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Niko Krauland

Exploring the world by bike

A few key quesitons...

  
  • ​What  - Exploring the world by bicycle.

  • What kind of distances are we looking at –  about 21,500 kilometers

  •  How many countries did you pass through? – Approximately 24
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  • How long were you on the road? - 17 months

  • Did you ever use any other forms of transport?– Yes, but I didn't count those kilometers. 

  • Is there anything you'd like to share with the readers?  – The best thing about cycling is, that you never know where you will be in the evening, where you will sleep and who you will meet. I called it “the daily surprises” because there will happen every single day something new, something special. Someone invites you to sleep at his place, you meet an interesting person who inspires you, or you are just completely alone in an amazing landscape and the bird who flies above you is watching you.
      

In and among the prayer flags

  
    As we continue our search for adventurers and explorers to talk to it has become more and more apparent that the numbers are strong. People around the world are making it their goal, their mission to get out there and experience. Experience is what matters. Living those experiences, getting out of one’s comfort zone; Discovering.

    For many, the romanticism of discovery has faded. In our modern era of satellites and GPS there’s no need to get lost anymore, and unless you’re trekking deep into unchartered jungles you’re unlikely to ‘discover’ lost temples, not seen by human eyes for centuries gone.
This is where the word ‘discovery’ needs clarification. To Discover something does not have to be limited to being the first to find it.

  The commonly thought of definition is “Be the first to find or observe (a place, substance, or scientific phenomenon) (OED)

    But when it comes to travel, would a definition along the lines of: Become aware of (a fact or situation) or ‘show interest in for the first time’ (OED) be more fitting?

    I think so. Discovery has become a personal quest for the modern traveller (and arguably has been at the core of travel for millennia). I may not have been the first person to lay eyes on the ruins of PhiMai (the guinea pig for Angkor Wat in northern Thailand); to see the sun move through the overgrown ruins, casting light through hollow windows onto saffron robes, but I can assure you it didn’t matter. It was my first time, and more than 5 years later the experience is still awe-inspiring.

     And so, this is what I search for in the adventurers I interview. That sense of wonder, that ambition, and the personal desire for discovery.

     While writing the piece on Mario Rigby and Crossing Africa I saw one of his posts about the couple of days he spent in South Africa with Niko Krauland, a young Austrian who has just this month returned home after an epic 17month, 21,500km journey by bike which had him in the saddle for about 1,500hours! I had a look at his website (www.niko-rides.com) and was immediately drawn in by his evocative photography. I wanted to know more about what drives him, as well as racking his brain on the logistics of it all – planning, gear – all of it....
  

Read our full interiew with Niko here...

www.niko-rides.com

Sponsored gear

We asked Niko a little about gear he used, and who sponsored him, here's a recap:

  Bicycle:   KTM Life Lontano P1.18  (Austrian)
                - full repair kit for tires, breaks, wires etc.
            
  Clothing: -ODLO from Switzerland and Sport Strametz                          from Austria

  Shoes: -     LOWA from Austria
    
  Helmet and Sunglasses: UVEX from Germany
  
  USB Hub (for charging electronics) -  BUSCH&MÜLLER                            from Germany
  

Photography

It took a lot of deliberation but here are a few of our favourite shots. All pictures are courtesy of Niko Krauland (www.niko-rides.com) and more of his photography can be view on his site.
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Video

Niko's made some great videos to show people the places he's seen. Here's a little teaser but be sure to visit his website to see video edits from the countries he's cycled through!

By: Alizee Zimmermann