From Helsinki to Singapore: Finnish pair cycle across 21 countries in 245 days

In Finland, some 15,400km away, two friends decided to embark on an epic journey across the globe on bicycle.

Their route? From Helsinki to Singapore.

And 245 days later, they finally cycled their way into the little red dot, after passing through 21 countries in the process.

On a viral LinkedIn post uploaded on Monday (Feb 20), Finnish man Valtteri Heinila shared about this daring trip, detailing the life lessons that he had learned from it.

He had undertaken this journey with a buddy, Alvari Poikola.

"We wanted to go on an adventure. Alvari had cycled from Helsinki to France and liked it. We looked at a map and Singapore seemed like a nice peninsula at the very end of continental Asia," Valtteri wrote in the post.

"We wanted to break daily routines, to do some house cleaning of our minds, to slow time down, to rid ourselves of living for the future, to challenge ourselves both physically and mentally. And we did just that!"

The man then shared six "effable learnings" from the trip, which taught them to "expect nothing" and "stay active" among others. 

The Finnish pair had detailed their journey on an Instagram account, Curious Pedals, and they shared their emotions after finally reaching their destination in a post dated last Sunday, Feb 19.

"Words fail to describe the emotions, feelings and thoughts reaching the finish line of a journey like this bring, but joy and gratitude are definitely some of them," the caption reads.

"It has been a journey like no other, one of extreme highs and deep lows, of learning, of friendship, of discovery."

They were "humbled" by the acts of kindness and altruism from strangers they had met along the way and thanked their supporters who have been following their journey.

The two friends revealed that they will be making a documentary about their trip back home in Finland.

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/CoyqjJzPzES/?hl=en[/embed]

Upon entering Singapore, the pair visited the residence of the Finnish Ambassador Antti Vanska – the "Finnish-ing" line they used to mark the end of their expedition.

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/Co4GoV2KLLo/?hl=en[/embed]

According to the Finnish Embassy's Instagram post dated yesterday (Feb 21), the pair had started their journey in June last year, and travelled across Europe, Central Asia and India before riding to Southeast Asia. 

Along the way, they had encountered some "exciting and nerve-breaking" situations, such as having to negotiate their way across the Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan border after it had been closed due to a shooting nearby.

"In Tajikistan, there are no roads, no infrastructure, sometimes you lack oxygen so it's difficult to breathe," Valtteri and Alvari explained.

"But when you see the mountains of Pakistan, and you feel like you're living an adventurous lifestyle – that's what's most memorable."

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/Co60BLjJbbs/?hl=en[/embed]

AsiaOne has contacted Valtteri and Alvari for more information.

ALSO READ: 'Loser' buddies embark on epic journey, cycle 3,400km from Singapore to Vietnam

wongdaoen@asiaone.com