Prone to the world.

He drove through 41 countries - and once around the Earth: The Berlin Tom Richter was the first German with a recumbent circles the world. More than 42,000 kilometers of roads and gravel roads, an adventure very close to the people: Sometimes he attracted more attention than he was loved.

 

It is a steep uphill, the air is thin at 4500 meters, and two recumbent bikes are heavy as ever. On the lagoon road in Bolivia is experiencing Tom Richter perhaps grueling section of his total 42,160 kilometers long bike ride. In the pockets on his vehicle, he has food for ten days and water for three days, a total of 70 kilograms, it shall send a strong wind with the help of his girlfriend up the mountain slide. Then walk back and the same procedure with her bike

Richter was the first German on a recumbent circles the world. In 803 days, he traveled through 41 countries, lived in the Andes Eisstürme and heat waves in India. In Tibet, he crossed 5013-meter-high pass and drove in the Red Sea in Jordan to 418 meters below sea level along the embankment.

In between, he in Nepal a few weeks of leave, to a dozen five-thousand and climb to the Everest base camp to be. Two and a half years he was en route to sections in the company, a total of one third of the distance he managed alone.

"The motivation was, countries and people and with my own eyes to see the world," says Richter. In addition to circumnavigate the globe, it is already the target, but not the most important thing was. "You see a cross section of countries, controls not only the tourist highlights," he says about the thrill of traveling in the bicycle speed.

As he looks out but is not: "I am with my life before was clear and it will continue to enjoy once again to be settled." During the trip, he usually slept in a tent, now and in cheap guesthouses. "With all the transfers, the approximately 13,000 euros."

In comfortable supine position, with their feet ahead, he fought to his high-tech recumbent progressing. "This is much more comfortable than a normal bicycle," says the 31-year-old engineer, in an outdoor shop in Berlin is working. "The seat is large and comfortable, you have the landscape in the view without constantly to dislocate the neck. The seating position is much more pleasant." Only in urban traffic is the recumbent riders at a disadvantage, because it sits lower and thereby more easily overlooked. And because he is with the feet in advance crossings and thus leaves a worse point of view.

Guest of honor in the village

For the world was the unusual mode of transport but an invaluable advantage: Wherever people met at Judge, Ethiopia and Bolivia, in China or Tanzania - the attention of the locals was certainly him. "No sooner had I risen from the wheel, have any people on it is set," he remembers little about the cautious Chinese.

ONLINE blogs, Google Earth
Around the world in 803 days: The route from Thomas Richter

Even in India, he was permanently in the cities surrounded by people. "Privacy is not an issue," says Judge, whose rampant red hair in some regions of Asia for much the same stir as likely to have his vehicle.

7000-In the Indian village residents experienced judges Varshi veritable celebrity worship. When Krishna festival, he was guest of honor on the stage, asked a priest to a flower wreath umzuhängen. Apparently breached his interpretation of the religious ritual of the Protocol. Hundreds of spectators laughed when the priest finally grabbed the crown and even umhängte.

The faux pas on stage, however, gave the village superiors not refrain from the whole day to compete about who is next to him as the tea was allowed to invite. For the farewell ceremony was recumbent on a pedestal in front of the temple by a priest wrapped judge an orange turban around and painted a red dot on his forehead. Only after a few laps of honor in the village square, the people let him go. Of course, only after he had promised return.

"India was for me perhaps the most exciting country - it is colorful, loud and full of constantly different cultures," says Richter. At the same time, however, it was not easy to navigate because of many bad roads, "it stinks, there is much poverty, and I had in me up to 44 degree heat fighting ahead." As the perfect destination for cyclists, it recommends, therefore, South America: "The land is relatively cheap. You can choose the difficulty, because it is basically a good road network exists." It does not equal the lagoon stressful road to Bolivia.

The speeder-delusion of the valley

If one listens to judge how it objectively and without any fuss for information about his trip there, you might think he is talking about a Sunday outing to the river Spree. And actually ran the world tour, without really dangerous margins. For a couple of falls won judges abrasions, but of serious health problems, he remained spared.

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On the first 11,000 kilometers, he had no plates. He spent a total of only two front and two rear tires, and had never advanced specialty parts replaced. "Several wheels are already broken, and when the porter kaputtging, I had to improvise, to be appeared." In China and South America fell in some regions of the hose several times a day is broken, again and again, the repair kit is used.

In Nepal, judges had to abandon his plan, each country-kilometers on the bike deal. Because the route to Lhasa is taboo for individual travelers, with a Chinese-guided tour was in jeeps in the Tibetan capital. Also another record was denied him on an almost countless twisty mountain descent in Bolivia grabbed him the athletic ambition in the speeder-Wahn mad he reached 97 km / h, but the magic 100 he does not.

But a trip around the world by recumbent, which is before him only one Austrians succeeded: Joachim Hager was from 2001 to 2006 almost nonstop route, judges met in the beginning of his own journey into Mitterlaab in Austria.

At the end of April 2009, after two and a half years on tour, he received friends at the Berlin Alexanderplatz, right under the huge Weltzeituhr with toponyms also major cities. A champagne baptism did not exist. "First, I have eaten an ice cream," says Richter.