Currently in China, Louis Margot has embarked on the final leg of his round-the-world journey. A look back at the past few months and a preview of the final stretch.
Having arrived in Surabaya (Java, Indonesia) on May 27, the Vaud native hopped on his bicycle — which he had picked up during a round trip to Singapore — to cycle north across the island and reach another one, Sumatra. The crossing was made… by kayak. Distance: 32 kilometres, duration: six hours. The journey was made even more arduous by the current and the waves, despite being accompanied by one of his sponsors. “I thought I was going to fall into the water several times. I was quite scared.” The experience was made all the more intense by the fact that he was in a boat “almost at water level”, explains the adventurer, who says his legs hurt more than his arms because of his position.
An Impressive Crossing
After another 1,300 kilometres by bicycle, following a journey through suffocating heat, seemingly endless truck traffic and “constant elevation changes of 20 to 30 metres”, Louis reached the Strait of Malacca (Malaysia). The final “leg” of the adventure was completed by rowing.
“It was really difficult to cross. It was hot, I was ill,” and, to make matters worse, there was “boat traffic coming from all directions.” The strait is indeed one of the busiest waterways in the world, as shown by MarineTraffic, which tracks maritime movements worldwide.
“There are container ships following one another every 500 to 1,000 metres in both directions, travelling at 30 km/h! It’s really impressive when you’re in a small rowing boat.”
Fortunately, the Colombier resident was accompanied by an acquaintance who followed him under sail, making him visible amid these giants of the sea.
Once back on solid ground, the rower from Forward Rowing Club took a well-deserved three-week break. “I hadn’t taken one since Kei Island,” meaning since last February. “Of course, I stopped for a few days between sections, but that’s never really rest, because I’m constantly running around organising the boat, dealing with administrative formalities, and so on…”
After all, only one month had elapsed between his departure by bicycle from the island of Java and his arrival in Malaysia.
A Guide for China
Having crossed Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, the cyclist is currently in China, making his way towards Chengdu with his cousin, who has joined him for this section of the journey.
“Unfortunately, crossing Myanmar is impossible, and Iran is dangerous because of the current situation,” so there was no other option but to travel through China and the Xinjiang region. The latter is particularly challenging to cross, notably because of the numerous police checkpoints introduced by Beijing since the mid-2010s.
Louis Margot therefore hired a guide, who will follow him by car and recommend the best routes.
“The guide is a real advantage because, if I cover 150 km in a day, he can also drive me to a hotel and then return to the last GPS point the following day, because sometimes there isn’t a hotel for 200 km.”
All in all, Louis’ Chinese adventure will see him cycle more than 5,000 km and tackle 40,000 metres of elevation gain.
After the Middle Kingdom, Kazakhstan is next on the itinerary, followed by Russia and Georgia. Reaching the latter will once again require a great deal of planning… and a bit of luck.
“There is only one border crossing between Russia and Georgia that foreigners can use. Since it is in the mountains, it can close in winter if there is too much snow. I would therefore have to wait in Russia.”
The road ahead is therefore still a long one for Louis Margot, who hopes to return home in February.