Ragna and Amiram are not your average, run-of-the-mill cyclists. They are eco-warriors, out to save the planet.

By Deborah Goldman
Issue 75 - October 2008

Having met while they were both Greenpeace activists in Germany, the couple’s respective jobs in renewable-energy projects in this region brought them to Singapore in June 2008.

“Singapore is relatively advanced when it comes to energy conservation,” Ragna says. “But in areas such as Indonesia, there is still a lot of work to be done. We have worked on various solar-power initiatives and reforestation projects throughout Indonesia.”

Trip of a Lifetime
In a bid to combat climate change, the pair hung up their corporate suits early this year to embark on a year-long cycling expedition around Africa. I met them in Fort Canning Park in April, shortly before they set off for Ethiopia, where their odyssey would start. Ahead of them lay a gruelling 10,000-kilometre ride over rugged terrain, including a number of mountain ranges and three deserts.

Dressed in their travelling attire – casual slacks and loose-fitting shirts, with the Cycle Generation logo emblazoned upon them – they appeared remarkably relaxed for two people about to embark on an extraordinary journey into vast tracts of wilderness.

“We’ve spent a whole year preparing for the tour, and now we just can’t wait to get started,” said Ragna.

Cycling to East Coast Park seems like an insurmountable challenge to me. I couldn’t begin to imagine how one would go about preparing to cycle around Africa.

“We spend a lot of time on our bikes,” Ragna explained. “In fact we ride everywhere, as opposed to taking taxis. I also have a personal trainer to improve my fitness levels: Karen at Infinity, whom I see four to five times a week. She is actually one of our tour sponsors.”

Out of Africa
In partnership with a number of National Governmental Organisations (NGOs) the couple have three objectives for their tour: promoting renewable energy, cycling and public transport, and afforestation (establishing new forests). By showcasing achievable and innovative solutions, they plan to teach the people they meet about sustainable living.

“Parts of Africa are similar in certain respects to the rural areas of Indonesia and India,” Ragna told me. “In those countries we have proven models of cost-effective renewable energy and we want to help the areas we visit to achieve the same success.”

Partners of the Cycle Generation Tour include the United Nations Environment Programme, and as part of their Plant for the Planet campaign, the couple will plant a minimum of ten trees in every country they visit.

They will also offer their specialised experience to various existing renewable energy projects, focusing on “off-grid” solutions such as solar-, wind- and hydro-energies.

Cycle Generation is also partnered with Kidscall, a worldwide campaign that gives children a voice in demanding that their political leaders live up to their environmental responsibilities. The campaign saw a collection of messages, drawings and video messages from children around the globe presented to the 34th G8 summit in Hokkaido, Japan, in July this year. The efforts of Ragna and Amiram helped deliver the messages of many Africans to the G8 world leaders.

Inspired by Nature
Amiram’s  love of adventure was inspired by the stories of 14th-century explorer Marco Polo, he says. Although the path he and Ragna have taken is very different from that of the famous silk-road merchant, it is a brave one with its own significance.

“My motivation for doing this is that I love our planet and I’d like to make sure it’s still here in the future,” says Amiram.

Six months into their tour, the couple have covered some pretty hair-raising terrain, from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, across Mount Kenya, and through the infamous Congo Basin in Uganda. Despite suffering damage to their bikes in Uganda, the pair are continuing to work their way across the continent.

You can follow Ragna and Amiram’s awe-inspiring cycling adventure on their blog, at
www.cycle-generation.com.