| Heinz Stücke | |
|---|---|
Heinz Stücke poses with his three-speed bicycle for a photo while selling his wares in Paris. (9 July 1999) |
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| Born | January 11, 1940 Hövelhof, North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Residence | None |
| Nationality | German |
| Other names | The Bike Man |
| Citizenship | Germany |
| Occupation | Cyclist, photographer, writer |
| Known for | Cycling for most of his life through nearly every country in the world. |
| Website | |
| heinzstucke.com | |
Heinz Stücke (born 11 January 1940) is a German traveller, vagabond, and long-distance touring cyclist from Hövelhof, North Rhine-Westphalia. In 1995, he set a world record for bicycle touring.
In November 1962, the 22-year-old Stücke quit his job as a tool and die maker, and rode out of his hometown on a three-speed bicycle, with a plan to see the world. He has never since returned to Hövelhof, stating that his extraordinary desire to travel has been partly motivated by his aversion to returning to factory work and "the very small-minded people" of Hövelhof.
In the early 1980s, after two decades on the road, Stücke decided to attempt to visit every country in the world. Between 1962 and 2010, he cycled more than 609,000 kilometres (378,000 mi) and visited 195 countries and 78 territories. From 1995 through 1999, the Guinness Book of Records described him as having travelled more widely by bicycle than anyone in history.[1]
During his travels, he has encountered many hazards and suffered numerous injuries:
Although he has ridden the same steel-framed bicycle on most of his journeys,[3] in 2002 he rode across Canada with a partner on a Hase Pino tandem recumbent bicycle, which Hase Spezialräder built and sponsored.
Since 1962, Stücke has taken more than 100,000 photographs. He funds his expeditions with licensing revenue from his photo catalogue; donations; and sales of his travel writing, postcards, and booklets that feature his photographs, writing, and illustrations.
Russland: Er besuchte Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk und Khabarovsk 1994.