It is shortly after 5 p.m. when Martin Mühlberger drives into his home town of Haidershofen with his bicycle, which weighs around 40 kilograms and includes a trailer. His family and dozens of friends are waiting for him and cheer him on loudly in the last meters.
“I actually experienced everything on the trip. In Finland, a moose ran in front of my bike, and once I even had to hide under an excavator from a storm. But physically I was fine, it was actually a dream,” enthuses Mühlberger.
In July he started south with his bike and trailer from the northernmost point of Europe, the North Cape in Norway – more about that in Bike tour from the North Cape to the Mostviertel (noe.ORF.at; 22.7.2022). On his journey he covered more than 3,700 kilometers and quite a few meters in altitude. In the last six weeks he crossed eight countries: Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria.
Mühlberger does not slow down hurdles
Strong thunderstorms, unbearable heat, endless forest landscapes and bike paths that suddenly became expressways, the Mostviertler mastered with flying colors. He also benefited from the friendliness of the people along the way. “I was particularly enthusiastic about the people in Poland. Everyone gives you a warm welcome,” says Mühlberger.
Norway impresses with its mighty landscapes, the Baltic States are characterized above all by their cleanliness. In Finland he cycled through forests for days. He put up with the almost never-ending climbs on his journey, the motivation comes from within, he says. He also cycled for a fundraising project.
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Bike tour for a good cause
On his trip, he collected 18,000 euros in donations for Marie, a four-year-old girl from the region – the original goal of 10,000 euros was thus clearly exceeded. Marie suffers from muscle atrophy and is dependent on a wheelchair. The proceeds from the donation will be used to renovate the house and make therapies possible. And the Mostviertler says: “Marie is such a bright girl, on my 60th birthday (Mühlberger was in Finland that day, note) she even called me and serenaded me.”
Incidentally, the name Mühlberger is not unknown in cycling. Martin’s second-degree nephew, Gregor, is a professional cyclist and only took part in the Tour de France again this year. However, professional sport was only of interest to the insurance salesman from Haidershofen when he was young. In the future he might want to do the Camino de Santiago. But he wants to give himself more time for that.