Saturday 5 June 2010

A trip that separates the boys from the men.

Landshut, Germany to Sofia, Bulgaria. It’s on.

We have been looking forward to this very moment for months: On Wednesday the 28th July 2010, Andreas Stenger and Manuel Schneider are heading off to Bulgaria on their bicycles. One month and around 2300 km of sweat, tears, laughter, continuous struggle and joy are lying ahead of us. We’re more than ready and full of excitement. The last exams at uni are written, the chocolate bars are packed and our beloved ones are ironing their handkerchiefs in order to wave us goodbye.

But why the hell are we cycling to Bulgaria?


To cut a long story short, Manuel’s good friend Maria happens to be from Sofia, Bulgaria and invited the two extremely handsome German lads to come and see her in Bulgaria in summer 2010. Inspired by fellow cyclists, we decided to grab our bikes and take on the task of breaking new grounds and discovering the so-much-talked-about-but-never-really-visited Eastern Europe.

How did we prepare?


Having been professional cyclists for years now, we knew exactly how to prepare for this trip. Not.

Well, the first thing we thought would make sense whilst preparing for this incredible adventure was to stay away from alcohol, cigarettes and junk food. We swapped these things for indulging banana-milkshakes and more-or-less healthy cooking, such as deep-fry parties and bbq-sessions during the world cup. Believe it or not, it did not only turn this last semester at uni into a gourmet-experience, it also helped us to get into shape for the trip. A win-win situation, don’t you think?











We moreover considered it wise to actually get some mileage onto our bikes. With old-school jackets, colourful helmets, super-sexy-camel-toe-cycling tights and no experience whatsoever, we hopped onto our babies and certainly looked good in the lower Bavaria area.

Eastern Europe? Aren’t you guys afraid?

You gotta risk it to get the biscuit. Heaps of people, including Bulgarians themselves, told us not to go on this trip as there are lots and lots of dangers such as robberies, accidents, bad roads etc. True, it will be a challenge. But I guess with some human sense and general awareness, we will be able to avoid risky situations. That said, there are still a couple of things that scare the shit out of us:

Manuel: People that want one of his kidneys and mad drivers.
Andreas: Mountains, Mountains, Mountains and bears.

Anyway, whatever happens, it will all be written down in this very blog. We would love to invite you guys to follow our trip, make sure to sign up to the feeds at the right side of this page and you will automatically be informed about our whereabouts. Speaking of which, here’s the rough plan of our route:


Größere Kartenansicht

Alright, that's it for today. Save travels to us and happy reading to you! If you happen to feel absolutely inspired, please don't hesitate and join our trip anytime!

2 comments:

  1. Manu you can do it. Andreas too. And If I wouldn't have found this job by now, I would have joined you guys... well now u need to find the way by yourself. you can do it. If not - call me. Dirk

    ReplyDelete
  2. If you ever find yourself in Asia for some unknown reason - call me. Steph

    ReplyDelete