Pole-to-pole cyclist has 7,500 miles to go

He just keeps pedaling and pedaling and pedaling. Readers may remember the story of Aart Huijg, a former economist from The Netherlands who bicycled through the Flathead Valley and Columbia Falls last fall.

Huijg’s goal was to ride his bike from “pole to pole.” He’s now in South America and recently answered some questions via e-mail:

How soon until you finish?

I have eight more months to go. Big things are still waiting for me, among which the Trans-Amazonian Highway, starting from the Amazon River delta to the Inca ruins at Machu Picchu in Peru. This red gravel dirt road runs through the heart of the Brazilian Amazon and is about 2,500 miles long.

Then I will be cycling over the Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia. After crossing the high Andes Mountains in Chile, I will cycle my last miles through the scenic Patagonian glacier landscape. In total, I have another 7,500 miles to go.

What was your most interesting experience, or experiences?

People have been super friendly from Deadhorse, Alaska, to Georgetown, Guyana. They invite me over, repair my bike, provide me with lunches for on the road, and give me contact information of friends and relatives of towns I will pass through.

Personally, I would advise everyone to tear out the map of their travel guides and save the rest of the guide in a plastic bag. You never know when you will run out of toilet paper.

My best experience has been in Maracay, Venezuela, where the local bike community welcomed me so warmly I was without words many times. The day I got there, they had a welcome party organized in the local bike shop. Two days later, 70 cyclists had organized a cycling tour in honor of me. They had raised money for the barbecue and gave what was left over to me. A bike shop completely cleaned and lubricated the bike, and they replaced some parts. For one day, I starred in various TV programs.

Your butt must be really sore.

The conditions are tough now. It is rainy season, but still very hot. So my cycle shorts get wet frequently. And in these hot humid conditions, that causes skin irritation easily. Not the most pleasant story about the trip, but it is real. Though, I manage to wash my clothes every two days.

Any animal attacks? Hostage attempts?

I would love to tell you some, but the answer is a big fat no. I follow some golden rules: 1) Don’t enter a town after 3 p.m. Enter it earlier when thieves are sleeping or hardly active. 2) Don’t pitch a tent in the wild in a 5-mile radius from the city suburbs. That is where the poor thieves live. 3) Eat before entering a town. 4) Camouflage the bike with old plastic bags tied to it. That will make the bike look unattractive. 5) Be with locals, then you can cross any part of the city.

What’s next?

Every once and a while, I am surfing the Web looking for a nice route through Africa back to my country, The Netherlands. It would be awesome if I could be united the last night camping of my trip with my friends and family members. And then getting home. Somehow, each day that passes by sucks me more and more into this idea of biking back via Africa. It feels as something I just have to do.