Polish couple arrives in Vancouver by bike, 44,000 km and four continents later
What is it about Vancouver that seems to attract or inspire a certain pioneering velo spirit? First, as we reported not too long ago, there was the story of a newlywed couple riding from Vancouver to Buenos Aires, a 20,000 km trip that took them across two continents. A year and a half later, they arrived at their destination, weathered and enriched by the two-wheeling experience
This week, a pair of European cyclists made Vancouver itself their destination after a similarly intense, ambitious ride. The difference is that their journey is ongoing and open-ended, and Van City is just one of their destinations.
In 2010, Adela Tarkowska and Kris Jozefowski left their homes in Poland on what they planned would be a round-the-world, eye-opening journey. They didn’t immediately plan to do it by bike—although that’s indeed what happened. “We knew that we wanted to see the world,” Tarkowska said, speaking to The Province, “but we didn’t know that we would do it on bikes. It was never our idea.”
That year, Tarkowska and Jozefowski winged off from Poland by plane, first heading to Turkey, then the Middle East—Syria, Lebanon and Jordan—before arriving in Egypt. Inspired by the accounts of a pair of hitchhikers they met in Europe who had cycled across Africa, Tarkowska and Jozefowski picked up a couple of bikes, loaded them with panniers and cargo, and took to the road. By the time the couple left for the Americas, landing in South America first, then heading north, they had tackled the pan-African route themselves, an odyssey by bike that lasted 15 months.
Tarkowska admits to a bit of trepidation during the early part of the journey, having arrived in the Middle East shortly before one of the most dramatic phases in the region’s recent history. “We were a little bit afraid to get to Arab countries,” Tarkowska said, “but we spent seven months there and we encountered incredible hospitality, especially in Syria. We were never stopped by religion, colour or race—people were very welcoming.” The real challenge, they said, was in taking to the road while towing enough supplies to last for years, riding in all kinds of weather. Camping gear, clothes, tools, spare parts and a stove all found their way into the couple’s side bags: adding 30 kg to each rider’s bike. Then there was the weather, with everything from heavy deluges of rain to sandstorms hitting their route.
From their accounts, it was like a microcosm of every challenge that can be experienced on a bike.
On Wednesday, the couple’s rubber touched West Coast soil after crossing 44,000 km, 31 countries and four continents in the saddle, but they’re not done yet. Considering their time in Vancouver as a pit stop as they visit family in Port Coquitlam, Tarkowska and Jozefowski will next head north, riding into Alaska before continuing on by air to Asia. As arduous and incredible as their trip has been, though, the riding and the thousands of kilometres hasn’t been the hard part.
“The most difficult part,” Tarkowska told The Province, “is when I think, ‘This will finish one day.'”
Tonight at 7:30 p.m., the couple will be telling their journey’s tale at a by-donation talk at the Polish Friendship Society, 4015 Main Street.
