2023 Switzerland - Norway

The northernmost end of Europe in about 46 days

My biggest adventure so far starts in mid-April.

I start my journey at our home near Baden, Canton Aargau in Switzerland. From here I will follow the Rhine River through Germany to Holland until it flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

About two years ago, I started the Rhine cycling tour at the source of the Rhine in Andermatt. I've always wanted to cycle the route all the way to Holland, ever since I first discovered it for myself - which was when I was about 25. So I've been waiting for it for about 10 years.

In Rotterdam, where the Rhine flows into the Atlantic Ocean, my route will take me further towards Hamburg, through Denmark, where I will cross over to Sweden by ship.

From this point on, I will have cycled as many kilometres as there are kilometres ahead of me. My way up to the northernmost end of Europe will take me through the Swedish countryside. I will cross Finland and then hopefully arrive in the northernmost part of Norway.

But why all the way to Norway?

I thought, that I could reach the end of the Rhine in less than a week. So I considered something a bit more crazy, challenging and beautiful.

For years, I have dreamed of being able to experience the Scandinavian landscape, and what is the most impressive way to experience a country? By bike, of course!

So the idea was born that I would go over the top and simply cycle all the way to Norway. And because it would be an absolute highlight for me to reach the North Cape, I'll just go full throttle and try to get there right away. To do this, I take two months off without pay and experience my greatest adventure to date.

In the run-up to the trip, I looked for a suitable vehicle, material and warm clothing and prepared myself with regular day trips of around 100 kilometres at a time.

This trip will surely take me to my absolute limits. Never before have I been on the road alone for so long, with weather conditions that will almost certainly be very cold. That leads to the valid question, why don't I just go to Spain...?

In the end, my journey should be about 4600 kilometres long, with about 24'000 metres of altitude to climb.

Will we reach the goal of raising at least 1 Swiss franc for every kilometre we ride? This is our goal - and together we will do something great to protect animals!

For a daily report of my journey, follow me on Instagram.