Markus Knüfken about his journey
Markus, where does your urge for adventure come from?
It's been in me for as long as I can remember. I've always been a nature and animal lover and I've always been enthusiastic about adventures where you experience a lot with very little - just letting things happen. It's certainly the thrill of setting off into the unknown. I was barely of age when I stood by the motorway with a tent and set off on a hike, and around this time I also set off on bike tours with a friend.
Then you are an experienced touring cyclist?
Zero! These weekend activities back then always went wrong. We always came home like two beaten dogs. In my early twenties, I cycled over the Alps alone again, completely untrained. I fed on nuts, got diarrhoea, pushed 13 kilometres up a mountain pass, got bursitis, really bad. My other activities so far have involved walking or paddling.
And you thought that at the age of 57: I'll ride my e-cargobike over 7000 kilometres along the coast?
Yes, exactly. Of course that was naive, but on the other hand: what can happen? I like to think positively. And I fell in love with the Cargobike in Hamburg and wanted to see if it would work beyond the city centre.
Where did the idea come from to turn it into an environmental protection project?
I have always been an environmentally conscious person, but the younger generation has made me realise how important it is to get involved. I no longer want to travel by plane in Europe, but I still want to see a lot and discover as much as possible. Cycling is important for the mobility transition and is the perfect way to travel. Then I thought about it: What bothers me? And that's rubbish - in the most beautiful, remote places. That's how I came up with One Earth - One Ocean, a "maritime rubbish collection service" that removes rubbish from the water. On my trip, I collected a total of 129 kilos of plastic waste from the beaches of the North and Baltic Seas.
You usually drove 100 kilometres a day. Did you manage with the battery?
If all the parameters are right - flat land, no headwind, the temperature above 15 °C, then you can get over 100 kilometres. Of course, that wasn't always the case. In Norway, I had days with 1500 metres in altitude, difficult terrain, rain and cold. You can't go that far and you skip the support as often as possible.
Did you get to know a lot about the country and its people?
Yes, absolutely. For me, it wasn't about the sport, but about the experience. I camped every day and, despite the weather and tiredness, it was simply marvellous. The closeness to nature, these incredible landscapes, the encounters with wonderful people - every day.
Did you have any mishaps?
Let's put it this way: I had a few low points emotionally on the bike. Right from the start, I had a spoke problem that got worse and worse. Complete strangers helped me with incredible dedication - telephoning and transporting, drilling, screwing, welding. The other encounters were also exclusively positive. On a tour like this, you learn how great we humans are: Open, kind and self-sacrificing - no matter where, no matter who. That gives you enough energy for many more kilometres. Even for the last 1500 kilometres, which I then had to do without an engine ...
Has the tour changed you?
In the end, I was a good ten kilograms lighter and countless experiences and conversations richer.
The project
Actor Markus Knüfken (Bang Boom Bang, Tatort, SOKO) has been travelling on adventure tours for decades. In April 2022, he set off on the 95-day "Big Biking Cleanup" tour, which took him 7236 kilometres along the North Sea and Baltic coasts. He collected rubbish and donations for the German organisation One Earth - One Ocean e.V. The aim of the environmental organisation is to free waters worldwide from plastic waste. To this end, various types of ships are used to collect and process waste from the sea.
The vehicle
Knüfken travelled the route on the Kàro from Velo Lab, a cargo bike that is completely handmade in Bremen. With the NeoDrive Z 20 with a 624 Wh battery, the rear motor also comes from Germany. In perfect conditions, the range is over 100 kilometres. The weight of the bike was around 32 kilograms, with luggage Markus Knüfken initially weighed 80 kilograms. Halfway through, he sent 12 kilograms back home and then another 20 kilograms. "I simply had too much of everything with me."
