Rune Monstad
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Rune Monstad (born April 14, 1973), also known as The Viking Biker, is a Norwegian cyclist who is cycling the world on a 27-speed Gekko mountain bike. Born in Tonsberg, Norway in 1974, Rune went to Bolivia in 2004 to work with homeless children for a year. After returning to Norway, he decided he wanted to cycle all over the world, so he started in South America in December 2005, then cycled through Central America, Mexico and then across the USA. In November 2006, Rune started his trip to Canada and is cycling across Canada (from west to east) in the winter. He is fully equipped with winter gear for sub-freezing temperatures.
Rune never pays for accommodations, and he lives off $5-$10 per day USD. He carries a tent with him, but he has hardly had to use it, as many people have offered him a place to stay in their homes. A few motels, lodges and hostels also offered him free accommodations as well as meals. Rune operates mostly on donations as cycling every day doesn't allow for time to work a regular job. He occasionally takes a few days off to see the local sights, attend special events and to meet with people in bicycle shops and cafes. On February 3, 2007, while he was in Regina, Saskatchewan, he was invited to give a talk about winter cycling to a group of about 60 people with Regina EcoLiving Inc, a non-profit organization located in Regina. In areas where there is snow and/or ice in the winter, this is also called Icebiking.
On February 15, 2007, Rune arrived just west of Winnipeg, Manitoba, battling 50 kilometer per hour side winds with near whiteout conditions. He was featured in the Winnipeg Sun and Winnipeg Free Press over the weekend. While in Winnipeg, he was also invited to several events including a local Icebike event on February 18, which was sponsored by Woodcock Cycle Works. On March 3, he was invited to the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra's Northern Landscape concert and was introduced on stage by the conductor of the symphony, Alexander Mickelthwate. The Norwegian Canadian Club of Winnipeg hosted a display in the lobby of the Centennial Concert Hall. The Norwegian Club promotes arts, crafts, foods and language of Norway as well as encouraging community among Norwegians. Rune's bicycle was placed on the Norwegian display that evening, and during the intermission and after the concert, he met many symphony patrons.
Rune met several cyclists during his stay in Winnipeg and gave a brief talk about his trip. The Norwegian and Scandinavian Clubs held a luncheon for him, and he gave a talk to those groups as well. He also met the Ambassador of Norway to Canada, His Excellency Mr. Tor. B. Naess.
On Marcy 4, Rune left Winnipeg to continue his trip east. He arrived in Thunder Bay, Ontario on March 13 and in Sault Saint Marie, Ontario on March 23. He is expected to arrive in Sudbury, Ontario on March 28, where the CTV in Sudbury will be filming a story about him. To view the photos from his Thunder Bay trip, visit the Thunder Bay cycling club web site at http://www.tbaycc.ca, then click on "The Viking Biker Visits Thunder Bay" on the left under "News at a Glance".
Rune has been interviewed on Conrad Schmidt's Pedal Revolutionary radio show in Vancouver, BC, KOMO-TV in Seattle, CBC-TV in Calgary and Global TV in Winnipeg. Several newspapers in the US and Canada have published stories about him.
Rune keeps a daily diary with photos, thank-you credits, videos and stories about his adventure, which he usually updates weekly. This can be found on his web site and blog.
