Two newcomers and their big dream: Around the world on a motorcycle

Created: 07/08/2022, 07:00

By: Andreas Beschorner

Africa – another world: Thomas Wolff and his wife Rita from Neufahrn had to stop in front of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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21 countries have seen them and have traveled 32,000 kilometers so far.

Thomas Wolff (64) and his wife Rita (56) from Neufahrn.

And all this by motorcycle.

Neufahrn

- They have carried their two bikes from the North Cape to Eastern Europe, to Chile and Argentina.

And the tour around the world continues.

During a short "stopover" at home in Neufahrn, the local newspaper visited the adventurous duo.

(By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular Freising newsletter.)

On the wall hangs a world map full of pins marking the countries that Thomas and Rita have already visited on their bikes – two BMWs.

The two met each other seven and a half years ago.

Thomas was an enthusiastic biker, but he didn't have the time for long journeys.

Rita liked to travel, but didn't have a motorcycle driver's license, they say.

The solution: Rita makes "the appearance", Thomas can be released from his work.

They go on their first trips in Europe, also fly to South Africa and New Zealand to explore the country there on rented motorbikes.

And then the idea: "How about if we don't stop driving and drive around the world for once?" is the question that Thomas asks his wife.

Northern Europe was an absolute dream

The question has now become reality: the first stage took them via Denmark and Norway to the North Cape.

We continued via Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to Poland, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Italy, including Morocco, back to Neufahrn.

Northern Europe - a dream, the two agree, even if they pushed 3000 kilometers in the rain and "wind without end" to their limits and were only for hard-boiled bikers.

The second stage followed a few weeks later: South America.

Thomas and Rita ship their planes to Santiago and drive the legendary Ruta 7 in Chile.

In other words: 1000 kilometers of gravel road.

Terrific, but no less strenuous: Argentina, 3500 kilometers straight through the steppe,

Wind gusts of up to 100 km/h - all "very exhausting", as Thomas explains.

The destination: Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world.

From Buenos Aires we went back home.

The 3406 meter high Cerro Fitz Roy in Argentina is just one of the incredible natural scenery that Thomas and Rita experienced on their bike tour through South America.

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Of course, all this is and was not easy to plan.

Or not at all.

And that's why you have to decide spontaneously, especially about the accommodation options.

The corona pandemic and then the war in Ukraine did not make it any easier.

Add to that wind and weather, roads that sometimes have surprisingly huge potholes - such a biker trip is quite a challenge.

And also a physical exertion.

And so Thomas and Rita took a few days to relax and to process the often grandiose impressions.

"Mopeds" are always safely locked away

But there were never any situations in which they were afraid.

Once Rita's mobile phone was stolen, nothing more has happened so far.

The biker duo has also been spared major repairs so far.

That's a good thing, because Thomas knows that it's difficult to get the right tires in South America, for example.

With the loads they are exposed to on the tour, they only last 10,000, maximum 15,000 kilometers.

And that's not very long considering the distances that Thomas and Rita cover.

Of course, there is one rule that applies always and everywhere: The "mopeds", as the two affectionately call their heavy machines, must always be safely locked up overnight.

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Two bactrian camels and two BMW bikes: there were plenty of smart photo opportunities for the duo from Neufahrn.

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Thomas and Rita are currently on the road again on their bikes: From Buenos Aires they have taken on Brazil, Paraguay, Ecuador and Colombia.

The first photos have already arrived - for example of the waterfalls near Iguazu, the largest in the world.

Good to know

You can read and see more about Thomas and Rita online at www.xploreonbike.de, on Facebook at xploreonbike and Instagram (xploreonbike2021).