much fun with the recumbent as with a normal bike – but only because of too many cars in the city! So it’s more like a problem with modern cities and the traffic planing in the same ones
• while riding you can’t “stand” like on the normal bike, e.g. when cycling uphill – just a bit less agility
• I planed to go more off-road, leave the main roads and start cycling trails – therefore a mountain bike with 26″ wheels

How many kilometers do you average per day?

That’s in fact a very frequent question. I used to average almost exactly 110km per day of riding with my recumbent, including the long and hard ride through Tibet. But on the new bike I take things a bit more relaxed and average maybe 50 to 70km per day of riding. Contributing to this recent laziness increase is also the new tent I got since New Zealand and the more exhausting position on the upright bicycle.

Do you use a wide angle lens or a wide angle converter lens?

I’m using a 18-200mm lens from Sigma and am so far really happy with it. It’s a really nice lens for traveling as you get a big range including wide angle. I got the tip from a book called “Digital Photography Vol. 2″ by Scott Kelby.

How do you do panorama photos…do use a special software….?

I have a software for Windows called Autopano PRO which automates a lot of processes in stitching a panorama image. I bet you can find a listing of the features online.

Additionally I had been using another free (of price) software called autostitch that also does a pretty good job.

These days I’m using a dirt slow iBook 600MHz with 640 MB of RAM and the stitching software that came with my Canon Digital Rebel XSi camera – the results are not what I’m hoping for and it takes ages to stitch a panorama – a really hard job! That’s probably why I”m not putting a lot of panos online any more, a fast notebook with decent processor would help a lot.

I’ve also read that the professional Adobe Photoshop software stitches panoramas but I’d call it an overkill to buy such a big and mighty software just for stitching panos.

And what camera are u using currently….?

Since San Diego I’ve been using a Canon Digital Rebel XSi. It’s a wonderful camera and allows me to set the theories and the knowledge about digital photography that I acquired through a lot of reading and testing as well as tips from other photographers I’ve met on my tour into practice.

My old 12x optical zoom Sony DSC-H5 is also a great camera but definitely came to its limits. My father is shooting with it these days (since South America).

The lens is the Sigma 18-200 mm with OS (image stabilization) for Canon EOS cameras.

Additionally I’m currently using a circular polarizer filter, a remote control, a pretty cheap travel tripod – that’s about it.

Forumslader (broken)

The Forumslader is a charger for NiMH batteries I can run with my SON hub dynamo. It also gives you two plugs for 6V and 9-20V voltage to charge mobile phones, PDAs, GPS receivers and more. Here’s a link to the homepage of the Forumslader.

Camera Canon Digital Rebel XSi (DSLR), 450D

Having had more than a year experience with the DSC-H5 and realizing its limits I felt that the time was ripe to switch to a more proefessional camera, one I could play a lot more with and therefore have more fun with. Cycling in the USA I therefore started to research online and the Canon Digital Rebel XSi won … probably there are a lot of other fine entry DSLRs out there these days but I thought with the successor of Canon’s famous XTi I couldn’t do any wrong.
And now after more than 4 months of usage I have to say that I’m really happy with this decision. I didn’t buy the lens bundle but ordered a Sigma 18-200 zoom lens with vibration compensation – perfect for travel photography!

Camera DSC-H5 (switched to a more advanced DSLR)

I’ve used a Canon PowerShot A540 for over a year and have been quite satisfied. But the variety of options didn’t suffice any more. I wanted something to play with and so I searched a while and found the Canon IS S3 and Sony DSC-H5. The reviews for both models are great and so I decided by price where the Sony was a bit cheaper.

PDA(sent it home)

I won’t take a laptop with me on the tour. So I had to find a replacement which I could type texts with in distant places and which I (hopefully) can charge with the Forumslader. Looking for reviews the Dell Axim x51v and the Palm TX caught my eye. Both have BT and WiFi which can come quite handy when in bigger cities with many open hotspots. I bought the x51v. I still have to buy a keyboard, memory cards and a bluetooth GPS device (with data logging capabilities). Therewith I’ll be able to write my travelogue updates in more inspiring places than internet cafes and save some money when using open wireless networks.

GPS(forgotten in Iran)

I got a WINTEC WBT-201 GPS with Bluetooth connection and datalogging functionality (130 000 waypoints). It has a battery life of 14+ hours and has withstood every kind of rain and water so far-

I’m Daniel, I’m 21 years old (at the beginning of my tour), 1,83m high an weigh about 70kg. These are my interests, hobbies, habits and so on in the order of crossing my mind:

• cycling (mountainbiking, recumbents and velomobiles, cycling culture, cycling physics, commuting, …) – bicycle enthusiast
• hiking (in the Alps and the German Black Forest) and jogging
• reading (online and real books) and searching (the internet)
• renewable energies (mainly photovoltaics, solar thermal) and sustainability
• vegetarianism, alcohol-free and non-smoking advocate, of course CARFREE, mass media free with few exceptions
• environmentalism and creative and constructive solutions to environmental problems
• efficiency and sufficiency in everyday life and efficiency techniques
• philosophy (ancient Greek and Roman philosophers, transcendentalism, Thoreauvian, skeptics, discordianism), pacifism and physics, mathematics
• computers, open source and interactive models and modern tools, especially their social and societal implications
• cooking and baking (cakes)

Here’s a not biometrically suitable picture showing me on a downhill on the Rallarvejen, Norway

On the evening before I left I got some lessons in Chinese from the two girls from Singapore who were also staying in Nasta’s flat.

I left the same at about 12 in the noon and made it to the next bike shop where the gear of the Rohloff Speedhub was changed the first time after a bit more than 5000km. I am really satisfied with my technical gear so far – not a single defect, not a single puncture after nearly 6000km! The only negative aspect about it is that I have taken with me all the repair stuff and replacement components for nothing so far – but I can live with that

Leaving Thessa (as thelocals call it) I saw n accident of a big SUV crashing into a normal car only meters away – I have been lucky not to be directly involved!

It was a hot and wet afternoon and I was happy that the terrain was mainly flat so that in the evening I had made about 85km on the little frequented highway. I found a room in a million stars hotel about 50m besides the street and had sweet dreams.

When the other hotel guests from various backgrounds woke me up in the morning with the loudest they could sing it was about 4 to 5 am and nop traffic on the highway – after 50km I stopped in a small village and got food from a bakery and a supermarket. Some kilometers later I started an extended siesta at the beach that compensated for the somewhat short night – the Greeks came and went while I was sleeping under my sun umbrella.

In the afternoon I continued along the coast with many uphills, one of them about 300 meters in altitude passing Kavala. When it was already dark I arrived at a fuel station where I got a cold drink and a Coke for free and where I had to realize that I wouldn’t survive the night in that area because of too many mosquitos. So I continued to cycle through the night on the empty highway. The only problem on these new super highways is that there are sometimes no stations for 50km+ and if you don’t want to leave them for a smaller city on the site you will get quite a supply problem.

In the morning I slept for an hour and arrived then in Alexandroupoli, a Greek city about 50km from the Greek-Turkish border. There I went on the internet and had a laaaaaarge melon of over 10kg which I ate during my long siesta on a building construction site where I had shadow and silence. This finished my second largest 24h distance of 272,25 km and 1610 altitude meters – always up and down, really grueling.

In the afternoon I then continued and was lucky to find a bridge that protected me against a heavy thunderstorm – so Greece ended as it had begun – and much rain in between also.

I came to the border and could pass it quite fast compared to the car drivers who were standing in a long row even in the evening. In Turkey I found out the exchange rate of the Euro and Lira when I had a dinner for 5 lira, about 2,50 Euro and shopped at a fuel station for 12 Euro – worth 2 days of food.

I just rode my bike into a building next to the road when a man came to me and invited me for a tea and an omelette that he prepared in no time – exactly the right thing for a hungry cyclist like me.

Asking some Turks about the terrain to Istanbul they all replied that it was flat, FLAT!!! But on the next stage I made 125km with 1323 hight meters! That’s in no way flat – that means one hill after the other on a 4 laned highway with not that much traffic but a sun that knows no mercy! The terrain was therefore not very interesting and I just tried to make some kilometers, stopping here and there for a tea or refueling the water bottles and having a chat. Once I stumbled upon a police (polis) officer who wasn’t wearing uniform but insisted on seeing my passport – a perfect example for Turkish mentality in my eyes – his name was Mehmet and after some time of chatting he got more open.

In the evening I arrived at the Mediterranean border in Tekirdag, I think, where I had dinner on a bank on the promenade and watched the Turks passing by. I then saw a wrong parking car being towed away – they are taking so much space everywhere!

The middle to upper class lives in special villages along the beach which are separated by a large fence and guarded by security – but that is not the only sign for the large inequalitiers in between the Turks – many are driving their cars when there are still some riding their horses with trailers along the highway.

After a hard day at 35 degrees + and more and more traffic in the direction of Istanbul I arrived at Isa’s flat in the evening where I met some of his Turkish friends, where we went to the supermarket and had some interesting conversations.

 On my journey I followed the Turkish Black Sea coast for another 4 days. I had forgotten my GPS receiver in Bartun and after 2 small mountain passes I recognized it. I did not want to go back due to stomach aches and extreme heat. I was happy that the Turks are that ambitioned bus drivers and found a opportunity to get back immediately. I got the receiver and hitchhiked back – the people were very polite!

 

The next morning I got on the internet cafe and wanted to update the website and upload photos. But in the middle of the session there was a power outage and I even had to wait to get my CD out of the drive.

 

So on I went along the beautiful hilly coast. In the evening I met a Turk who has been working in Germany for 30 years and is now enjoying his life’s evening in is patria. He gave me a Coke and we had a short chat before I took the next uphill.

 

I slept near a house from another guy who came from Germany back to Turkey and now lives with 20 dogs and cats. Then I met this guy with his girlfriend who I met a week before.

   

In Inebolu I decided to leave the hilly coastline and go inside the country.

I enjoyed the long uphills which brought me on over 1200 meters where the air was fresh and it wasn’t as hot any more! In the evening I made it to Kastamonu and a bit further.

 

When I am thinking about the last two days I see this long way to Erzurum in front of me. The scenery is still a beautiful green valley with high mountains to the left and right but it is a bit more crowded ’cause it seems to be the main connection in the north to IRAN and the east of

 

There are many fruit sellers next to the street and you can get really tasty and cheap energy there. I spent one night in a little fruit seller chimney where there was a bank I could sleep on.

I have been informed by a fruit seller that he has hosted a cyclist from Allemanya called Christopher just a day before – but the communication was a bit hard so it could have been a week, month, year or even a lifetime before But alone the possibility to cycle with another German or English speaking cyclist for a few kilometers motivated me quite a bit so I made some more kilometers the second day.On the same day I have been stopped by the police (POLIS) twice – not for passport checking but for checking, tea and photos – they are a lot more polite here than in the western part as it seems to me. At the second check point (a police station) I even got some minutes internet access and some peaches.

 

In a restaurant next to the street I had a quite cheap vegetarian meal of Pide with the usual Turkish salad (gurks, tomatoes and normal green salad) and took the chance of remembering that the brakes had made some strange sounds to change the Magura brake pads the first time after over 7000km – only the ones of the front disc brake because I am using it in 97% of the cases I have to break. So I have to say again that I am really happy about the equipment and bike!

The place for the night is booked next to the river under a beautiful clear sky with uncountable stars and the sound of the fast flowing river in the background completing the atmosphere and reminding me to the cycling trip in Norway in 2005 (only difference being that it would have been still light in the north).290km with 2500 hight meters in 2 days (average of 18,4km/h)