Postponed

Yes, so the situation with Corona has worsened in such a degree that I won’t be able to depart in April as first planned. So, for now, the trip has been postponed until the situation and policies of the countries have gone back to a normal state.

Due to Covid-19, my country is under lock-down, leaving most Danes to spend the days at home. The school I work on has been closed, but I still have my job at the local supermarket. Apart from the few shifts I have there, I am too locked in at home. But since I have moved to the boat of my parents for a few weeks, I am not complaining. I wake up to the sound of seagulls and calm waves splashing on the side of the boat. I spend my day walking on the beach and reading. Drinking tea and watching movies at night. And when the urge to be productive hits me, I try to practice new languages for my trip or do more research on route, equipment, bicycle fixing, etc.

Of course, I am extremely devastated that my dream is being postponed, but this situation is serious, and if a privileged girl from the West can’t go on her travel, it is not the end of the world.
Bike 4 Trees will still be realized, but I just got to wait for the right time.

Below are a few night time boat pictures, it is sure nice to be on the water!

March 2020

Just as everything slowly seems to fall in to place with the trip, the situation of the Coronavirus seems ever to worsen. I am not so afraid of catching the virus, but the political conditions caused by the virus can make it difficult for me to realize the trip. At least in the way that I had imagined.

Borders are closing in Central Asia, and around the world, infrastructure is being limited. My planned route is not possible anymore, and if I go now, I risk being quarantined every time I cross a border and some places I might not even be able to get in. And if other countries follow the same method as seen now in Italy, I might have difficulties finding food and shelter. But given the fact that it would take me some months to arrive at these problematic countries, the situation could have changed for the better and not be a problem anymore.

So at this point, I am in a huge frustration whether I should depart as planned on the 11th of April and just hope that the situation will get better as I make my way through Europe or if I should postpone the whole thing, save up some more money and wait for the situation to get better.

I don’t know how to make this decision, but I guess I just have to track the situation and do what feels right.

In the meantime, I have now received my bicycle and started to test-ride it – and it is GREAT! Once again, a huge thank you to Trek Bikes Denmark, for supplying me with such a reliable travel companion!

Oh, how I hope to be able to depart in April.

February 2020

It’s February, I just turned 20, and in only about two months, I will depart for the biggest adventure of my life. I have no idea about the things I have ahead of me, but I have a pretty good feeling it will be amazing!

Spending my birthday with my family was great but also left me with a strange feeling. I have never had to be away from my family for so long, and I think this will probably be the most mentally challenging thing about the trip. Thank god for Skype!

I am slowly starting to invest in the gear for the trip, and with more sponsors joining my team, I think I can just barely keep my economy on track. Especially thanks to Birger Kjærbye from MTB-Tours in Hareskov, who is supporting me with everything from equipment to mechanics course.
And Ivar Tønnesen from The Adventurers Club Denmark, who is giving me incredible assistance to my planning process and will also be ready to help me with route planning and practicallyties along the journey.

A few weeks ago, I went for a small preparation tour. It was a quick ride to Sweeden and back with a single night in the tent, but as for my mental preparation, this was great! And just the small thing as crossing the border to a different country just felt huge!
And since I did not initially plan this project to be a solo ekspedition, it has also taken me some time to get used to the fact that it is going to be just me and my bicycle. But I think I slowly start to be quite content with this change of plan.
This is my dream, and I can do it!

Solo

Bike For Trees has gone solo. It was my biggest wish to depart with my partner, but it just did not work out. So, for now, the project is a solo expedition. I believe I can do it by my self, but I am not sure that is what I want. I still think that shared joy is double joy, and I hope to find company in some way. If not human, then in the trees and the wind.


I am extremely devasted about this. It feels like a big punch in the stomach, not only personally, but also on behalf of the project. My vision about the trip has turned upside down. My heart is broken, but I still have such strong faith in the project and the goal, so I will keep on going and do everything I can to keep up with the original plan.

Thank you so much to everyone who has shown their support for the project, both verbally and economically. I cannot express my gratitude enough for this, especially right now.

All the best
Isabella

Bicycles!

We are so happy to announce that we’ve teamed up with Trek Bicycles, who have provided us with the bikes of our dreams; the Trek 520.
We can’t wait to try out the bicycles, and we are so incredibly honored to receive this sponsorship!
It is going to be a blast to start riding our way out from Denmark, starting our journey on such excellent mechanics! We feel extremely confident in the bikes, and with the expertise from Trek, we are sure that we will be able to go far and beyond!

Trek 520 – Picture from www.trekbikes.com

November 2019

Planning, planning, planning!

It’s November and the leaves have started to fall off the trees here in Denmark, the cold is coming and the days are getting shorter. We are both working our butts off and being 4.000 km apart (me being in Denmark and Alberto in Italy) makes planning a bit difficult. But not impossible. Looking through the pictures on my phone there is numerous pictures of fingers pointing at a map and screenshots of possible routes and cities to visit, that have been sent back and forth between us the past months. Each day we work and plan individually and in the evening we try to combine everything. So far we have figured out a lot, but there is still so much to be done. But the process of planning is thrilling and makes me even more excited to what we have waiting in just 5 months. The trees are starting to be bald and at the time that they start to bloom again, we will head off for the biggest adventure of our lives. Wow!

Route planning

Currently, we are trying to work out the best route to the east. We are considering going either through Ukraine/Russia or crossing the Black Sea and Caspian sea and then going to the Stans. This is an example of how we try to send pictures back and forth to each other and present different opportunities to each other 🙂 A lot of map-drawings and long phone calls.

Soon we will publish this site and the fundraising and we are excited to invite everyone along for the project! And we hope so dearly that people are willing to support our charity as well as our expedition both with their heart and maybe even with their wallets! If you want to read more about our charity supporting natural areas around the world, look at the page ‘Charity’ 🙂

World Land Trust works with conservation and rehabilitation of natural areas around the world. Planting trees and helping local NGOs acquiring areas for conservation.