Sometimes this is just what I need: a feeling that develops into a view which reaches beyond the office door; going farther, beyond the city boundary, beyond the national border, and – all of a sudden – even beyond time. I need an adventure.
That’s how I felt last year.
I am an experienced cyclist – not only in the urban traffic of Berlin, but occasionally also across the Alps and in sporting competitions. I’ve left extreme sports behind me for a while now. Still, cycling is in my DNA, so to speak, and I know that the exertion and the experience are good for me – physically, sensually, and as a fantastic way of broadening my horizons.
No sooner thought than wanted: I started planning a cycling tour from Berlin to Toulouse. That’s a distance of around 2,000 kilometres; and – to make it clear from the start – it was an incredibly fulfilling journey, taking me back to my eventful past: I had lived in Toulouse and also in Lyon for several years. At the same time, I had a keen sense of the present, with every kilometre I experienced on my bike. This experience still helps me eight months after the journey, leading me confidently into a future with new and very different projects.
The journey is the reward
I planned carefully so that the journey, the big unknown, would not present me with too many imponderables. Such a journey under your own steam is no small feat. A total of 11,280 metres in altitude had to be overcome in 20 stages, a real physical and mental challenge. I took a two-day break with friends along the route in Freiburg and Lyon – which I also enjoyed very much. There I replenished my energy levels.
Important pillars of my journey were my robust bike, my seven-kilo luggage, well-thought-out equipment, route planning using the Komoot app, and arranging things with my two travel companions, Flo and Cat. Flo had especially come to Berlin by plane from France, so that the three of us could start from here. We cycled the first 500 kilometres in a team of three, 960 kilometres as a pair, and from Lyon I cycled the last 540 kilometres alone to Toulouse. That was exactly what the three of us wanted. I see this as a good example of successful teamwork: setting off together, sharing the enjoyment of the task and one’s strengths, involving everyone individually according to their needs and possibilities, but then also being on your own, cheerful and with a clear focus.
If you want to achieve something extraordinary, you need the will to achieve what you want, good planning to skilfully navigate around obstacles, and – for more efficiency, but also, I believe, for more enjoyment – a like-minded team that will walk at least part of the way with you.
