The guy on the saddle
My name is Maël Kervella. I'm 27 and French. I decided to go on a life adventure in 2023 : bike touring on my own through Europe for 6 months. In the following paragraphs, I describe some of my background and the reasons that lead me to this trip.
I would describe myself as a nerdy guy, a bit lazy and procrastinator, who realized life is too short to be wasted on a confortable and easy life. I'm a cybersecurity engineer and I finished my studies 4 years ago. I've worked and took days off to travel as most people do. Perfect, simple comfortable life. Until I decided this was not enough !
Travels are endless
I was lucky to have traveled a lot from a young age. As a kid, I spent many holidays traveling with my parents. Sometimes in France, sometimes abroad, the furthest being Thailand. When traveling, I really enjoy seeing new places.
I'm actually trying to visit as many countries and capital cities as possible. To me, this is kind a of game, a side quest where I need to check as many boxes as possible.
- Spain: check
- Germany: check
- London: check
- ...
But I know this is an endless quest : there will always be places to visit and cultures to meet.
Unfortunately time may be limited. I've recently started to realize that, in a few decades, travels may not be as easy and free as today. That's why there is no time to waste ! Let's jump into adventures !
Cycling as a mean of travel
I've never been a cyclist. I just bought a bike to go to work in 2020 after 15 years of not riding any bike. Soon I started to also use it on Sundays. At first it was hardly a few kilometers but I progressed quickly and I went for longer rides.
I started to get better equipment, a better bike and cycle more and more. My parents started bike touring and it inspired me to do the same. I first went on a 2-day trip, then 4 days. The bike touring mad idea was starting to grow.
In May 2022, I went on a 10-days ride with a friend. We went from Nantes to Orleans (Eurovelo 6) and it changed everything. I realized how fantastic traveling by bike was. Unlike the car, you don't go from A to B on a boring road. By bike, you enjoy the ride along. It was awesome !
In August 2022, I went back on the saddle with 5 friends along the Atlantic Coast (Eurovelo 1) and again, a huge success. Since then, I've mostly focused on upgrading my gear to travel more. This tour was just the continuation of this evolution.
Moving away
Over the past few years, I've discuss with many people over 50 who told me to enjoy life while I can, while I'm young and while I have nothing holding me back. Whether they were relatives, work colleagues or friends, they all said more or less the same thing : "Don't wait until it's too late, you'll regret it".
Over the past few years, I've seen people on Internet engage in road trips, travel to remote places, camp in the wild, document places and cultures. I'm the Internet generation so I consume a lot of this stuff. I go most of my inspiration from these guys who had the courage to go first and share it on Internet. I mostly watch them on Youtube as I find videos are the most entertaining format to watch.
Over the past few years, I've seen the world change, the international relations get more tense. I've seen the freedom of people get diminished and countries close borders. To be able to visit as many countries as possible, I believe I should start now, not later.
Over the past few years, I've seen my parents change their lives at 50 to travel most of the times (and pull off bike tours !).
Over the past few years, I said why not me ? why wait ? And I started to think about it, to grow an idea, to plan.
And one day I said "YOLO" (You Only Live Once) and I went for it. And here I am on the road with only a tent and 2 wheels. No job, no house but a world to live in !
Follow the journey
If you are interested in my story and how it goes, I'll keep updates on this website and on social medias.
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