Departure

September 14, 2024

I can hardly believe it. My journey has begun. It’s hard to grasp… I’ve actually set off!

To be precise, we have set off. Sofia is accompanying me on the first day. Our first stop is "Hotel Mama & Papa"- my parents' house. A little bit of home comfort at the start can’t hurt. Before cycling from Bern toward Aargau, we made a brief stop at the Rosengarten. I wanted to say goodbye to my beloved city of Bern.

In the bright sunshine, Bern looked stunning.

Next, we stopped at the Schermen recycling center to find out how much my fully loaded bike weighed. The night before, Sofia couldn’t even lift it - it was so heavy. I could only lift it with great effort. Honestly, I had no idea if I could manage to ride more than 20 kilometers straight with this bike. A test ride with full gear would have definitely been easier on our nerves. “Sorry, the scale only measures from 100 kilograms,” said the recycling center worker. Only after Sofia pointed it out did I realize that, with the bike and luggage, I probably weighed over 100 kilograms. After asking again, the manager appeared and invited me to the back.

A proud 131 kg - that’s my total weight with the bike and luggage!

Despite the weight, the first kilometers felt surprisingly manageable.
I was relieved - the first stage of the journey seemed feasible.

We even got some extra motivation from fans along the road.

A few kilometers outside of Bern, we experienced an unexpected waterproof test for my bags in the form of rain. Luckily, it didn’t last long, and the sun peeked out occasionally throughout the day.

After cycling through the Emmental region, we stopped for lunch in Huttwil. “Cape Town,” I replied when the waitress asked about our destination. She thought I was joking - until I handed her a flyer with the planned route.

In Sempach, we received a surprisingly warm welcome.

It seemed like the entire village had turned out to wish us well.

In the evening, just before reaching our destination, we saw the Alps illuminated by the reddish light of the setting sun. Snow was visible. It reminded me of the challenges ahead: Crossing the Alps to reach the south. According to my plan, I should be nearly 3,000 meters above sea level in just a few days. But the majestic sight filled me with happiness. It was the perfect moment to give my drone its first flight.

We completed the first stage as planned - quite an athletic first day: 103 km and 1,120 meters of elevation. The arrival at my family’s place was met with excitement and joy. Physically and mentally energized, I was ready to continue the next day. After a few kilometers, Sofia took the train back to Bern. From this point on, I’m on my own.

Letting go

Planning