Hey there, I am Fabian.
I am 25 years old and a student of social sciences and geography at the University of Cologne. I love sports, play basketball, enjoy running and have been on different cycling tours for many years! I am very interested in topics such as climate justice and sustainability and am therefore active in many volunteer groups.
When I told my mum about my plans over a nice dinner in my hometown of Brühl in November 2023, she asked me a simple but very important question: Why?
As simple as the question may seem at first glance, the answer is a big one and it was actually very difficult for me to answer in concrete terms. Why do I want to go on this trip, what drives me and why does it have to be this route of all routes? In November 2023, I still couldn’t really answer this question, and my mother’s response was more a few stammered sentences than a convincing explanation. But I knew that I definitely wanted to go on this trip. Why? Over the following weeks and months, I came to understand my motives behind my longing.
My main motivation is to grow personally, to get out of my comfort zone and to face my personal challenges and those that the journey will bring. I want to develop myself, gain new experiences and get to know many people, their stories and different regions. I want to show myself what is possible and that even if it doesn’t always seem like it, there is often a way! And of course, I really hope to excite people with my tour and perhaps also inspire them a little.
This motivation is strongly linked to a longing for autonomy, freedom and self-determination, which I have felt on every one of my bike tours so far. The feeling of not knowing in the morning what the day will bring, not knowing what encounters lie ahead and being able to decide for myself and without a schedule how the day will go is really exciting! I’ve learned to appreciate and love this feeling even more with my buddy Leo since our first bike tour in 2016.
I don’t want to run away from anything with my tour. I like my everyday life and I’m basically a happy person. I’d rather have the feeling that I’m running towards something. Towards a lot of experiences, a formative time, an adventure and a huge learning process outside my comfort zone.
In addition to my passion for cycling tours, I have been involved in many climate and environmental protection projects on a voluntary basis for many years. I’ve met so many inspiring people doing great work, but who don’t get the recognition they deserve. There are so many young people, especially, who are really passionate about protecting our planet. I want to meet more people like that on my trip! I want to keep learning and being inspired by others. As part of my trip, I’d also like to draw attention to the work of people. So that people get a little more visibility and their voices are heard more loudly. You can find out more about this topic under “Projects” in the menu.