DAY 48 <-> DAY 46
Until the last Sun Trip 2024 adventurer arrives, we’ll be running a series of articles to give you news of the arrivals and talk about their return to normal life. Here’s the first article with news of Luciano Trumpler, Vincent Gallego, Richard Defay and Kilian Weigand.
Luciano Trumpler
Vincent Gallego
“Good post-SunTrip blues! A feeling of being out of place and, above all, a huge desire to set off again on a bike tour!
But the grandchildren will quickly fill the void left by this superb experience.”
Richard Defay
“It begins with the capitulation of the affaiblized body, which in a few days subdues the joyful spirit that believed itself to be King!!!Just after comes the intense disappointment of letting the buddies filer on the morning of May 8.! Promise… See you in Chambéry!
To accept this sorrow – necessity is law – and then, once alone, to organize the return trip. His and the bike’s.
The key slips, opens the door. Cruel mirror, I’ve gained ten years. The scales confirme, merciless, the verdict set in Morocco. I cry like a kid sitting in the shower tray.
Mostly sleep. Eat as soon as possible.
The reunion punctuates the first few days. A joyful one, to be sure. Family, allies, friends, all relieved; those with familiar places, objects operate on their side and reassure.
As for the game, I’m reminded of the fears I confessed before leaving, and many of them seem foreign to me. To have changed so quickly…
Tiredness. The scenery. The shelters. Distances. Contrasts. Showing, almost embarrassed, a few photos – the others – the ones we didn’t post during…! Some “to say” of course. Plenty to say. Not too difficile that.
But emotions. To capture them. Translating them. Sharing them is not so simple. The emotions of “being yourself”, of “being what you do”. Those of mornings. The landscapes that enter you. Those of the encounter, as much awaited as feared, with the roots of one’s desire to be on the road, yesterday, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow. Those provided by the slow, steady distance. Those of getting on a boat by bike…
How to say fidèlement some of these sensations? What can we say about days with no whys but many hows? Of those situations that require resourcefulness and lucidity? How does one express this fierté# that one hopes will be silent? Perhaps not right away. Let it come. Or not.
The first few nights after my return I’m still on the road, often in Morocco it seems. Then it gradually dissipates. Pity. Logical.
Now the recovered bike is dismantled. A few minor repairs and it’ll be dashing. In the meantime, our comrades are making progress, reaching Europe and then entering France.
May 23rd. Honoring the promise. Close the loop. Share the necessary or desired improvements to each other’s machines. Dream of Samarkand. Vincent is almost ready. Bertrand will negotiate. We’ll ask Luciano. Then say thank you. Many times. Goodbye too.
The next day, you’ll feel calm inside… With your soul at peace, it’s easy to get back to work. The hours fly by. In the evenings, my mind wanders and gambols to its heart’s content, enlarged by the experience gained. Sorting photos. Selecting a few for the kitchen “photo wall”… I already know that one of them is obvious!
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Florian, the inventor of this life-enlarging Sun Trip formula, to thank Youssef, whose action and courage impress me, and Paul for his generous availability”.
Kilian Weigand
“We had a great arrival back in Germany. We visited on of my sponsors Fahrwerker and talked about our experience with their brakes and got our hands on their brand new model 2024. From Saturday to Sunday we celebrated our arrival and my birthday. It was nice to finally see all my friends and family again. On Tuesday, I went back to work and sold and repaired bicycles (no Solarbikes 
). I already miss waking up in a different place every day and seeing new landscapes. At least the weather in Germany is better than during the SunTrip. Let’s see what the next adventure will be for me, but one thing is for sure: I want to go out into the wide world again and explore.”
