– I have just reached the halfway point. Arrived home on Sunday, after 344 days on a bike trip.
This is what a very tired Atle Førsvoll says to VG, who has made it halfway through his bike ride:
From Nordkapp in the far north of Norway, to Cape Town in the far south of South Africa, where he is now. Then he will return to the Nordkapp again.
– I have been through snowstorms, sandstorms, thunderstorms and normal storms. Earthquakes, police interrogations in Iran, a day trip through Iraq, militias, elephants and drunk poachers, he summarizes very briefly.
Because when you have cycled for 344 days, through 23 countries and have spent a total of 18,839.5 kilometers on the bicycle seat, then Førsvoll has both seen and experienced a bit of everything.
– I have had so many punctures that I have been out of the count. Once I punctured both front and rear wheels, right next to a place where it was written that you had to stop at your own risk. Of course, I was out of patchwork, and as if that wasn’t enough, three drunken poachers arrived who reeked of booze. It was an exciting cocktail of events at one and the same time!
As if the distance wasn’t long enough in itself, Førsvoll has cycled a total of 147,044 meters of altitude, which is equivalent to 16.6 ascents up the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest.
But now the man is only halfway there…
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ZAMBIA: – Full of poachers, elephants and lions in the area. -
BOTSWANA: Minimalist camping, actually the smallest tent on the campsite. -
BOTSWANA AGAIN: Such a unique view in the morning. The elephant can be seen behind the mosquito net. -
SAUDI ARABIA: Exhausted cyclist finally made it through the desert in Saudi Arabia. Arrival in the capital Jeddah was on 30 December.
ZAMBIA: – Full of poachers, elephants and lions in the area. Photo: Atle Førsvoll
BOTSWANA: Minimalist camping, actually the smallest tent on the campsite. Photo: Atle Førsvoll
BOTSWANA AGAIN: Such a unique view in the morning. The elephant can be seen behind the mosquito net. Photo: Atle Førsvoll
SAUDI ARABIA: Exhausted cyclist finally made it through the desert in Saudi Arabia. Arrival in the capital Jeddah was on 30 December. Photo: Atle Førsvoll
Contentful trip
Because after cycling through Europe, the Middle East and the eastern part of Africa, Førsvoll arrived in Cape Town on Sunday.
The trip has been very content-rich, and has, among other things, included two stays in hospital. A month with corona disease in Istanbul, and a month with streptococciStreptococci are a common bacterial cause of strep throat. Antibiotics can provide a quick recovery, but are not always necessary. in Ethiopia.
– I also ended up right near MeccaMecca is a city in Saudi Arabia and the holiest place in Islam. It was the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, who later became Allah’s Messenger. Muslims face Mecca in prayer, and visiting the city is an important part of the religion. after a navigation error. It’s actually strictly forbidden, but it went well, too, says Førsvoll.
NORWAY: Norwegian summer in Sennalandet. – Brutal, sums up the bicycle man. Photo: Atle Førsvoll
SOUTH AFRICA: Cycling after floods. – Every child I meet makes a drawing on the bike. Photo: Atle Førsvoll
SOUTH AFRICA: – Good guys who ran a shop in South Africa. Photo: Atle Førsvoll
IRAN / IRAQ: Iraqi officer at the border between Iran and Iraq. Photo: Atle Førsvoll
SAUDI ARABIA: – It is as exotic for me to see a camel as it is for Saudis to see a moose. Photo: Atle Førsvoll
When VG talks to the cyclist on the phone a couple of days after reaching the halfway mark, he says that he wasn’t quite “full”:
– As a spice, I also completed a full Ironman when I came to South Africa, which involves 3.8 kilometers of swimming, 180 kilometers of cycling and a marathon.
– Where is the motivation behind this rather long cycle ride?
– I needed a change in my life, so I quit my job in January 2020.
– But after a short time on the bicycle seat, it became a pandemic?
– That is right. So then I had to pack up and try again last year. I am motivated by being able to help others, and especially children. I have seen a lot of the first part of the trip, says the Sandnes man.
Will go back again
In a month’s time, it will be back on the slightly hard bike seat for Førsvoll, because then he will cycle back home via the western part of Africa and up through Europe.
– I need some rest and a reset of the body first. It will be good to be able to be in the same place for a month, so now it will be another blowout. At the same time, it will be good to change some clothes, after wearing the same ones every day for a year.
He follows up:
– This is when the real hard part starts. I probably have the most difficult thing ahead of me, he says.
The goal was originally to be back in October this year, and that was also the message he gave to friends and family when he left Norway on 25 May last year. Now, however, the goal has been fine-tuned a little, and Førsvoll aims to celebrate Christmas at home in Sandnes.
– I’m in very good shape now, so we’ll see how it goes, he says.
