Diary of the electric wheelchair tour

100% adventure instead of 100% disability

– a tour with an electric wheelchair 300 km in 5 days through northern Germany

August 8, 2016

First stage completed – 64 km in eight hours – wind, drizzle, rain, and sunshine, we had it all – tour companions from the Rosemann family from Minden to Petershagen, thank you very much – my spasm didn't throw a spanner in the works – we're already looking forward to the next stage, with lots of new encounters and beautiful weather – ending the evening feeling satisfied on the banks of the Weser

August 9, 2016

Tour day two – the first, and hopefully last, rain shower is over – we started in beautiful sunshine and reached the Steinhuder Meer after a 4.5-hour ride at 4:45 p.m.

Second stage three-quarters complete – 45 km – three bike breakdowns (one person) – weather was very changeable – distributed a few flyers – skirted the Steinhuder Meer – due to the breakdowns, we only made it as far as Neustadt am Rübenberge – in the absence of a campsite, we found the best place to pitch our tents (the garden of a nice, helpful family) – tomorrow we will repair the bikes and make up for lost time (approx. 80 km) so that we stay on schedule – hopefully the weather will be good

August 10, 2016

Tour day three – final preparations and repairs – the weather is clearing up – let's go!

Third stage – 66 km – all repairs completed (with the help of our nice hosts) – we rode through a few showers at lunchtime, but the weather was generally very changeable – lots of dirt roads, which meant we didn't make as much progress as we wanted – I had to slow down the wheelchair to keep my spasms under control – a press appointment in Schwarmstedt (the article will appear on Saturday in the Neustadt area) – we were forced to shorten our destination by 15 km because the campsite in Imbrock was supposedly full and the operators were very unfriendly – now we are at a nice campsite in Bad Fallingbostel (and it's cold – where is summer? – The night was damp and the temperature was only 7 degrees) – tomorrow evening we will be back on schedule and spend the night in Holm-Seppensen

August 11, 2016

Fourth stage – 66 km – the hardest stage so far – wet, wet and wet again, rain all day – press appointment in Soltau – stopped off in Schneverdingen, where Mrs. Hoffmann gave us some warming tea and we had some interesting conversations, including about the Participation Act and her Schneverdingen Hospice Foundation. Many thanks for the hospitality – then we really stepped on the gas and covered 30 km along the B3 (very monotonous) – on the last 4 km, a bike chain broke – but we still reached our destination and made up for the lost km – now we're sitting in the dry on a veranda at the campsite with a view of a lake in Holm-Seppensen – this was the most beautiful campsite on the tour, and tomorrow we're heading back to our home port of Hamburg.

Facebook post:

To everyone who followed the tour and knows me in Hamburg: I'll be entering Hamburg via the old Elbe tunnel. It will be around 4:00/4:30 p.m. if everything goes smoothly. Then I'll be toasting the successful tour at the Astra beer garden. Anyone who feels like it and has time is welcome to join me. I'll tell you all about the tour. I look forward to seeing you!

August 12, 2016

At 2:03 p.m., we pass the sign marking the entrance to Hamburg.

At 4:17 p.m., I arrived at the old Elbe tunnel in tears of joy – A dream come true. We quickly took a few souvenir photos.

At 6:02 p.m. – Toasting the electric wheelchair tour in the Astra beer garden

Fifth stage – 36 km – Bike breakdowns repaired – Weather: Warmer, but still a lot of rain and wind – weaving through the harbor – passing through the old Elbe tunnel – arriving in tears of joy and toasting the tour at the Astra beer garden – we treat ourselves to a night in a hotel to recharge our batteries and dry our wet clothes – if the weather is better tomorrow, I will continue on to Bremerhaven with my remaining assistant, Daniel Fort.

August 13

Call for help to the Facebook community

The rest of the trip is in jeopardy! I urgently need your help. An error message appears on the display of the wheelchair and it won't move. Is there an electric wheelchair emergency service in Hamburg that is also available on Saturdays?

Thank you very much!!!

The willingness to help was overwhelming – how quickly the message spread

Sixth stage – 0 km.

Due to a technical defect on the electric wheelchair, we unfortunately have to interrupt our tour in Hamburg. All calls to emergency services (some medical supply stores could not be reached, even though they advertise 24-hour availability on the internet), technicians, and ADAC have not found a solution. It was a tour with all the ups and downs, as well as a lot of breakdowns. Nevertheless, we had a lot of fun and reached our big intermediate goal of Hamburg. Anything more would have been a nice bonus. Tomorrow we will first return to Bielefeld in a rental car.

The tour is now really over.

At this point, I would like to express my sincere thanks to those who accompanied me during the last six days. Without you, the tour would not have been possible. There are also people who worked behind the scenes during the tour, and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to them as well.

Then there are a few people who did not join me on the tour, but who helped me with all the preparations in advance, from planning the tour to press relations. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to these people.

Without the company Meyra from Kalletal-Kalldorf, which provided me with the wheelchair, the e-wheelchair tour would not have been possible at all. Thank you very much for that too.

But the biggest thank you goes to the people who accompanied us during the tour, welcomed us, hosted us, or supported us in other ways.

Of course, a big thank you also goes to the Facebook community, who followed the tour every day, posted positive comments, and gave us the strength to keep going. I now make a promise to all of them: this event will be repeated on a larger scale at some point!

| Electric wheelchair tour through northern Germany | Summary of the electric wheelchair tour |