Although he is currently living on the other side of the planet, Nicolas the Bikepacker continues to impress us. In a previous blog article, we told you about this young man coming from a small village in the Swiss Jura who set himself an ambitious goal: learn English in Perth and ride across the vast country of Australia on his bicycle, using the strength of his legs – for an overall period of nine months!
A six-month English course in Perth
From October 2011 until April 2012, Nicolas attended English classes at the Phoenix Academy in Perth, which is a partner of ESL, one of the sponsors of this Australian adventure. Nicolas had an ambitious language goal: to achieve a very good level of English and sit the Cambridge C1 Advanced at the end of his 6-month course. And the young man from the Jura did it!
Australia by bike, day after day
Once this intellectual challenge achieved, Nicolas started his sports trip on 10th April 2012. On the first day, he rode 55km by bike and, as he will for all of the next stops on his tour, thoroughly wrote down the distance ridden, average temperature, geographical limits as well as a few comments. Beautiful pictures will enhance this fascinating diary – a great opportunity to discover, through Nicolas’ eyes, this gigantic country!
A human adventure like no other
Nicolas has set himself a huge challenge and he’s aware of it. Cycling across Australian deserts and rainforests, riding along crystal blue waters and endless white sand beaches, travelling 10 000 or so scheduled kilometres, relying on will power… you have to admit that not everybody is up to it. Why didn’t he opt for an ATV trip? At the heart of Nicolas’s Australian project is his belief that it is important to contribute to preserving our planet on a very personal scale. This aspect of his personality is what seduced his sponsor ESL into taking part in the adventure. ESL-Language Studies Abroad is a company committed to sustainable development. By supporting Nicolas’s ambitious project, ESL is pursuing one of its primary goals: to prove that language training, even at the other end of the planet, can be done organically.
Daily progress
We will follow Nicolas throughout his sports trip. He has already earned our admiration and support.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with him and send him messages of encouragement. Talk to you soon!
What do you think?