Pedalling from PR to Colombia Family of four spends months on bikes BY ISABELLE SOUTHCOTT | isabelle@prliving.ca
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n May 19 last year, Inge Tholen and Manu Liefsoens and their two children, Luce, 12 and Nelle, 10 caught the 5 pm ferry out of Powell River on two tandem bikes. The bikes were packed with tents, sleeping bags, clothes, pots and pans, a cooking stove, food and electronics for blogging and school. Everything they thought they’d need (and more) for a year on the road. Their destination? As far south as they could get in a year. By the time Powell River Living magazine caught up with them last month, they were in Colombia. Since last May, they’ve pedalled down Vancouver Island, then south through the USA to Baja, California and then to Mexico, Guatamala, El Salvador, Hondurus, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia. They’ve been chronicling their adventure on crazyguyonabike.com. Search the blog collection for “cycling south from Powell River by Manu.” They’ve also caught the eye of the media during the course of their travels and have been on air, in print and online. “We love our community in Powell River and like to share our story,” said Inge. “It is an honour.” The family was in Colombia in early January. “We have cycled just over 11,000 kilometres and have been in several newspapers on the way (three in Mexico, one in Colombia and four in Belgium),” said Inge, noting that she and her husband are Belgian citizens as well. “The motto has been: the journey is the destination.”
LET’S GET PHYSIO: Top, the Tholen-Liefsoens family departs by ferry from Westview last May. After cycling south for nearly a year, they’ll fly home to Powell River in late February. Above left: Plenty of stops for sight-seeing add richness to the family’s blog at www.crazyguyonabike.com. Here, Luce and Nelle are visiting the cave paintings in St. Ignatious, Mexico, on the Baja Peninsula. Above right, Manu and Nelle ride through rural El Salvador in mid-November.
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POWELL RIVER LIVING • february 2019 •
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