Genc has travelled across 40 countries on his bicycle, being welcomed kindly by strangers, harassed by soldiers and helped by children along the way. He gives much of the proceeds from adverts on his blog site to Turkish charities. Lee Hoagland / The National; Courtesy Gurkan Genc
Genc has travelled across 40 countries on his bicycle, being welcomed kindly by strangers, harassed by soldiers and helped by children along the way. He gives much of the proceeds from adverts on his blog site to Turkish charities. Lee Hoagland / The National; Courtesy Gurkan Genc
Genc has travelled across 40 countries on his bicycle, being welcomed kindly by strangers, harassed by soldiers and helped by children along the way. He gives much of the proceeds from adverts on his blog site to Turkish charities. Lee Hoagland / The National; Courtesy Gurkan Genc
Genc has travelled across 40 countries on his bicycle, being welcomed kindly by strangers, harassed by soldiers and helped by children along the way. He gives much of the proceeds from adverts on his

UAE

Turkish adventurer says epic journey will take seven years, travelling through a total of 84 countries.

Emmanuel Samoglou

May 22, 2015

  • English
  • Arabic

Abu Dhabi // A Turkish adventurer has rolled into the capital as part of his round-the-world cycling tour.

Gurkan Genc, 36, began pedalling in September 2012, fulfilling a lifelong dream to see as much of the world as possible.

He estimates his Pedal for Future adventure will last at least seven years, taking him through 84 countries.

So far, he has travelled 35,750 kilometres over 985 days, visiting 31 countries and stopping to give motivational talks to schoolchildren along the way.

Mr Genc is no stranger to long-distance cycling, having pedalled from Turkey to Japan in 2010 after selling his shares in a Turkish food service company.

Before embarking on his trans-Asiatic trip, he said he faced considerable scepticism from friends and family.

“When I shared my dream with my family and my friends, people said it is impossible,” he said.

“Turkey to Japan by bicycle? Forget it. Nobody did this kind of travelling, they said.”

He eventually made it all the way to Tokyo after travelling through Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Mongolia and South Korea.

“12,500 kilometres finished in 11 months. I returned to Turkey by plane in 11 hours,” he said.

He then set his sights on conquering the world.

“When I was in South Korea, I said wow! The world is amazing, I want to see all of it, but how? You need money for visas, for hostels, you need a lot of money,” he said.

Returning to Turkey, he did not want an office job and, luckily, schools began knocking on his door asking him to share his experiences as a motivational speaker, allowing him to earn some money.

Setting off for his global tour in 2012 from Turkey, he rode north through Eastern Europe, through Scandinavia, the UK and finished in Portugal.

Resuming in Morocco, he travelled along North Africa, before arriving in the Arabian Peninsula in January via Saudi Arabia, where he said he received some of the warmest hospitality yet.

On two occasions, in Jordan and Nigeria, he was even offered a bride. “They said if you stay here, we can give you a house and our daughter,” he said. “I said ‘No thank you’.”

When fully stocked with food supplies – mostly pasta and muesli – and five litres of water, his bicycle weighs 60 kilograms.

Despite the weight, Mr Genc said he could ride as much as 200km a day, although in the deserts of the Middle East he was averaging 100km.

He has been able to fund his journey through sponsorship, advertising on his website and through donations along the road, with nearly US$15,000 (Dh55,000) pledged in Saudi Arabia alone.

The influx of funds has prompted him to start a Turkish scholarship fund and a bicycle donation programme.

His adventures, however, have not come without a little pain.

In Tajikistan, he was arrested by soldiers, while in Switzerland and Saudi Arabia he was hit by vehicles.

The crashes have resulted in facial scars, broken ribs and a mouthful of artificial teeth.

“These kind of people, who travel the world like this, we accept everything on the road,” he said. “Every year, 12 people like us die. We take risks.

“You’re afraid a little, but it’s OK. This is life, and one day it’s going to be finished.”

He plans to spend the next month in Dubai where he will undergo dental surgery.

From there it is on to Oman, followed by Eritrea, where he will begin the African stage of his tour before heading to South America.

By the time he has completed the estimated 115,000km journey, Mr Genc hopes to have crossed some of the world’s highest vehicle crossings and largest deserts, visiting as many people as possible.

“The bicycle is a good transportation machine, to get from one place to another. You can see the world, not pass it.”

esamoglou@thenational.ae

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