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From Berne to Iran by bike – 50 pictures

Mark Balsiger

Ever since I turned 20 I have got a «bucket list». It keeps me focused on what I really want to do in my life. While cycling to North Cape in summer 2016 the idea of a bike trip to Iran developed and eventually became a plan. I told myself: «One day I will go for it!» This «one day» came at the end of May 2022 as I hopped on «Yellow Jeff» and headed off.

A few days ago I returned to Switzerland.

Behind me:
– 12 countries
– 5200 kilometres
– 62’000 metres in elevation gain

These are just figures. What counts are the experiences, the joys and pains while heading east.

Fews things are as rewarding as bikepacking, #ToTehran2022 is my very own roadmovie. (I missed out on Tehran due to a heatwave and moved on from Tabriz to Türkiye instead.)
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 👉 👉 👉 Click on the first picture and it increases its size. As of then you should move the cursor to the little black button «>» which appears on the right hand side of every picture. Click through and you’ll know why I love bikepacking.

 👉 👉 👉 For the German speakers among you: I published a number of little stories about my trip. For example here. You find all of them in the sidebar on the right hand side. 

That’s what the desert looks like

Mark Balsiger

The Oasis Siwa is located some 500 kilometres west of Cairo. That’s the region we spent ten days out in the desert, enyoing the silence, the delicious food as well as watching the stars at night sitting on a bonfire. There was no internet – luckily.

I can highly recommend detoxing in the desert. A couple of pictures:






From Copenhagen to Berlin by bike – 19 pictures

Mark Balsiger

Whenever I enter the basement my lovely yellow bicycle looks at me with puppy eyes and says: “Hey partner, I wanna go for a ride again, pleeeeaaase!”

The truth is: my tour bike has not been moved ever since I came home from the North Cape last September. So it’s high time to hop on the saddle again. I’ve chosen Copenhagen-Berlin, a route which is very popular in summer and flat like a pancake – perfect for the opening of the season. Denmark in May is absolutely marvellous and I guess this applies to Northern Germany, too. I can’t wait to “fly” across the mild spring inhalling the air filled with blossoming flowers and trees. It’s about the flow.

> That’s what I wrote ath the end of April 2017.

Now I’m on the road. “A flash light”:

Three – two – one – blossoming! In the countryside it smells so intensely that I was flashed after inhaling for a half an hour. The sunrays hit the bright yellow fields of rape while the larks never get tired singing their melodies – welcome to Danish spring. It’s magic. If it’s mild and sunny.

Two nights ago, the temperature dropped below zero. Next morning, while sitting on the saddle my butt felt rather frosty. The weather has changed dramatically: now it’s ice cold, the wind is blowing often quite heavily, and the rain falls mostly horizontally which means: Straight. Into. My. Face.

It was a rough day but after six hours I stopped at a cozy little hotel, meanwhile in Northern Germany, with an extremely friendly staff. I’m their only guest and they fixed me a lavish dinner. So in fact I have no reason to complain.

> Another jump forward:

Today, I arrived safely in Berlin. Three half days warming up (along the Roskilde Fjord) followed by the seven day tour were awesome in many ways. I’ll do it again. Soon.

#CopenhagenBerlin2017

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Click on the first picture and it will increase its size. As of then you should move the cursor to the little black button “>” which appears on the right hand side of every picture. Click yourself through my trip withouth sweating.

From Berne to North Cape by bike – 25 pictures

From Berne to North Cape by bike – 25 pictures

Mark Balsiger

– June 3th 2016, I left Berne behind me in the pouring rain;
– August 31th, I arrived at the North Cape, it’s a sunny morning.

After 90 days and 5500 kilometers on the road, I reached “The Top of the World” as the Norwegians advertise their site in the Arctic. I cycled across parts of Switzerland, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. A long lasting dream of mine came through. It was even more precious than I expected. Take a look at the pictures and you know why.

Click on the first picture and it will increase its size. As of then you should move the cursor to the little black button “>” which appears on the right hand side of every picture. Click yourself through my trip withouth sweating.

For 20 years this bike trip had been on my bucket list. Few things in my life have been as rewarding and fulfilling, #ToNorthCape2016 is my very own “Road Movie”.

For those of you who understand German: I’ve published a couple of stories about my trip. Why don’t you start with the “thriller”. But watch out, it’s a longread!