A bike ride not for the faint of heart
A German adventurer cycled his way through KZN's protected areas, finishing his journey in Lesotho
JOSEF Winzig, a 55-year-old German adventurer, saw more of KZN than he bargained for on a recent trip to South Africa.
On a basic steel bicycle with customised gearbox, accompanied by nothing but two duffel bags, Josef Winzig is feeding his spirit of adventure in bite-size chunks.
In-between work commitments in Germany, he sets aside four to six weeks each year and chooses where to cycle to next.
After having pedalled thousands of kilometres through Europe and Asia, Josef chose Southern Africa for his 2013 trip, where he would cycle, where possible, through KwaZulu-Natal’s protected areas and into Lesotho.
When taking a break at a coffee shop in Hluhluwe, Josef was spotted by Andrew Zaloumis, CEO of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority. ‘I just knew that the owner of a bike like that had a story to tell’, commented Zaloumis.
By special invitation, the days that followed saw Josef taking in the sights of the then unopened Western Shores section of the wetland park, which included his first rhino sighting in the wild, as well as a cycle through St Lucia’s renowned iGwalagwala Trail.
During his Western Shores adventures, Josef enjoyed a portion of the iSimangaliso MTB 4 day, an annual cycling event whose inaugural race was held in August 2013.
To complete his cycle trip, Josef Winzig left Western Shores and KwaZulu-Natal in mid-December, destined for the mountains of Lesotho and clocking up even more mileage on his steel horse before returning home to Germany.
