Over a year in the saddle: Simon Piwowarsky from Zorneding has cycled 18,000 kilometers

Created: 10/01/2022, 02:00 p.m

By: Raphael Scherer

Saddlebags packed: This is how Simon Piwowarsky cycled in the USA, Canada and New Zealand.

The picture shows him, easy to spot, in Las Vegas.

© private

Zornedinger Simon Piwowarsky was out and about by bike for over a year.

His journey took him halfway around the world.

Zorneding – On his first international bike tour eight years ago, Zornedinger Simon Piwowarsky was a little more improvised: “I borrowed everything from friends, including my brother’s bike,” Zornedinger remembers his tour to London.

Now he is back from his second half trip around the world on the saddle: from Canada via the USA to New Zealand he cycled around the world for more than a year.

Now the now 27-year-old presented his experiences at the lecture "Time in the saddle: Halfway around the world by bike", organized by the Zorneding German Alpine Club section in the Christopheruskirche in Zorneding.

After completing his training as a cutting machine operator, i.e. everything to do with milling and metal, in 2019 Piwowarsky finally had time and a little money saved for his dream: a trip around the world.

"At such a time, if not now, then when," Zornedinger recalls.

So off we went in June to Canada and further south to the United States.

Positive surprise: "Extreme hospitality"

On his trip, he was usually more interested in nature than in the cities.

He particularly remembers his arrival in Mount Rainier Park in Washington State: “The days before that I only had bad weather, and when I drove into the park it suddenly cleared up and you have this gigantic mountain seen, that was very impressive,” enthuses the cyclist to this day.

During his tour, he was particularly pleasantly surprised by the "extreme hospitality", as he says, of the locals: "Especially in the USA and New Zealand, I was very often invited to stay with the people," says Piwowarsky.

It doesn't matter whether it's from rich families with a guest room or rather poorer one-room apartments where he was allowed to spread out his sleeping pad.

"It's not that bad with what I know from Germany and Europe."

Piwowarsky: "When you've been away for so long, you realize who the real friends are."

And he could use hospitality when the pandemic broke out in 2020 and New Zealand was almost completely sealed off.

"Back then I talked a lot with the nice family I was with, whether I should somehow go home straight away or not, but they took me in and said I could stay longer," says Zornedinger.

So he had enough time before his return trip in September 2020 to "look at New Zealand almost twice," he explains, adding: "That was impressive because there were few or no tourists there because of Corona."

When Piwowarsky returned, just before his birthday, there was a huge welcome-back celebration and birthday party rolled into one.

During his time, one or the other friend at home with whom he had no contact the whole time said goodbye, according to his painful experience: "But if you've been away for so long, then you realize who the right ones are Friends are."

Piwowarsky: Talking to people openly when you have a problem

Most of all, however, after the 18,000 kilometers he has cycled, he has come to the realization that you should speak openly to people everywhere and ask them if you have a problem.

"Because other people know what you don't know," he explains.

Even if the foreigner bonus was admittedly an advantage for him at the time: "If I ask someone for directions here in German, they just say, 'You have a cell phone, just look it up.'"

also read

Serious accidents in the forest and on the B304: Six injured

Citizens’ initiatives north of the Brenner Pass: “North Pass of the Brenner District in Ebersberg”

Piwowarsky is now studying aerospace technology in Munich and lives happily in Zorneding with his wife and child.

He never wants to leave there again.

"But maybe after your studies there will be a time before you start your job, when you can go away for at least half a year," he adds and laughs mischievously.

You can read more news from the Ebersberg region here.

By the way: everything from the region is also available in our regular Ebersberg newsletter.