18-year-old cycles over 7,000 kilometers alone

Dresden. There is a sentence that describes Camillo Hahn like no other. “I love torturing myself,” says the 18-year-old from Dresden. He talks about the past few months: On June 3rd, Camillo set off on a cycling trip. It’s a tough one: 103 days, 7,167 kilometers, from Dresden to Nouadhibou in northwest Africa.

Sometimes Camillo is picked up by car drivers on his journey; once he drove for several days with another German. But he spends most of his time alone. Just the bike and him and “hardcore or French rap on your ears.” Many people go on a cycling trip to the North Cape or other popular places, says Camillo. “I wanted to experience something special, to see places that not so many people come to.”

Climbed an almost 3,000 meter high peak in flip-flops

In the first few weeks, Camillo Hahn will travel through Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium and France. On July 9th, Camillo makes a stopover in the Pyrenees. He climbs the ‎Pic du Midi d’Ossau, one of the most famous peaks in the French mountains. The mountain is 2,884 meters high – Camillo climbs it in flip-flops. “During the climb I had to cross a snowfield barefoot,” says the 18-year-old. “I thought my feet were going to fall off.”

We continue through Spain. On the 55th and 56th days of his trip, Camillo becomes ill, cannot sleep and vomits several times. When the outside temperature is 35 degrees Celsius, he is sweating in his one-man tent. “But even then I didn’t think about giving up,” says Camillo today. “I had my goal in mind and really wanted to get to Mauritania.”

View from the ‎Pic du Midi d’Ossau: Camillo climbs the mountain in flip-flops.

Source: private

More challenges lurk along the way. After Camillo forces his bike through a thorn bush, he gets a flat tire. In addition, his circuit breaks down in Morocco. Camillo keeps going, repairing his bike with the repair kit he brought with him. “I can repair almost every part of my bike myself,” says the Dresden native. “At home I completely disassembled the bike and put everything back together. I know the components.”

On August 24th, Camillo drives through Western Sahara. On this day he sits in the saddle for almost 15 hours and cycles a distance of around 499 kilometers on this day alone. He drives large parts of the route in the dark. At night he is attacked by street dogs who bite into his saddlebags. “I was listening to music and at first I heard the barking very faintly,” remembers Camillo. “When I looked back, there was suddenly a mutt hanging on my bike. I pedaled hard and was able to shake the dog off.”

Incident in Mauritania: “I knew then that the trip was over”

After a good 90 days of travel, Camillo arrives in Nouadhibou, his destination. His plan is to travel through the desert on the Iron Ore Train, which connects Nouadhibou with the desert town of Zouerat. The train is up to 2.5 kilometers long, making it one of the longest trains in the world. The train weighs up to 17,000 tons when fully loaded. The cargo primarily includes iron ore, water, goods and vehicles. But people also travel regularly by train.

Minimalist luggage: Camillo couldn’t take a lot of weight with him on his trip.

Source: private

Some days, people from Dresden drive straight for hours – in scorching heat, sandstorms or at night.

Source: private

Camillo cycles to the train, but then something goes wrong: when he climbs up, the rear gears break off. “I knew then that the trip was over,” says the 18-year-old. Because without a circuit it is impossible for him to continue his journey.

The next day, Camillo fights his way to the airport in Dakhla. He expanded his gears and shortened the chain. This means it can roll to its destination in one go. But after the chain slips, he has to push the other 60 kilometers.

Luckily a truck driver gives him a lift. Camillo spends the next few days in Dakhla, dismantling his bike and preparing for the return journey to Germany. From the airport he flies to Casablanca, then on to Frankfurt am Main. On September 13th he landed in Germany. “At home in Dresden I fell into my bed and slept like a log,” says Camillo.

The next trip is already being planned

Camillo Hahn is a fan of numbers; he kept meticulous records. According to his own information, he has spent over 320 hours in the saddle. The trip cost him around 2,810 euros.

Now, two months later, he’s still a little upset that he didn’t get to ride the Iron Ore Train. But he has a plan: “In two to three years I will go on a tour to Mauritania again,” he says. “Then I can try taking the train again.” Camillo is also thinking about getting a motorcycle license soon. This means he could even surpass his own course record.

SZ