When you pedal for 85 000 kilometres across 70 countries in seven continents, you won’t be home for a full five years.
De Bruyn Jouberttackled this adventure in 2013.
“I already miss Saturday braais with friends and family!” he tells Nelspruit Post.
While we were sipping on our icy cocktails this summer in the sweltering Mbombela heat, De Bruyn was pedalling his way through the Siberian and Mongolian winter. The difference in temperature between our city and the region that he is exploring, is about 75°C.
De Bruyn started an attempt to be the first cyclist to continuously cycle through all the continents, including Antarctica, unaided.
De Bruyn was joined by long-time friend, Ulrich Walters, who started the adventure with him. De Bruyn and Ulrich cycled 7 500 kilometres together. In February 2014 Ulrich returned home and De Bruynwill now continue the adventure on his own. De Bruyn completed the Australian leg of his tour on November 12, 2013.
He proceeded to cycle accross Europe on May 12, 2014. On June 30 last year, he tackled the Middle East and Asia. He will then cycle across North and South America, Antarctica and Africa.
Nelspruit Post caught up with De Bruin during middle December, when he was in Almaty, Kazakhstan. “I’m moving towards Northern Russia. The temperatures are somewhere between -5°C and -15°C. I’m expecting a further decline within the next week. The winter temperatures will drop to -40°C when I approach Mongolia.”
On March 15, De Bruyn confirmed his location and the icy truth of this weather prediction. “This was one of the coldest days in my life with the feel temperature of -45°C! I am now at Ulaanbaataar.” Two days later, he woke up with the contents of his tent covered in snow.
“When I woke up everything was covered in snow dust inside the tent. If you look at the photo you’ll see my food on the left, tent bag with pegs, fuel and water supply and then I always place extra pegs at the door opening. The extra pegs are there just in case I have to move quickly in strong winds if something happens to the others. “This routine came in very handy one night when I woke up and half the tent was flapping in the wind.”
De Bruyn paused his journey and located Internet facilities in order to answer some of Nelspruit Post’s questions via e-mail. Nelspruit Post: Where do you come from?
De Bruyn Joubert: “I went to school in Bloemfontein and have been living in Cape Town for the last seven years.”
NP: Lowvelders consider Bloemfontein cold. Do you come here often?
DBJ: I’m a nature lover and the Lowveld has some of South Africa’s most beautiful nature scenes. The green rolling hills, rivers and mountains are spectacular.
De Bruyn also has a few relatives who reside in Mbombela and White River.
NP: What do you miss the most about sunny South Africa?
DBJ: Saturday braais with friends and family.
NP: What life truths have you learnt on your trip thus far?
DBJ: We all get caught up in trivial things. Enjoying life does not cost money. Just be nice to those around you, smile, spend time with friends and family and explore the world!
NP: Why did you tackle the Around 7 Continents challenge?
DBJ: I did it for many reasons. Among other things, I want to push myself physically and mentally. I want to explore the world and different nationalities and make friends. The world is not the bad place the media portrays it to be. Every country has it’s “something special.” I want to inspire people to explore their world – start by exploring our own beautiful South Africa.
NP: How do you survive?
DBJI am currently looking for companies which are willing to aid me in this endeavour. I want to form lasting bonds with my sponsors. De Bruyn will be the first person in the world who completes this cycling journey.
* Anyone who wants to become part of his adventure can contact him by visiting Around 7 Continents on Facebook or his web page, www.around7continents.com
