In an interview with pressedienst-fahrrad, she explains why deviating from the actual plan sometimes even has advantages. Part 3 of the three-part interview series.
pressedienst-fahrrad: Hello Andrea, you spent a year travelling across two continents on an e-bike. What is your verdict on travelling by bike with electricity?
Andrea Freiermuth: "I'm surprised myself at how smoothly and well it went. My Flyer now has over 16,000 kilometres on the clock. But I never had a technical problem on the journey. The odd flat tyre is a matter of course, and I've also had to change the brake pads several times. Now the brake disc is worn and needs to be replaced. But there were and are no problems with the engine. My "little Flyer" was a very reliable companion on the tour."
Have you ever had problems getting electricity?
"I often planned the individual stages more carefully than if I had been travelling on a conventional touring bike. Because you're reliant on electricity, you might lose a bit of spontaneity. But the longer I travelled, the more relaxed I became when it came to recharging. I have now developed my own theory: as long as you don't leave the tarmac, there is always electricity - and then you can definitely go on a world tour on an e-bike. In the Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan, I even travelled longer on gravel and still always found a power socket in time. Many touring cyclists had warned me about the route because there are no power lines, especially in the remote areas. Of course, it was an advantage that I was travelling in the Pamirs in summer. The days were longer and the temperatures higher, which was good for the batteries. Because of the long days, it even made sense to take a break during the sometimes very hot lunchtime, regardless of recharging. I always looked for a restaurant or a shop with a power socket for these breaks. There is now a basic infrastructure almost everywhere - even if it's just a diesel generator or solar panel. Surprisingly, I only had to use a generator once during the whole trip."
Have you also developed a special technique for charging the batteries during this year?
"It has become second nature over time. Just as you keep an eye on your own body's energy requirements, you always keep an eye on the battery level of your e-bike. Of course, it's important to have a second battery with you on a tour like this. Over time, you will learn the best charging solutions. On the Pamir Highway, I made sure not to run a battery completely empty, but to change it at around 50 per cent. This allowed me to connect both batteries to the mains at the same time during a lunch break - I had two chargers with me. Even wild camping for several days was no problem. On one section, I was travelling with a couple from Austria. As it was almost exclusively on gravel and the two of them were travelling without e-assistance, I rode in economy mode. We only covered around 30 to 40 kilometres a day, but the batteries lasted almost 300 kilometres to the next power source. I also have to admit that I needed two sets of batteries for the entire tour. However, that was because I had to organise my tour differently than planned."
The last time we spoke was before Christmas. Back then you were in Tajikistan and wanted to travel back to Switzerland to get your visa for China. Did your plans change after that?
"My trip was completely turned upside down and was even about to be cancelled. Shortly before my departure to Switzerland, I learnt that my actual plan to do a language course in Shanghai and then fly back to Dushanbe to my bike would not work. A double entry visa with a language course is not possible for China. And it's difficult to get a Chinese visa in Central Asia. I therefore had to bury my dream of reaching Beijing. I was pretty angry at the time, especially because I had had the visa organised by a travel agency. The flight to Switzerland was already booked. I actually wanted to store my bike there and then continue cycling in the spring. That was no longer possible and I also needed a bike box for the flight, which wasn't easy to organise. I also had to leave the batteries in Dushanbe because they weren't allowed on the plane. All very annoying. And then I couldn't enjoy my time in Switzerland at all because I kept worrying about the progress of the trip. In the end, I flew to Shanghai in mid-January and didn't know how my journey would continue or where my final destination would be."
How did you decide what to do next?
"After my language course in Shanghai, I first travelled to Xi'an, the end point of the historic Silk Road. From there, I continued westwards, more or less along the route I had actually planned. In the end, my journey took me back to Dushanbe. In retrospect, I have to say that this combination of routes turned out to be the better one."
In what way?
"On the one hand, because it allowed me to attack the Pamir Highway. If I had returned to Tajikistan in April, I would have taken a more northerly, lower-lying route with better infrastructure along the road. Nevertheless, it would probably have been quite cold and uncomfortable. On the other hand, I was able to enter the Xinjiang region from the Chinese side. The controls were therefore not quite as intensive as when travelling from Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan, for example. Other travellers have told me that a government app was installed on their smartphone when they entered China to improve checks. Fortunately, I was spared that."
Why are there these stricter controls there in particular?
"The majority of the population in Xinjiang are Uyghurs. They are severely oppressed by the Han Chinese. In renowned newspapers such as the New York Times or the Süddeutsche Zeitung, one could read about re-education camps to which some Uyghurs disappear for months. Official China denies the existence of these camps. But there is obviously something to hide: travellers who come to this region are subject to massive controls. When I left the country, I had to hand over my unlocked smartphone for inspection at the border crossing. They scanned everything on it for half an hour. That was a strange feeling. However, the advantage for me as an e-biker was that there is a police checkpoint with electricity every 50 kilometres. I could have charged my batteries there if necessary. However, these checkpoints are also associated with very long waiting times. Other cyclists told me that they sometimes had to wait for hours until they got their pass back. As a cyclist, you can't get petrol for a cooker at petrol stations, and you're not allowed to carry a knife either. This is because petrol and knives could theoretically be misused for an attack. A good knife is part of a cyclist's basic equipment. The only way I didn't have to hand in my Swiss Army knife was with a trick."
How did you manage that?
"I had decided to travel by train through this region, which is easy in terms of electricity but politically difficult. However, the railway stations in the region are also heavily monitored and travellers are intensively checked. Bicycles are not allowed on Chinese trains; they have to be sent by courier. So I hid my knife on my bike - and it wasn't checked any further by the security staff."
How else did you perceive China?
"The Chinese rural population is extremely friendly and nice. In many villages, I was the first tourist ever. What I didn't realise before I started my trip was that cyclists are the only individual travellers who are allowed to travel through China unaccompanied. Car or motorbike drivers must have a travel companion, a kind of chaperone, with them. They have to pay for this out of their own pocket, which is very expensive in the long run. That's why tourists only rattle off the sights or travel on predetermined routes and hardly get an impression of the people in the rural regions. I have experienced so many wonderful things with the people in the countryside! I also marvelled at the good infrastructure. The Chinese government is really working on this "Chinese Dream", i.e. prosperity for all. This is also reflected in the high level of investment in education. A lot of things are positive in China, which you don't hear much about in the Western media."
China is also considered a country of cyclists. Does the e-bike play a role there?
"I've hardly seen an e-bike. The bicycle is the vehicle for poor people in China. Anyone who earns money buys an e-scooter. Although bike-sharing services are now popping up in the big cities, your own e-scooter is the vehicle of choice."
One more question about the batteries: you flew back from Dushanbe the second time - so you left a total of four batteries there, i.e. around 3,200 euros. That makes an e-bike trip quite expensive, doesn't it?
"I made posts in Overlander groups on Facebook asking for a lift for my batteries. With success! Two batteries are currently travelling to me with a couple from Switzerland. The second set is being taken by a German adventure tour operator who is travelling through Dushanbe with a tour group in August."
What did the trip bring you personally?
"I think I'm going through life a little more relaxed and have found more peace. I've been travelling at a fast pace in recent years, especially professionally. Travelling has slowed me down. At the moment, I don't know what's coming, but I'm not worried about it. When I was travelling, I never knew where I would be in the evening. Today, I don't know how and what I will be working on in the coming months. But I'm confident that things will turn out well and remain exciting - especially because so much is uncertain."
What is your conclusion when you look back on the past year?
"We have not earned our prosperity in Central Europe. We are not better or more industrious than others. We were just a bit lucky in the 20th century. Wealth comes and goes. You realise that once you've visited the palaces of the Ottomans and the Persians, or what's left of them. In 50 years' time, we may well be looking to China with envy. And very importantly, there is no reason to be afraid of the outside world. No matter what religion or culture they belong to, the people are basically good - and incredibly helpful and hospitable to travellers who come here on a bicycle."
Further information about the trip is available at https://shebikerider.ch/. Andrea will also be giving a talk about her trip on the public day at Eurobike (7 September 2019).
