Martin Mühlberger is standing in a meadow just beyond the Polish border. He recently crossed the Polish-Lithuanian border. The landscape here glows in lush green, a lake offers a welcome opportunity to wash up. A good place to pitch the orange tent that Mühlberger is loading on his bike with a trailer.
Haidershofer has been on the road for three weeks: from the Norwegian North Cape in the far north of Europe, its route took it 2,400 kilometers through Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to northern Poland. A little more than half of the gigantic tour is done with it. It’s “only” 1,300 kilometers to Mostviertel.
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North Cape to Mostviertel Bike Tour
Collecting donations for four-year-old Marie
So far, the 60-year-old is physically excellent, as he confirms to noe.ORF.at. He himself can’t believe it: “I have to say honestly that I wouldn’t have imagined that after 2,400 kilometers, after three weeks on the road, I didn’t have a single illness.”
Two ambitious goals drive the amateur cyclist: on the one hand, it is the sporting challenge that attracts the 60s. But the social context of his mission is even more important to him: during the tour, Mühlberger collects donations for Marie, a four-year-old girl from the region who suffers from muscular atrophy. Mühlberger would like to use the money to allow the family to receive therapy and convert their home to wheelchair users.
Photo series with 4 photos
ORF Martin Mühlberger spends five weeks in a tent
ORF The constant motivation for him is the thought of a four-year-old girl with a chronic illness, for whom he raises donations.
ORF All luggage weighs only about 40 kilos
ORF People swim in the lakes along the route whenever possible
Mühlberger started on July 23 with the aim of raising 10,000 euros for the girl. He has already reached that sum after a month. He now hopes to return home with at least 12,000 euros. Donations often come from people Mühlberger meets along the way.
Marie is a constant motivation for Mühlberger during the five weeks. “When I ride against the wind all day and I’m already tired and exhausted, then I think of Marie,” says the amateur cyclist: “For me, the motto is: you can post a letter, but not something like that. “
donation account
- IBAN: AT71 1500 0009 2125 2938
- Payment Reference: Sponsor MARIE
Storm under an excavator
Mühlberger stayed in a tent during the tour. Especially in the sparsely populated Scandinavian countries, he was alone in the forests and meadows for days on end. Thus, there were more encounters with animals than with people – in Finland, for example, with a moose that ran towards Mühlberger from a side street. “My heart dropped a little.” Mühlberger accelerated on his bike, the moose turned and disappeared into the undergrowth.
And the amateur cyclist also had to weather storms on his tour. “So far I’ve had two thunderstorms with lightning, thunder and hail. So I hid under an excavator that was parked in the parking lot.” If all goes according to plan from now on, Mühlberger will arrive in Haidershofen on September 1 or 2. At the village inn there will be a big welcome party.