Bicycle mechanic Tanja Willers and AHS teacher Johanna Hochedlinger are taking a year off from their jobs. In mid-September, the two 35-year-old athletes want to fly to Cape Town and cycle back “home” from there, i.e. to Vienna.
“We have a distance of around 20,000 kilometers ahead of us – probably more. We stopped counting the meters in altitude, it’s scary. And otherwise there are an incredible number of climate zones, we have all kinds of rainy and dry seasons,” said Hochedlinger in the “Vienna Today” interview.
Break down prejudices and find home
“For me, Africa is a blind spot on the map. I had no idea beforehand how the lands are arranged. And there are a lot of prejudices and it’s also a little bit to counter them,” says the athlete. The two Viennese women want to get to know Africa on their trip – and find out what “home” actually means.
Tanja Willer would also like to refresh her family history. Her sister currently lives in Cape Town, her mother grew up in Tanzania and her grandparents lived in Malawi for a while. “We’ll see what we find there, traces from the past.”
Vaccinations, medication and code word
Now it’s time to pack your bags for the plane: the two athletes feel prepared for their approximately one-year-long journey. “We’ve gotten quite a lot of vaccinations. I think Corona will be our smallest problem,” says Willers. Their first-aid kit is also well stocked, and they have taken out comprehensive insurance for themselves and their bikes.
Viennese women cycle from Cape Town to Vienna
More than 20,000 kilometers through more than 20 countries – and all by bike. Two Viennese women want to face this challenge. In a few days they will be leaving for Cape Town in South Africa and then cycling back to Vienna from there.
They are not afraid. However, they are not yet quite sure whether they want to cycle alone through Saudi Arabia as women. “My brother brought the best input yesterday: we should think of a code word if something happens, so that the other person knows it’s serious,” says Hochedlinger.
Travel diary on Instagram
If you want to accompany the two, you can do so via Instagram. On her account “Roaming Pedals” – the wandering pedals – there are photos and reports regarding her journey – until the reunion in Vienna.
