Life on Two Wheels: A Global Expedition Story
Imagine embarking on a bicycle journey—not just a short walk or a trip across a city or even a country... but a journey around the world,
lasting almost uninterruptedly for more than half a century! This is exactly what German adventurer Heinz Stücke did, who to this day is considered the longest-distance bicycle traveler in history.
In 1962, Heinz was a 22-year-old working in a small factory in the town of Niederkassel, Germany. He had neither wealth nor extensive travel experience, but he carried in his heart an indescribable passion to explore the world. He sold everything he owned, packed his simple bicycle, and bid farewell to his hometown... not knowing that he would not return for more than 50 years!
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Over the following decades, Heinz traveled to every continent and visited more than 195 countries, some of which were not yet known on the political map. He crossed dry deserts, climbed mountain heights, and rode ferries across rivers, even encountering difficult situations:
He contracted malaria in Africa.
He was arrested more than once in countries with strict regulations.
He survived an accident in South America after being hit by a truck.
Yet, he never abandoned his bike and never stopped moving forward.
He carried a small tent in which he slept on the side of the road and cooked his own food. He lived on little, financing his journey by selling postcards and small catalogs that he made himself, displaying photos from the countries he visited. His goal wasn't to become rich or famous, but rather to see every spot on Earth, with his own eyes and from the top of his bike.
Records:
Distance traveled: About 650,000 kilometers!
Number of years spent traveling: More than 50 years.
Number of passports used: 20 passports filled with stamps.
Guinness World Records: He holds the record for the longest bicycle journey in history.
Heinz finally returned to Germany in the mid-2010s, a man in his seventies, carrying with him thousands of stories, thousands of photos, and a memory too numerous to contain in a single book.
Heinz Stucke was not just a traveler, but a living legend, proving that the true borders are not between countries, but in our minds. And that, with a simple will and a bicycle, a person can embrace the entire world.