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Now I understand why people
were asking if we're totally crazy.

Cycling here in the winter.
I get it. I totally get it now.

Fuckin'A...

This is me.

I'm playing around with
the slow-motion function of the camcorder

which I will hand to these two guys
so they can film their journey.

Keule and Otti.

They're planning to go from Germany
all the way to southern Vietnam.

By bicycle.
They'll be on the road for almost a year.

Lotta crap...

-That's my pillow!
-Pussy... I'll sleep on a rock.

Please demonstrate.

They've known each other for a while now.
Since high school.

But they actually became friends
after that. On another bike tour.

The year: 2008.

The plan: cycling all over Europe.

And us: four boys who just turned 19
and never really left home before.

I think the idea emerged
during a bender...

I was the last one to join the team.

One night, we were playing cards
and after 5, 8, 20 beers

I was asked if I was on board

with going on a bike tour in a few months.

You get out of school after 12 years
and you just want to be free.

Do something on your own,
make new experiences.

And not just go into that
cookie-cutter life cycle:

School, degree, work, death.

I just wanted to do something awesome.

-ROCK'N'ROLL!!
-Keep cycling, dumb-ass...

! was there, too. We wanted to do
a big round round-trip across Europe

and visit as many countries as possible
without needing any visas.

8,000 km (5,000 mi) - all by bicycle.

Our project: ambitious.

Our preparation: slightly lacking.

For the first tour, I tried out my bike
once on a 15 km (10 mi) ride.

My training consisted of 100 km (60 mi)
- spread over a couple of days.

With no luggage.

-Spread over how many days? 100?
-Two weeks...

We just used simple run-off-the-mill bikes,

which probably weren't made
for such a long trip.

We made 5 km (3 mi) and Otti has another
breakdown. Somewhere on that wheel.

You bring a lot of heavy stuff.
So much useless stuff that you don't need.

I had two sleeping bags.

-Too many shirts, too many pants.
-Throw it out!

We just were in Konz
- south of Trier (still Germany).

Sent useless stuff back home from there.

For example: Money. Food. Sleeping bags.

-Underpants.
-Our penises.

Manuel - who planned the whole trip
- must be sent back, too.

After four weeks his kneecap goes south.
He can't continue.

We have to try and make it without him.

If we had a road map

then we might know where we actually are.

And then we might know where
we could go to buy stuff.

But we've been out here with no map for
days. We're basically somewhere in Spain.

We had no clue what we were doing.

But despite all difficulties:
quitting is not an option.

We were pretty mouthy beforehand.
We said, "We go there

and then back and such. And 8,000 km
(5,000 mi) - who cares? No problem!"

If you're that arrogant,
you better deliver.

So we go from country to country. Pitching
our tent in a different spot each day.

We made it all the way to the Atlantic
on these goddamn bikes!

For almost four months we live
that nomad life

- facing all the challenges it brings.

You start to notice: If there's a problem,
there's nothing you can do

but try to solve it yourself.
And that it works more often than not

is one of those things that you learn.

Even with really basic equipment
and without knowing anything

and without proper training
- only thinking, "We'll make it!"

- We made it work!

We were in the same year in school,
but didn't spend much time together.

But through that trip we grew
a real friendship

which persists to this day.
And if we're lucky even until after

THIS tour.

What's your plan? Your route?

This time we want to leave the
European environment,

so we're planning a route along the ancient
Silk Road network: Turkey, Iran...

-Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan...
-All the way to China. And from there...

-Thailand, Laos, Cambodia...
-To Vietnam.

We don't want to fly or take a train
or a boat.

We want to cycle to Vietnam,
without using any other vehicle.

To reach Saigon, they want to cycle
15,000 km (over 9,000 mi).

Almost twice as much as 10 years ago.

Fuck maps, man. GPS!

Never ride without a map again?

Only if the batteries run out.

-What is still missing?
-A cooker should arrive soon. What else?

Oh, I'm still waiting for a bike.

-Your bicycle's not here yet?
-Nah, but we still got a week.

My bike's over there.

-How many km did you go so far?
-A whopping 3 km more than last time.

-18 km (11 mi).
-Enough...

Do you think your lack of training
will be a problem?

I hope it won't be. Let's not forget:
we're ten years older now.

-You didn't break in your seat.
-That'll happen while we cycle.

But I did grease it well.

With your fat ass.

You cunt...

In what way is it a bigger challenge
when you do this for a whole year?

-You're on the road longer.
-No shit.

What about the winter?
That wasn't a problem last time.

The thing is: No matter when you start,
there's always winter somewhere.

They want to face that problem when
it arrives. There's also some visas

that they can only get on the way.

We'll see. What happens, happens...

1st August 2018 - the start.

Keule's bike has arrived on time.

Each of the two carries about
25 kg (55 Ibs) of luggage.

Head in the right direction!

When starting in Heiligenstadit,
we are three.

I'm joining the guys for the first
1,000 km (600 mi).

-We didn't set out on the coolest of days.
-Nah!

What did Otti say the temperature was?

30°C (86°F) already.

And over the course of the day it'll be

35°C, 36°C... (95°F, 96°F)

50°C! (120°F)

Shit!

The GPS is sending us up there.
Straight on, says the GPS.

Gotta be kidding...

We came up there...
Now we gotta go down here.

That's bullshit...

Up, down, up, down.
In this weather - shit!

Pisses me off!

I just want to share that
we made an important discovery.

Which explains why we shit
on our GPS so much.

It was set to "hiking".

Hmmm, who went hiking using that thing?
Hmmm...

We still had the GPS in hiking mode,
because Waldemar went hiking

to do a test run. And none of us
even had the idea to switch modes.

So we cycled on hiking trails
for the first few days.

-We could have avoided some trouble.
-Definitely.

We could have avoided a lot of trouble
if we had stayed home.

We're already sweaty and exhausted.
Didn't even start yet.

-We're so smart.
-It's 33°C (91°F) again.

We're in the Thuringian Highlands,
stuck in some valley.

With a river dam and a lake. That means
we have to climb out of the valley now.

So we'll go up again. But I don't think
it'll be as tough as yesterday.

-Me neither.
-Hopefully.

Up there the road goes on.

You need an upgrade for you bikes?
We saw you struggling.

A lady gave us a product leaflet
for an e-bike upgrade.

Batteries and electric engines
for our bikes.

Nah...

A 10% incline - did you see?

10%?? I almost didn't push
the bike at all! Great!

Day 6: the first border crossing.

It'll be a while until Otti and Keule
see Germany again.

Stretch your arm, you moron!

Can you see the Vietnamese flag?

Why doesn't Waldemar just take the pic...

I have to say, it took me a while
to get back into it.

You have to relearn a lot of things. And
the more time goes by the better we get.

I can feel it. I'm not pushing my bike
on any mountain anymore.

While there's three of us,
we sleep in a tent almost every night.

Either off the trail...

...or on a camp site.

Will it absorb or will it stay like this?

Always remember, kids: wear sunscreen!

That's not exactly the most expensive one.

The expensive one I lost
on a railroad crossing.

It fell off my bike rack,
and I turn around to pick it up...

A car already ran over it.

Oh well. I guess it's that now.

The sunscreen must go.

And so do we: from Czechia to Austria.

Crossing a border is always motivating.

True that. Gives you a nice boost.

Now the countries go in one swoop,
and then we got, like, ten years of Turkey.

The longest would be China.

-No doubt.
-If they let us in.

If they let us in... that's the point.
Our visas are still uncertain.

If the guys had gotten their
Chinese visas in Germany,

they would've had to reach the border
in three months.

Fairly stressful with a bike.

Therefore they want to get visas
on the way.

In the capital of Iran, Tehran.

Once there,
their final route will be decided on.

There's still 5,000 km (3,000 mi)
to go until then.

Otti will have plenty of time
to break in his bike seat.

When we stop riding in the evening,
I sometimes think,

"One more hour would be awesome!"
But it gets dark, so that doesn't work.

Just try to do a little bit more...

So you're not already saying:

You're sick of it? Cycling sucks?

Of course cycling sucks!
But that doesn't mean we want to stop...

Served with love...

After 1,000 km (600 mi), we've reached
Hungary. I take the train back home.

But I'll be back to visit the guys
- for the grand finale in South East Asia,

and once in the middle.
We'll see where that will be.

For now, Otti and Keule travel as a pair
- along the Danube cycling route.

Filming is wholly on them now.

Morning! At the Danube.

When we wanted to buy groceries
for breakfast, all the shops were closed.

So we bought these wonderful protein bars
and other crap at the gas station

which will be our lovely breakfast today.

-With mocha flavour. Coffee included.
-Two for one, exactly.

And of course - for a real
athlete's breakfast...

Yep, and a cig, of course!

How much do you smoke now?

Dude, Waldemar, you goddamn bastard!

I'm sending them questions
over the net now.

In the beginning I was so ambitious.
I thought I'd quit smoking for a while.

Get away from that.
And that worked for 3 days,

because Waldemar bought so many cigs.
All the time.

And he smoked one after the other.

Of course, we all started smoking. Keule
had quit completely when we started...

So again, Waldemar: thank you a lot,

you stupid asshole.

Kidding! Waldemar will probably
edit all the curse words in.

Day 23: The guys leave the Schengen Area
and enter Serbia.

The first passport control on this trip,

and the first country they've both
never been to.

And here they have their first flat tire.

I hoped we'd make 2,000 km (1,200 mi)
without a breakdown, but no!

-These are the flat-less Schwalbe-tires...
-They're actually good tires.

They're great! But I still don't know
what punctured it.

Looked like a thorn or a dog's tooth.

We pushed our bikes to a small workshop

which was owned by the town's mayor.

Good bikes! Trusty, for sure!

We took the wheel out. He changed the tire.

-Tobias was allowed to help.
-Yeah I was... with my own bike.

So many people dropped by,
all were eager to help.

They were really interested:
What are these guys doing?

Even though Otti and Keule are by far
not the only cyclists on that route.

Oh yeah, one more thing:
We met a French guy yesterday.

-Bonjour, Monsieur!
-Bonjour!

We found Mad Max on the road...

He built his bike solely
from recycled materials.

He said the bike was 30 Euros.

All the stuff, it was all recycled.
But the coolest feature on his bike

was a box which was mounted
in the back on the left side.

And that was his kitchen / office.

So this is my desk. I have a little
chair here, so I'm sitting, writing...

That's so cool! Awesome!

A few Serbs we met thought
he had chickens in there

so he can have fresh eggs every day.

Awesome guy. We cycled together
for a couple of kilometers.

And after a while he stopped and said,

"Wow, it's beautiful here!

I'll just sleep here today.”

It's pretty cool!
It's nice when you're not the only one.

When there are people who understand

why you do crazy stuff.

Like cycling to Vietnam.

Through the Iron Gates
they go from Serbia to Romania.

2,000 km (1,200 mi) are behind them.

13,000 km (8,000 mi) more to come -
during which Keule has to

come to terms with the fact that Otti
is the polar opposite of an early bird.

Tobias, nectarine?

Not now.

Tobias, cereal bar?

Also no.

Tobias, coffee?

Yes, please.

Then make one.

Shit, fuck you!

So we ended up in Romania,
and the South is Wallachia and that is...

That's Wallachia.

Nothing but fields left and right.
Sometimes a horse cart.

You always have to dodge horse shit
on the road. It's kinda funny...

There's nothing here.

Except headwind, yeah...

It's the second month, and touring
is turning into their daily life.

What is - in one sentence -
your daily routine?

In one sentence?

We get up late.

Cycle for 40-50 km (25-30 mi).

Take a break and look for some food.

Then cylce another 50 km (30 mi) or more...

-Or less!
-... and then look for a place to sleep.

Well, that wasn't exactly
one sentence, Waldemar.

Here we go: We get up, we cycle,
we arrive, we sleep,

we get up, we cycle, we arrive, we sleep.

They hope to find more variety
- at least as far as scenery is concerned -

in the hills of Bulgaria. Or Thrace,
as the region was called in ancient times.

Good day!

Good day!

Thrace is cold, fuck me!

That's why Spartacus was such a hard-ass.

-But the landscape is nice.
-That's true.

One has to admit - it's very Thracian.

It all came to a Thracig ending...

Well, Thrace! Where do you lead us?

Thrace used to reach
all the way to the Bosporus.

You don't say.

So we stay with the Thracians.

Til we go to Asia.

Right, it's not far til we switch
continents for the first time.

-Maybe 200 km (120 mi) left...
-Also switch continents for the last time.

Why?

We had a nice and smooth tour start,
with a continuous increase.

And now we wait for the things to come.

It's pretty interesting that
there's no real cultural shock

because we travel so slowly. And so
the culture changes little by little.

-Borders kinda overlap.
-It's interesting.

It's not like you're suddenly
in Turkey or Vietnam or wherever.

You always get a little closer
- things change in tiny steps.

So you don't really realize it.
It's a fluent transition.

And that's pretty interesting
to see and experience.

-Istanbul!
-Obviously!

Istanbul, the Gateway to the East.
Now the tour really starts!

Motivation comes from the progress we make.

That's cool. We don't want to stay
in one place. The only way now is forward.

That's just awesome. Having your
morning coffee in front of the tent.

It's no fun in those hotels. You sit
at the table, all fancy with your...

-With your pants on.
-With your pants, exactly...

But it has its advantages
to not sleep in a tent.

It's September. The days get shorter.
The nights get colder.

Otti and Keule frequent guest houses,
hostels, and hotels more often now.

Those get more affordable
the further east they go.

...some bum dropped his stuff here!

The guys enjoy the luxury of real beds
with increasing frequency.

I'd say we charter a private plane
tomorrow and fly straight to Vietnam.

That's probably better.

Instead of setting up their tent
in the hinterlands

Otti and Keule spend more time
in towns and cities.

Like Safranbolu, for example.

I've seen that in a TV documentary.
It's UNESCO world heritage

because it was an important hub
on the Silk Road.

There are many medieval timbered houses -
Konaks.

And also a caravanserai
from the 17th century.

Thy guys take a day off
and pay the local barber a visit.

Which is long overdue.

Total?

Do you want to drink tea?

Hey! I almost look human again!

If you think so...

We startet out so well. We had only one
flat tire in the first 3,000 km (1,900 mi).

That was in Serbia.

The breakdowns have multiplied since then.

No mayor here to change the tire.

Day 60: Otti has a flat tire.

Shit. It doesn't fit through the rim.
I bought the wrong valve.

Can't just quickly change the tube.
Otti has to patch

until he finds tubes with
a French valve somewhere.

-Let's see how many there'll be in the end.
-Nothing but patches!

Onwards!

Day 62: Otti's chain rips.

That sucks, man. Sucks ass.
I never changed a chain before.

It's really the first time.
I've only watched a tutorial on YouTube...

Shit. Hold that.

It's 1 p.m. and we made... 4 km (2.5 mi).

Day 67: Another flat for Otti.
These tires are supposedly flat-free.

But they're pretty worn-out
from the heavy usage.

The less tread there is
the easier it gets punctured

by whatever's on the road. In Turkey,
there's so much glass on the roads.

Found a diamond!

Now you drop it there,
then ride right over it.

Day 72: It's finally Keule's turn.
Twice in a row.

The guys cycle to the Black Sea coast.
There's some bigger cities and bike shops.

There, they hope to find some spares.

This sucks, no doubt.
28 inch is not exactly popular here.

These are the only ones we found.
Thy seem a little suspicious...

Like they aren't too sturdy.
We think about getting one anyway.

As a spare. Just in case anything breaks.

Spare parts
might be hard to come by in Iran.

I'll bring new tires and other parts
when [ meet the guys in three months.

It's still unclear where that will be.
They still have no visas for China,

but also Turkmenistan.
They want to get them in Tehran.

So they have to leave the coast again.

That means we gotta go into
the mountains next - towards Iran.

And that includes a mountain pass
at about 2,500 m (8,200 ft).

Starting from zero...

-That'll be fun!
-Uh-huh...

Let's go into the mountains!

-Up the road here...
-Yeah, up there is the only hotel.

Speaking from experience, it's booked out,
we gotta go back and find a hotel up there.

The hotel we just went to
is a student dorm now.

So we gotta go up that hill now...

Let's go! Go!

Turn right into [road name].

And we were cracking jokes earlier...
The building still said "Hotel", but now

it's the girl's dorm of the university.

And they didn't wanna let us in.

We came up the winding road from
down there, went over there,

back there and up here.

Cool shit.

That makes all the efforts worth it.

-Nope!
-Nah, not really.

Well! It's twelve o'clock. Too late again.
And now we'll head up to the mountain pass.

I don't wanna go!

No way! But hey,
it's just 1,500 m (5,000 ft).

Gotta climb 1,500 m (5,000 ft) in altitude,
uphill for 25 km (15 mi), pals!

I don't wanna...

Uaaarrghh...

I hate cycling so much, dude...

It's... tough...

Crawling up here with walking pace...

1,000 m (3,300 ft) to go.

Have you ever been
that far up in your life?

A thousand times.

I think I've never been
at 2,500 m (8,000 ft) before.

-You still aren't.
-Yeah...

Shit...

The air is getting thinner.
We're above the tree line.

Just a couple more hundred meters...
in altitude.

Shit...

Almost there.

Yo, yo. So, almost 2,500 m (8,000 ft)...

After that we descended to 1,700 m
(5,600 ft). That was more pleasant.

Descents are always better.

Through the East Anatolian High Plains
they head towards Iran.

A country that doesn't exactly have
a splendid reputation in western media.

Right behind the border
they are greeted by donkeys...

...and camels...

...and truck drivers.

Greeting is a popular thing to do here.

And Otti greets the tarmac.

-Dude, ouch!
-Show me!

It's these damn grooves on the
side of the road. I ran right into one.

Could've broken my bones
- you wouldn't have noticed.

You'd have arrived in Qazvin
and I'd be over there...

Well, if you'd lying there,
I would've noticed.

I was lying there!

Otti has already been to Iran once,
two years prior - by plane.

For Keule, everything's totally new.

Keule, what strikes you about Iran?

The same thing that strikes every visitor.

That people are extremely hospitable
and overall friendly.

-China, then to Vietnam.
—Vietnam?

So the openness of the people,
and the hospitality.

We've been invited several times.

Lunch, lodging, tea.

They just give you fruits everywhere.

Yesterday, we got two pomegranates.

-Too bad I dropped mine.
- I forgot mine at the hotel.

And while still eating their fruit
in the parking lot, they get invited again.

Dude, you just sit in a parking lot
and a guy shows up with soup

and just gives them to you.
That's off the hook!

Thank you, thank you!

He just made it clear that we're not
allowed to pay under any circumstances.

-Or we'll get in trouble.
-We will.

-Are you nuts!?
-Who's supposed to eat all this?

One could easily take advantage
of this generosity. But cautiousness

is appropriate since it's a cultural form
of civility called Taarof.

Tell me about Taarof!

Taarof, let's see...

If you get offered something,
or make an offer yourself,

it's expected that the offer
is declined first.

Usually one, two, three times.

Otti said that, sometimes,
it's like that even in the shops.

You buy something and they say,
"Nah, we're good. Be my guest!"

But, of course, you have to say, "Okay,
thanks - but of course I'm paying you."

But he simply did not want our money.
And we asked him, like, five times.

The guys reach Tehran, Iran's capital.

Here, they'll try to handle
the remaining visas.

Over 8.5 million people live here.
Including the suburbs, it's 15 million.

They find accommodation in a hostel
- in a yurt in the inner yard.

Like real nomads,
we have electricity in our yurt.

-And WiFi!
-And air condition...

What they don't have is alcohol.
It's illegal in Iran.

This beer is non-alcoholic.

Really good!

They meet David - a German-speaking
Belgian.

He's been traveling in Iran for two months.

I'm always happy to meet Germans
so I can speak German for a bit.

Or talk about German or Belgian topics.

Otti and Keule's main topic are
all the appointments at the embassies.

For China, they need a three-month-visa.

Usually, that requires a detailed itinerary
with flight tickets and hotel bookings.

Tricky if you're cycling and never know
where you'll be at the end of the day.

But the Chinese embassy tells them

that they only need a consular confirmation
from the German embassy.

Then, it's supposedly super easy.

Turkmenistan is a bit more complicated.

We went to apply for visas, and there's
a hole in the wall with a step in front.

You put your head through
So you can understand the nice gentleman.

You write a letter by hand to the--

To the president, to ask for
audience in his nice country.

Sweet...

That's dope! A handwritten letter...

Does he read them all?

-Well, if I was president, I'd do that.
-Sure, so much fan mail!

Read them all.

Answer them all...

But actually getting a visa
seems to be a matter of luck.

We heard from other people
that they were just denied without reason.

Or they applied for visas
three or four times

and just didn't get them.

In the end, it's just a transit visa
which is valid for exactly five days.

Processing time: up to ten days.

We'll be here in Tehran for at least
one more week, waiting for our visas.

But for now, we'll go see the city.

They join a sightseeing tour
- with other people from the hostel.

This one in yoghurt. It's mint!
Crush it and put it in yoghurt...

They're being guided by Kuya.

Brains and tongues.

-You cannot take any video inside.
—Okay, sure.

They visit places like
the former US embassy,

the site of the famous hostage situation
after the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

And a museum dedicated to
the war with Iraq in the 1980s.

Here, even the trash cans
have an ideological role to play.

So, here, behind me, you can see
these cars, these exploded cars.

They belonged to
Iranian nuclear scientists.

They were assassinated by Mossad.

Martyrs, they consider people who die
in the way for... in the way of God.

[impossible to translate]

[But it's a really clever joke, trust me.]

Finally, they visit the Roof of Tehran -

a lookout point in the mountains
north of the city.

Bungee Jumping Tower!

If you are willing to jump!

You go first!

There's much to see in Tehran. But mainly,
Otti and Keule are here to get visas.

If that doesn't work out, they have to
rethink their route to Saigon:

via Kazakhstan or India.

But nothing happens. Especially the Turkmen
embassy takes its sweet time.

We were supposed to go to the embassy
yesterday and ask about our visas.

How far they are in the process.
Just to inquire once more.

So we went back there yesterday.
And there was a sign,

"Hello! We're closed until next Monday."
Almost a week.

-Just like that. Out of nowhere.
-Because reasons.

Turkmenistan is really eager to
welcome foreign travelers.

Yeah. They got the hots for us.

That process has been
dragging on for two weeks now.

We're sitting in the hostel,
doing nothing. And every day we wait

for those two to leave, but they just stay.

You always have to get up late here.
Have breakfast and then do nothing.

Then go to an embassy.
Turn in a paper or pick one up.

Sometimes, the embassy is closed.
Really depends...

These spinning tops are a lot like our
days here. It all goes round in circles.

After almost three weeks in Tehran, the
Turkmen embassy finally makes a decision.

We got our visas!

Well, not yet.

Yeah - but they confirmed it.

We can pick them up tomorrow.
Same with the Chinese visas.

All those other options we considered...

What'll we do if we don't get those visas?
- That's all done now.

They can stick to their original plan.

According to their visas, they have to
enter Turkmenistan in 12 days

and leave after 5 days.

Meaning they have 17 days to conquer
1,500 km (900 mi).

Mostly through the desert.

What if one of you gets sick
and has to stay in bed for three days?

It's a tight frame.

Then we gotta write
another letter to the president.

Do the bunny hop!

I liked the stay in this hostel.
We had a really good time here.

Even if it was three weeks, and our break
was a lot longer than planned.

We'd love to stay here a little longer.
But tomorrow, we definitely have to go.

Definitely. Still a long way to go.

A long way to go through the desert
- about 1,500 km (900 mi).

Lovely weather today! Yeah!

The scenery is very lovely, too.
So diverse.

This brainless pedaling through the desert
is just so goddamn pointless...

Actually going somewhere
is the worst part of traveling,

but we turned it into our main task.

-Yeah, pretty dumb.
-Pretty dumb, indeed.

So you see: We have a lotta fun...
Highly motivated...

Oh well, that would have been too easy.

No more tread. Waldemar,
hurry up, for real!

I'll be visiting the guys in Kyrgyzstan,

with new tires,
and Otti's girlfriend Luisa.

But that's still four weeks and
2,000 km (1,200 mi) away.

Until then, Otti and Keule
are on their own.

The Kavir Desert is full
of old caravanserai.

Ruins from the ancient times
of the Silk Road.

But real towns or accommodations are rare.

And so the guys lodge at a truck stop
- in the prayer room.

Get up, bitch!

And to avoid having to sleep
in the desert the following night,

they try to set a new daily record.

Well, my friend! 92 km (57 mi)!
Not even half...

Shit...

The sun is gone.

But we still have 40 km (25 mi) to go.

We pulled the longest stage ever!

Well, the longest stage of my life
and also Matthias' life.

We did, lo and behold, 213 km (132 mi)
today.

That's exactly how I feel now...

213 km (132 mi), dude! Come on! Yeah!

The Turkmen border.

Despite all the positive memories
the guys made in Iran

- one thing was clearly missing there.

Don't give a fuck.

I'm losing my shit, dude!

After six weeks - the first real beer
that doesn't taste like some malty fake!

Hey, turn off the camera.
We don't wanna tape illegal activities.

In Turkmenistan, smoking in public
is prohibited. Alcohol is not.

The no-smoking-policy was started
by former president Saparmurat Niyazov,

after he got seriously ill
from smoking too much.

He also renamed the days and the months,

after, for instance, his mother,
and a book he wrote.

The current president Gurbanguly
Berdimuhamedow reinstated the old names.

But he made importing black cars illegal,
'cause he doesn't like the color, allegedly

Very weird vibes here...
And all those pompous buildings.

-No idea if they're actually in use.
-No idea.

It's weird here.
You hardly see any people in the streets.

These aren't small towns either.
But nobody's out.

Sometimes, you meet a camel
that's walking down the road.

They stroll around and enjoy themselves.
Don't care about you.

What's that? "Welcome to Turkmenistan"?
Did we go in a circle?

-Looks like some post-apocalyptic movie.
-So boring here.

Imagine being on duty around here.

Like the cops. There's guys posted,
right in the middle of the desert!

There's nothing there!
Except that one police officer.

-No car, no nothing and you think...
-Checking the trucks.

...what if they forget to pick him up
in the evening? What then?

After only five days, they have to
leave Turkmenistan again.

We should turn off the camera now.

Or the president will come running
and punch us in the face.

The border guard asked
if we had any drugs, weapons or porn.

We said no - truthfully.

Now they probably think we're total losers.

Otti and Keule cycle to Bukhara
- a city with 2,500 years of history.

After several weeks in the desert,

they finally take a day off
and stroll through town.

And compared to Turkmenistan,
there's a lot more life on the streets.

-The kids are brawling...
-Martial arts!

That's the Uzbek wrestling league.

They try the current line of
local dumplings.

There are several Russian
and Central Asian varieties:

Chebureki, fried.

Samsas or Samosas, fried.

Pelmeni, boiled.

Manti, steamed.

It's stuffed dumpling day! Delicious!

Rich wintery food.

The year is coming to an end.

There's already signs in town
that wish a Happy New Year in Russian.

Will be cold today.
Might rain, or even snow.

Who would've thought? Uzbekistan - close
to Russia - during winter. Might get cold.

-Big surprise!
-Yeah, very clever.

The first snow.

When starting in August, cycling breaks
were necessary to avoid a heat stroke.

Now - in December - they guys
take breaks to not freeze to the core.

This vodka was a gift from
the neighbouring table.

They reach Samarkand.
It's 24th December 2018 - Christmas Eve.

I think it's pretty. What do you think?

We have no candles,
So we have to improvise.

It's olive oil.
We're building a little oil lamp.

They want to leave on Boxing Day
(Dec 26th). But something's missing.

I just noticed that my spare tire
was stolen.

At least not the bikes...

He's looking right at it!

Do I? Don't I? Anybody watching?

Is there a camera?

Jeez, what a cunt!

Oh well, Christmas is coming up
and I still need a gift.

That dirty dog!

-How about that one?
-Good quality, no counterfeit.

Last minute shopping!

But no need to get riled up: they get a
delivery of new tires a few days later.

Luisa and I arrive in Kyrgyzstan.

We're getting company! It's 6 a.m.

There's the luggage...

There they are!

-Hey, giga monk!
-Morning!

-You bastards. It's so early...
-You want a coffee?

Nah, we just drink beer and cigarettes.

We'll be keeping them company
for about a week.

-Whatisit?
-You sleep like a stork...

Osh - Kyrgyzstan's second biggest city.
Here we celebrate New Year's Eve.

Since we can't celebrate together...
only ten more minutes for us.

We're here on Lenin Street.
The street with the biggest crowd.

With the most Lenins.

Uh-oh, careful!

Oops! Happy New Year!

Lenin shows us the way home.
"Your hotel is over there."

Thank you, Lenin.

Kyrgyzstan used to be part
of the Soviet Union.

There, the gifts weren't given
on Christmas Eve but on New Year's.

Alright, boys... Merry Christmas!
Tires for Tobias.

-And tires for Matthias.
-Look how happy he is.

That's enough til Vietnam.

For Otti: a few tubes with
French valves that fit his rims.

And spare parts for both, so they can
fix their bikes before the coming winter.

New break pads, chains,
sprockets and cranks.

And, finally, the new tires.

Before and after...

-One hell of a difference.
-Yeah.

I see two patches right there.

...five, six, seven...

Seven.

That one has seen quite a bit.

Otti and Keule have two weeks left
to enter China.

But they don't seem too thrilled
about heading out again.

Too cold for this shit...

We're only about 250 km (155 mi)
away from China.

But there are still a couple
of mountains on the way.

The border crossing is at an elevation
of about 3,000 m (10,000 ft).

And before that, we got two passes
at 3,600 and 3,700 m (12,000 ft).

And 2,400 m (7,900 ft).

The highest mountains,
combined with the lowest temperatures...

-What temperatures?
-In Erkeshtam, right at the border,

it's between -20°C and -10°C
(-4 to 14°F) at the moment.

Additional winter clothing is
best bought at the local bazaar:

warmer jackets, long underwear,
socks, gloves...

Camel hair kidney warmer?

They also had dog hair, but we chose camel.

We should be well equipped now.

Before you go into these mountains...

No kidding!

There's the road.

Dumplings once more today.

Because tonight Luisa and I
will fly back home.

I'll meet the guys again
in South East Asia.

But before that, they have to muddle
through many cold kilometers (miles).

The tires sound so new.

It's so cold here...

I gotta push for my bike a bit...
Because my toes have frozen numb.

So I'm walking to get
the blood circulating.

Matthias has disappeared.
I dunno where... Somewhere behind me.

About six or seven kms (4 mi) ago...

There was a sharp pain in my knee.

It's pissing me off!

And this fucking mountain just won't end...

Hello?

Is this the guesthouse?

Yes, it's the guesthouse.

Come in.

That's ice...

There's no way we could
have gone any longer today.

It's simply too cold.
We need to think of a solution.

It's deep winter.

We're at 1,600 m (5,200 ft), and the next
pass is another 2,000 m (6,500 ft) higher.

And my knee didn't get any better either.

All things considered, it would be
hella stupid to cycle up there.

Tobias would rather do it.
But that's okay - go ahead.

I'm in a good shape. I have to say -
I feel fine.

But it the end,
this tour's made up of both of us...

We're a team. And one busted knee
is as bad as four busted knees.

They decide to not cycle across
the coming mountain pass.

These last couple of days...
a really bad patch for me.

-Fiercely cold!
-Winter blues, it's all gray and wet.

You really start to doubt the whole thing.

-True.
-And, yeah... Why am I doing all this crap?

Why am I killing myself on some
fucking mountain in Kyrgyzstan?

But, well... We chose this.
We knew that winter would be tough.

Let's go!

Taldyk Pass - more than
3,600 m (12,000 ft) in altitude.

Outside temperature: -20°C (-4°F).

-Tourist!
-Are you crazy, dude?

Brother is tired, tired!

Holy shit, somebody's tough as nails, man.
Fuck!

Tremendous respect to whomever does that.
Or survives that.

But the three people in the world
who cycled this thing during winter...

-They can go ahead and call us pussies.
-Uhm, yeah.

We'll have to live with that.

That must be the Pamir Mountains
back there. With Lenin Peak...

Something mental is there
for sure - holy mother...

The taxi takes them to Sary-Tash,
70 km (43 mi) shy from the Chinese border.

-That's crazy...
-Alright, guys.

We're wondering where the hell
we ended up here.

And why.

But the view out there is spectacular.

Yeah. You can even enjoy it for
five minutes, because it's so cold.

Now I understand why...

Why people were asking
if we're totally crazy.

Cycling here in the winter.
I get it. I totally get it now.

Fuckin'A...

Who would've thought
just a few months ago...

When you plan this, you just shrug it off.

Yeah, of course there's winter. But we'll
see about that. It'll all work out.

-Suddenly, you're here, facing the facts.
-Nighttime temperature is -20°C (-4°F).

Meaning it's 60°C (108°F) colder
than when we started.

One week they wait in Sary-Tash

because the road to China is snowed in
and needs to be plowed.

Again there's no cycling
on this part of the route.

Border, China? Can you tell him?

-Bye, bye.
-Goodbye.

The border to China - more precisely: the
province of Xinjiang. Home of the Uyghurs.

This area is known for massive repressions

by the Chinese government
against the Muslim minority.

20 passport checks. We had to put
our bags through a scanner twice.

We had to completely unpack
the first time around.

All their video footage is being checked,
too. All the hard drives, memory cards,

cameras, phones - to see if there's
any footage from within China.

Additionally, Otti and Keule have to
install a surveillance app on their phones.

Then, we were compelled to take a taxi
from the border station to here.

That was about 140 km (about 90 mi).

No cycling allowed on that road. Only in
Ulugqat do they get their passports back.

With the official stamp
- after another thorough checking.

But at least we made it to China.
Now it's time to make some progress

on our bikes.

It's still below zero (30°F) - but it's not
as cold as in the Kyrgyz mountains.

Intended cycling distance for today: 80 km
(50 mi) towards the Taklamakan Desert.

All the way to Kashgar.

It was around -8°C (17°F) during the day.
But the cold wasn't even the bad part.

After 10 km (6 mi) came the first
checkpoint. Open the bags, look inside...

Completely empty them!

We took everything out, they took pictures.

Checked the phones, the camcorder...
And they said, with emphasis,

"You didn't take any pictures
here in China, did you?"

So... you can forget about filming here,
or taking photos.

At least in this province.
But that was just the first stop.

-After 20 km (12 mi)...
-We got stopped by motorbike cops.

Checked the phones again,
and the pictures on those.

Shortly after: next checkpoint. Into
the station, get our passports checked...

Then we went on again.

Then the next checkpoint wanted to stop us.
But they let us go.

Maybe they heard that we had
just been checked five minutes ago.

So we went for another 500 m (0.3 mi)
- and got stopped again.

Two cops told us to load our bikes
on a truck,

and they would take us to Kashgar.

Once again, they aren't allowed
to go by themselves.

Outside of Kashgar, they're dropped off

and thoroughly checked.

So, within 50 km (30 mi),
we've been stopped and checked six times.

Down there in the hotel lobby, there's
cops with helmets, riot gear, body armor...

Armed with sticks and all that crap.

Every hotel, every shop, every market...
Fully equipped.

-It sucks balls!
-You feel like a felon here, honestly.

And we're just, well, tourists.
I'm not doing any harm over here.

Supposedly, you're allowed to film outside.
If no police or military is in the frame.

Problem is: they're everywhere!

Best case: one has to delete the footage
upon the next inspection.

Worst case:
one can get arrested for espionage.

You just filmed the police station
back there.

That'll be trouble... Oops.

Once again, they're forced to compromise
on their ambition

to go the whole way by bicycle.

The price will be 3500 (Yuan).

If you buy the day after tomorrow
the ticket will be 3.800 (Yuan).

-Okay.
-So tomorrow. Works for me.

This is not about shortening the route.
It's about using our time sensibly.

By cycling somewhere else.

That's always been the goal:
To cycle, go for many, many kilometers and

and at some point, arrive in Saigon.

And that has totally fallen from our view
in the last weeks.

That's why something has gotta change.

That's what's left of my luggage.
The rest is in the mail.

The Tian Shan mountains, and below:
the Taklamakan desert.

Otti and Keule will not cross it by bike.

They relocate their route further east,
hoping for better weather

and less problems with the police.

They land in Xi'an.

Until the bikes and the rest
of their equipment arrives by mail,

they take some time to explore the city.

Xi'an is the eastern endpoint
of the ancient Silk Road.

Today it's mostly famous for
the Terracotta Army.

Roughly 8,000 warriors made from clay
- burial objects for China's first emperor.

For over 1,000 years Xi'an had been
the capital of the Chinese Empire.

From here, Otti and Keule
want to get a fresh start.

They want to go south
- into the province of Sichuan.

It's said to have the most cliched
postcard version of China:

Green, foggy mountains with pagodas,
huge Buddha statues, and pandas.

It's supposed to be warmer there, too.

Things are gonna get easier now.
A bit more bicycle-friendly.

Now we can finally do what we set out
to do in the first place.

Just cycling.

Looking forward to it.
Really looking forward to it!

Well, until the bikes arrive, we put 'em
back together and I gotta cycle again...

But hey - fuck it, man!

After two weeks, a few packages
arrive at the hostel.

2,500 km (1,500 mi) to Vietnam
- to the border. Almost there.

Let's go!

We were heading towards the mountains.
It was pretty warm. The sun was shining.

- It felt really good to ride again.
-It was fun!

We were fully motivated again.
Until the police stopped us.

We're supposed to follow them
to the station.

Really missed those sirens!

We managed to cycle for exactly
200 km (125 mi).

Then, once again,
we got stopped by the police.

They said the whole area is closed
for foreigners.

You must go back to wherever you came from.

The only other road to Sichuan
is still destroyed

from an earthquake a few years ago.

Which means: back to Xi'an.

So we basically went 400 km (250 mi)
for nothing - to get nowhere.

400 km (250 mi) for naught...

Today we're gonna head out again,
try a completely new route.

We won't go to Sichuan, but further east

and then south, through Hubei Province.

So no temple mounts, no pandas.
And it won't be warm either.

Man, China is so goddamn frustrating...

-A Fresh Start Part II.
-Let's go!

Of course there's headwind today.

It really doesn't get boring in China.
There's something new every day.

Headwind.

Sleet.

Police.

Lovely!

I have no clue what happened.

-I just heard a crackle.
-Yeah, me too. But the spokes didn't break.

-Oh, shit!
-That's a broken axle.

Why can't it just go smoothly...

for the next 2,000 km (1,200 mi) or so?

Well, this is the fragrant difference.
This kind of difference doesn't come.

Now I can only...

The app has translated it wrong.
I can't understand it.

We went to the bike shop yesterday.
Now we have to wait for 3-4 days.

For a new wheel hub.
And then we continue!

Don't jinx it. Four days max and then:

-"Oooh, we have trouble with shipping."
-Or it works for one day.

And then something explodes
and it starts snowing again.

It'll be snowing in Vietnam when we're
there. For the first time in 400 years.

Dengzhou is considered a small town
by Chinese standards.

Only 1.5 million residents.

While the guys are stuck here, they
make some new friends in the bike shop.

Here's our update.

The guys' names are Ivan and Xiao Bo.

Hello! My name is Li Xiao Bo.

Of course they don't speak English,
and we don't speak Chinese.

But Google speaks every language.

We get along great, that's awesome.

Looks like we'll be cycling together
for the next 40,000 km (25,000 mi).

After four days, Otti's bike is fixed,
and they can start cycling south together.

Ivan and Xiao are headed the same way.

They're on spring break
- as far as the guys understood.

When not using an app to translate,
they communicate with signs and gestures.

And that works best when everybody
just uses their mother tongue.

Shall I help you?

Noo!

As a group of four, they travel
in the Jianghan Plane, along Yangtze River.

It's a region dominated by farming
and industry,

and the landscape isn't exactly
printed on postcards.

But having pleasant company
really lifts the mood.

You get some variety.
There's a whole new momentum.

The guys look for accommodation on the way.

They take care of a lot of things.
We also like to cook together.

Good thing to do for motivation!

And sometimes, they even do it
for a live-stream audience.

Very good!

Thank you. I know!

Bottoms up!

And we help them by cycling ahead,
keeping them motivated

and not taking too many breaks.

It's 9 a.m. and I'm ready to go.

None of the other dimwits even got up yet.

It's always too late when we leave.
12 p.m. every day. That's so annoying.

I can deal with just Otti. You get
used to it, somehow. But now we're four.

That's all so... duuuh!

Dudemeisters!

Dude! I've been sitting and
waiting here since 9 a.m.

Your own fault!

Three of those dickweeds
who can't get a move on in the morning...

I just follow the others.

Follow me, you shitbag!

Traveling as a group of four
means more compromises.

Their Chinese visas are still valid
for another five weeks.

More than enough time to reach
the Vietnamese border.

If nothing interferes
- as it often did on this tour.

Sorry, I don't understand you.

Otti has a cold. And yet
they try to keep going.

It's not great, but we have to
go on somehow. No way around it.

I know it's dumb to not fully cure
myself first. Could be dangerous, but...

It'll be fine, right?

I suspect I have laryngitis.

Congratulations!

I read about it and the symptoms fit.

Sure it's not cancer?

...pisses me off!

We've talked about the route.

You two keep going, and we'll meet up
with you in Nanning or something.

Or Guiilin.

Yeah, exactly.

Everything sucks. As always.

-Tiger Balm?
-Just a little...

I think that stuff can kill you.

Whew, lad.

We've been here for a week...

It's clearly better.

After a few days, they catch up to
Ivan and Xiao Bo.

Together they cycle to Shaoshan,

Mao Zedong's birth place.

There's a lot of fan shops here.
Lots of attractions.

The Mao Museum, the Mao Poetry Forest
is somewhere close, too.

-Mao Square.
-Mao Street.

Xiao Bo and Ivan want to stay
a little longer and have a look around.

This is where they split up
- Otti and Keule need to keep going.

Xiao Bo, it was nice riding with you guys.

Their visas will expire soon.

Without their Chinese buddies, the guys
have a harder time finding accommodation

because not all hotels in China
are allowed to accept foreigners.

-At least we got a place, huh?
-Yep!

Getting food is turning
into a thing of chance, too

because they can't read Chinese..

That's some pretty good ribs.

And some pretty good whatever-that-is...

But even without Xiao Bo's video streams

they manage to stay present
in the locals' social media.

-Thank you!
-You're welcome!

It's like this all day.

If we got paid per selfie,

that would make a lot of breakfast.

Stressful...

-Well, Matthias, it's your turn now.
-Yeah.

Spring is coming - with all that entails.

It's 32°C (90°F)!

That's pleasant!

The days are getting longer,
and snow turns into rain.

Does your chain also look this nice?

Looks like shit.

We really need to take
a whole day off for maintenance.

To get rid of all the dirt,
tighten all the screws.

I should change my brake pads.

Those pads are still there from day 1.

By now, they've done their job
for a tremendous amound of kilometers.

-We did not manipulate the bike computer!
-Yes, we did.

Yeah, by cycling.

-Gonna have a mileage-celebrating beer!
-Yeah, definitely!

Annoying shit.

Squeal!

Smells like shit here. Great.

A 10,000 km (6,200 mi) beer!

Athletic!

In Nanning their bicycles
finally get the care they deserve.

Bikes are clean. Mine even got new shoes...

Meaning new break pads. On the left are
the old ones - after 10,000 km (6,000 mi).

On the right: the new ones.
Should be good enough to reach Saigon.

Just a few hundred kilometers to go
to the Vietnamese border.

Gonna be sweet. I'm excited!

I hope to find a pair of sun glasses today.
This is getting annoying.

Fucking sun - way too warm!

-Remember, back in winter? That was nice!
-It was...

-Nice and cool.
-It went dark at 4 p.m., you know?

Didn't have some stupid light
right in the fucking face all the time.

-Cool climate. Didn't sweat so much.
-Correct!

Didn't have to do laundry
three times a day.

One week in Sary-Tash, in our little room.
Didn't even need to shower.

We had no shower.

-Eight months on the road today.
-Really?

Anyway, it'll be our last stage in China
today.

Hopefully!

China really was
the hardest country for us.

Not the cycling part, but the...

-The circumstances.
-That lack of freedom.

So much has happened here.

So yeah, we're really excited!
That this huge chapter...

We've been traveling for eight months now,
and a third of that time we spent in China.

It's enough!

I love you!

Otti, look!

China...

Vietnam!

The final chapter of their tour begins.

Before they do a lap through
Laos, Thailand, Cambodia

and finish the tour in Saigon,

they ferry over to Cat Ba island
in the Ha Long Bay.

For a week they want to put their feet up.
No visas, breakdowns or sicknesses.

No forced break, just a short vacation.

Why does stupid shit like this
only happen to me?

This sucks!

What exactly?

We went to visit this cannon fort.

It's a scenic viewpoint here on the island.

And on one of those stairs,
I twisted my ankle. Badly.

A nice outward turn.

And now it's swollen...

That's a nice chunk, dude!

Disgusting!

When people twist their ankle
and hear a rip or a crackle...

That usually means your ligament is fucked.

-Don't you dare!
-The outer ligament, dude. That sucks, man.

It'd really suck ass if it it's that.

Because then, you can forget about cycling.

-Well, I can, anyway.
-I'll knock you out, guy!

Wouldn't hurt to see a doctor.

And that's what I'm doing to do.
With a motorbike, because...

Well, walking's not on the menu.

On a rented moped, Otti goes to
the only hospital on the island.

There was a doc.
He took a quick look and said,

"Put some ice on it,
put it up and don't move around.”

I don't believe it'll be enough.
But I have no choice.

He just sent me away like this.

Despite cooling and resting,

Otti still can't use his foot properly
after a few days.

Cycling is not an option right now.
And Saigon is so close already.

The guys have to think up a solution.

Might not look like it, but we're fucked.

Aren't we?

If you gotta complain on a beach like this,
then shit really hit the fan.

Their plan B:
Go the rest of the way on mopeds.

Called Waldemar yesterday.

He said that if we use mopeds now,
we would've used

every possible mode of transport,
contrary to our original plan.

And no bicycle.

Well, ok - we did use the bicycles.

Sometimes between the other things.

Cycling remains their plan A.

Otti gets some medical advice
from a friend in Germany.

Thank god for WhatsApp video calls.

She gave me some valuable tips
on how to proceed.

Of course, she can't say
if a ligament is sprained or ruptured.

Either way, the treatment
is about the same.

They had planned to put their feet up
for a week.

Instead, Otti has to keep them still
for 4-6 weeks.

That one foot, at least.

Only because he's too dumb to walk!

I'm a walking disaster area.

Gotta be honest here.
All the shit comes flying to me:

My bikes break, I get sick...

His bikes, plural...!

Nobody knows if Otti will be
able to cycle in 4 to 6 weeks.

He does his prescribed exercises
and hopes for the best.

Not sure if I'm doing this right, but...

I do notice some foot muscles.

Well trained from using Persian toilets.

After a one-month forced hiatus on Cat Ba,
they catch a ferry back to the mainland

to try out if cycling is possible again.

The moment of truth... Moments of truth!

A Fresh Start Part... no ideal

I stopped counting.

At least Part VII!

And so we started slowly just to see:

How much can I strain that foot?

Easy, slowly, with many breaks.

They also decide to change
their route again:

Instead of visiting Laos, Thailand
and Cambodia, they will stay in Vietnam.

Just in case Otti's foot gives out.

About 45 km (28 mi) today.

Tomorrow we'll crank it up a bit.

60, 70 km (~40 mi)

And soon Waldemar comes to visit.

He's coming in two weeks.
we'll meet him in Central Vietnam.

If my foot holds up.

It does indeed hold up.

That crippled foot does a bang-up job!

I'm on fire! 24 km/h (15 mp/h)
with headwinds.

I don't even cycle that fast
with a healthy foot!

I mostly feel it in my thighs.
Because we haven't cycled for so long.

Another factor is the heat.

-Bike computer displays 44°C (111°F).
-44 already?

-Heelloo!
-Hello!

Huh?

What?

I'm sorry!!

She asked if you wanna get your ass kicked.

Yeah, I get that.

Here in Vietnam, greeting becomes
a major part of their days again.

And finally they can ease up a little.

Can't reach so far...

You gotta film me opening it
in slow motion.

Wait, let me find the slo-mo mode first!

It's that kind of country where you
can take a three hour lunch break.

You can slack off without end,
it's awesome!

Just hang around, it's so pleasant.

The fan buzzing behind you.

Swirling that hot air around.

It's nice!

After all the bitching we did in China...

...it's okay for a change.

We could complain about the heat.

What else could we complain about?

The heat...

About people being so friendly
that you have to greet them all the time.

My arm hurts from all the helloing!

It's like Iran. Awful!

It's so bad!

Everybody greets you.
Everybody is nice to you.

I can't deal with that shit.

The worst part is you don't actually
have a reason to complain at all.

Yeah, that sucks hard!

Man, man, man...

To the suffering!

Soon, I'll be visiting the guys,

so we can do the final stretch
of their tour together.

Before that,
they have to clear one last obstacle.

In the middle of Vietnam, north of Da Nang,
there's this mountain crest.

It goes all the way to the sea.

It's called Ocean Cloud Pass.
Because it's so high.

At 400 m (1,300 ft) or something.
So, it's nothing we haven't done before.

But that's also the last mountain pass -
if you want to call it that -

on the whole tour.

It was already 40°C (104°F) earlier.
Not a single cloud to be seen today.

We still have to climb that mountain.

Urgh, I don't want anymore.

The pass is up there.

Just a few thousand kilometers more.
A few hundred liters of water.

Not even 1,000 km (600 mi)
left until Saigon.

Triple digits.

First thought is,
"Pretty good! No more cycling!"

But you still have 1,000 km (600 mi)
to go.

Yeah, but 1,000 km - that's nothing.
You don't even think about it.

But you don't necessarily think
about the nearing end of the tour.

If you follow that train of thought
it's getting kinda weird again.

You've been doing this
for ten months. It's natural to you.

You go out in the morning,
pack your bike and head out on the road.

You got a system for all kinds of things.
It's become second nature.

But once you're in Saigon, you won't
have to do any of it anymore.

And you think: huh, that's weird...

It's nice here!

The clouds are coming over the mountain.
Up from the other side.

Back there the sun goes down.

Down there is Da Nang.

With Waldemar in it.

Yeah, I'm back.

I landed in Da Nang the day before.

While the guys struggled to climb
the Ocean Cloud Pass,

I got myself a used bicycle

to tag along for the last
1,000 km (600 mi) to Saigon.

I arrived here, and stepped out
of my hostel yesterday morning.

And I ran right into this wall of heat.
In Germany it's 7°C (45°F) at the moment.

What the hell am I doing to myself?

Cycling with these guys at 40°C (104°F)
and 200% humidity...

So you're not worried that I might
just crash and slow you down...

-You can worry yourself.
-Nah, nonsense. You'll be fine!

But we soon realize that my new bike
might be a little too small.

How's it going on your frog-bike?

After only 20 km (12 mi)
I'm completely pooped.

On this bike there's just no tagging along.

Waldemar's old bike... Waldemar's new bike.

I had that for one day now.
Cycled for a single day.

And sold it the next day
to get another one.

Bigger and better. So I won't
hold the guys back anymore.

What's up?

I got a flat in the front.

-Gimme the tube.
-Gimme the tire.

Is it losing air again?

I'd say it is.

Congrats! Two for one.

On the next day I get number three.

-Flat?
-Yeah. In the back now.

Me holding them back doesn't seem
to be a problem for Otti and Keule.

They simply use the opportunity
to prolong the beer breaks.

-Nose picking girl in the back.
-What the heck are you doing?

Just a few kilometers later,
they get another opportunity.

At least I don't hold them back
by being too slow.

I have less luggage and the heat
equalizes any advantage in training.

Just loaded up by bags...

Walked two steps, over there and back.

The air's pretty humid, too.

Sweat won't cool you down,
as it doesn't vaporize.

The weather we've had on this tour
has always been a bit extreme for cycling.

We started in record-breaking summer heat
at 40°C (104°F). Was dry, though.

Then it was moderate for a while.
Which was pretty nice.

Up until Turkmenistan.
Then came the winter.

And then we had a really short transition,
and now we're here, again at 40°C (104°F).

We still make good progress,
cycling up to 100 km (60 mi) per day.

With enough cooling breaks...

...smoking breaks...

...and lunch breaks.

But a full day off is necessary
nonetheless.

We go to the small town of Ca Na,
around 300 km (186 mi) short of Saigon.

Okra - is that a cactus or something?
I really don't know that stuff.

I don't know how it grows. I only know
that it tastes great when grilled.

How long did carry along the wok
before you used it for the first time?

I've been carrying it since day one, used
it on Cat Ba Island for the first time.

We thought we'd be cooking outdoors
more often.

But at some point, it just wasn't
necessary anymore,

because the locals could do it
much better and cheaper.

The two of them have been on the road
together for nearly ten months.

There's only four days left until Saigon.

-Are you looking forward to the end?
-It's still weird.

For ten months now...

...you've been cycling.
And you really become an expert at that.

Meaning, you learn to evaluate
all kinds of stuff.

You know: How far can I go
in any particular weather?

What exactly do I have to put on?

How should I behave
in what kind of traffic?

You can even hear if trucks or busses
get too close, and you know:

How do I avoid them?
Into the ditch - yes or no?

All kinds of stuff...

You learn how to communicate
with as few words as possible,

or even hand signs.

And now you arrive in Saigon
and the whole tour is over.

And you don't need any of those
skills anymore. Really none of them.

Unless you start another tour.

But all the stuff you learned during
the last ten months,

all the skills you honed...

You don't need that anymore.
And that feels weird.

It's day 304.

It's not far.

Otti and Keule chose the historic Main
Postal Office as their final destination.

Right in Saigon's center.

On 31st May 2019, after exactly 10 months,

the end.

Now you can finally remove that ugly flag.

Total kilometers?

Thirteen thousand and seven.
(8,082.2 mi)

How many countries did we visit?

47,487

You're such a fucking liar!

11 or 12. I didn't count.

Must be more.

Wait... Germany, Czech Republic,
Austria, Slovakia, Hungary...

What came after that?

Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey,
Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan...

Uzbekistan was number 12, I think.

Yeah, 15 countries then.

It's like the article
we talked about yesterday...

13,000 km (8,000 mi)!
Twelve and a half countries!

Bam, bam, bam! All those facts.

And we don't even know
how many countries we've been in...

We finally made it, but...
In your head, you're still...

In your head you pack your bike tomorrow
and just keep going.

We have to process all of this first.

What's your gut feeling now?
Will you ever ride a bike again?

Maybe when we're home,
to the bakery or something...

Did you find yourselves on your journey?

Yeah, I didn't even know where I was.
Turns out I was here the whole time.

Crazy.

You got another question for us?

One more asshole question:
Why did you even do this whole thing?

Pisses me off!

I hate cycling so much!

We don't wanna cycle again. Cycling sucks.

Of course cycling sucks.

But that doesn't mean we want to stop now.

You just wanna do something cool.