Since 3 October, 2023, Wiebke Lühmann has been headed southward on her Adlar in mixed bikepacking/carrier mode. Final destination: Cape Town. Starting from Germany's Black Forest, she is headed where the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean, in South Africa.
From Freiburg im Breisgau, where she lives, she will have to pedal 19,000 km. Her first 4,000 km will be in Europe, down to Faro, in Portugal. She will be doing this with her friend Hannah, her fellow citizen and friend.
Just after the arm of ocean that separates Portugal from Africa, her adventure will continue completely solo. On the African trails there will be just Wiebke, her new Adlar, a tent and, always present just a few miles west, the Atlantic Ocean.
“It's hard to tell how long the journey will be. I've estimated more or less one year, though I think it will take more than twelve months. You can't fully plan this type of bike journey. The only thing that can easily be predicted are the ninety days that will get us to Faro from Freiburg. But once in Africa, all bets are off. It will all turn into a genuine adventure and, as everyone knows, you can't put a time limit on an adventure”.
After having travelled along the northernmost part of Europe, in Norway toward the North Cape, and crossing the impervious areas of the Caucasus, for Wiebke the call of Africa was just too strong. This because everything in the Southern Hemisphere contains an irresistible invitation to regenerate.
“I had planned on a quiet 2023, dedicated entirely to myself. But then, for various reasons, I felt I needed a jolt: the desire to continue discovering and learning resurfaced. Africa is the ideal place for this to happen, also because it's a continent I've never been to. I decided to embark on this biking adventure during this past summer. Deciding to ride south on a bike represented a desire for freedom but also a need to take in places and people. It will be a year – or maybe even more – of great experience and exploration of new personal paths”.
From the very first stroke of the pedal in Freiburg, Wiebke can truly look forward to an unforgettable adventure, seasoned with the unbridled sensation of having the entire world before her. A world filled with unique experiences, to be lived along the road headed south, down there where two oceans meet and the silhouette of the skyline of Cape Town contrasts with the blue South African skies.