A Sunday escape #3
The man who cycled the world – for 52 years
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Heinz Stücke in the Philippines, 1973. Photo: Heinz’s Facebook page
Dear NE-One
In 1962 22-year-old factory worker Heinz Stücke cycled out of Hövelhof, his small hometown in western Germany, and set off to explore the world. For the next 52 years he rode the same steel-framed bicycle – a 25kg three-speed bike to which he fitted a second set of handlebars so he could shift riding position – for more than 600,000km and across 196 countries and 86 territories.
Heinz is now 83, and retired from his cycling days. He’s settled back in his hometown, where a museum of his journey is being curated: he never threw anything from his travels away, choosing instead to send mementos and broken pieces of his bicycle back to his family. While he can no longer ride, he regularly welcomes visitors – fellow long-distance cyclists, usually – to stay in his home, and he loves to talk about his adventures. Here’s where you can hear more of his story…
…if you have 3.5 minutes
Watch the trailer for The Man Who Wanted To See It All, a documentary about Heinz and his travels. If you’re in the USA or Europe you’ll be able to watch the full film on Netflix… if you’re elsewhere, you’ll need to see what’s available in your country. I’ve not been able to find anywhere I can watch it, from South Africa or Thailand – please let me know if you have more luck than me!
…if you have 3 hours
Last year Bikepack Adventures Podcast host Chris Panasky had a long conversation with Heinz. You can listen that podcast here – the call with Heinz begins just past 10 minutes into the recording.
…if you have all day
(and I so hope you do)
The Heinz Stücke Facebook page is run by Henrik Schumacher, a friend and long-distance cyclist who regularly shares Heinz’s photographs and updates followers on his visits with Heinz and the progress of the museum. There’s a lot of work to do – Heinz accumulated more than 18,000 diary pages and 100,000 slides, which Henrick is helping Heinz to sort through.
You really – really! – should take a look at the Facebook page. Henrik does an exceptional job of posting there and what I enjoy is the very personal and informal approach with which he does it; it aligns with the down-to-earth human that Heinz seems to be.
Heinz has a book called Home Is Elsewhere – and I wanted to share here the Facebook post that gives more details on how to buy it because, well, just take a read:
Heinz is not online besides reading his hotmails. If you want to send him some greetings or pictures, please send them to his email. He will read them, but not answering and I don't always have the time to answer. Many of you would like to buy the book HOME IS ELSEWHERE, so I wrote down how to order the book.
If you like to buy the book "HOME IS ELSEWHERE" including Heinz´s famous booklet "around the world by bike" in English or German, you only have to send an email to heinzstucke@hotmail.com (he knows how to check the junk folder) with your address and your phone number. As a bonus you will get 25 postcards.
Heinz likes to keep the book sell personal, signing every book, put some stickers in it, update the booklet, maybe write a dedication, so please be patient, he can only prepare and send 3-5 books a day.
I made a video with Heinz, where he explains how he prepares every single book before sending it. He will send you the book and the booklet + 25 postcards separately (the postage is cheaper this way). I tried to convince him to send all in one package, but he won't listen.
He never learned to reply emails, thats why he would like to have your phone number, just in case...and please call him back otherwise it is very expensive for him to call (he has no Skype or WhatsApp).
When the book arrive you will find his IBAN and BIC on the first side of the book or you can pay with PayPal (heinzstucke@hotmail.com), no problem.
The price is 25€ + postage. The postage for Germany is 5€ and 10€ for the rest of the world. He trusts you, that’s why you first pay, when you have the book in your hands.”
Until next weekend (when I’ll be writing to you from an island in Thailand),
Narina x
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