Autumn 2015 was the turning point. After a year of extreme winter riding, a club founding, a double world record and 7,000 km of summer adventures, I made the decision that would define the next three years of my life: I would ride around the world on a Vespa in 80 days.
In October 2015 I took part in an extreme night race in the Austrian Alps. Between midnight and lunchtime I covered over 300 km and crossed three mountain passes — including the Timmelsjoch at 2,474 metres above sea level — in rain, fog, ice and snow.
It was the perfect finale to the most intense riding year of my life. And it confirmed what the Scomadi world record had already suggested: I could handle whatever the road threw at me.
By the end of 2015 the question was no longer whether I would ride around the world. It was how.
The Scomadi world record had been a test — could I handle extreme distances, extreme conditions and extreme isolation on a small scooter? The answer was yes. The Nightrace was the final confirmation.
I began the three-year planning phase for 80 Days Around the World on a Vespa. Three scooters. Three continents. Years of saving. A level of preparation most people would apply to climbing Everest.
What is the Timmelsjoch? One of the highest paved mountain passes in the Alps, connecting Austria and Italy at 2,474 metres above sea level. I crossed it at night in October in rain, fog, ice and snow. Not recommended. I did it anyway.
When did you decide to ride around the world? End of 2015 — after the Scomadi world record proved I could handle extreme distances and conditions, and after the Nightrace confirmed it. Three years of planning followed before the start in Madrid on June 30, 2018.
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