home > Bayer > news   Sahara by bicycle In the summer of 2006, Geri Winkler became the first diabetic to reach the peak of Mount Everest. Since then, as before, he has kept searching for ever new challenges. A few weeks ago, he once again set off from his hometown of Vienna, Austria   5 Jun 2008 , Leverkusen : In the summer of 2006, Geri Winkler became the first diabetic to reach the peak of Mount Everest. Since then, as before, he has kept searching for ever new challenges. A few weeks ago, he once again set off from his hometown of Vienna, Austria, this time accompanied by his partner Sylvia Alfery. Their goal: to cross the Sahara Desert by bicycle. For nearly two years now, an almost completely paved road has traversed the world’s hottest region. Reason enough for Winkler and Alfery to experience the ultimate solitude on two wheels. Out of the question for a diabetic who has to check his blood sugar level several times a day and regulate it through insulin administration? “A bicycle tour like this does not just depend on the sporting equipment,” says Geri Winkler. To monitor his blood glucose levels, he relies on a system that is easy to use and good for ten measurements per sensor disc. What proved effective in the Himalayas performs well in sandstorms too. The desert tour started at Agadir on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. The famed beauty of Morocco’s mountain landscape prompted the two adventurers to begin their journey in the 2000-meter Anti-Atlas range – a nearly 300 kilometer detour and probably the most difficult part of the journey. The road led up and down in steep hairpin turns, with each summit providing a more brilliant view of the valleys below, resplendent with almond trees, argands and flowers blossoming in various shades of yellow. Mighty kasbahs – ancient fortresses – towered before them, surrounded by precipitous terraced mountainsides, while small clay houses clung to precipices like eagles’ nests. Here and there, tiny shops littered the way, offering lemonade and biscuits. Pedaling and pushing, Geri Winkler and his girlfriend crossed many mountain passes before reaching the highest of them all – Tizi Mlil – 1,700 meters above sea level. Before dipping below the horizon, the sun bathed the surrounding peaks in light and cast long shadows into the valley toward Tafraoute, a small town that they reached following a welcome rapid descent. For a few days they roamed the mountain landscapes and gorges of the Anti-Atlas, tarried in fertile, palm-strewn oases and encountered festively adorned Berber women. The steep descent into the Souss plain led them back onto their main route toward the Sahara. The two travelers were in no hurry. It wasn’t athletic ambition that had driven Geri Winkler and his girlfriend into the saddle, but rather the knowledge that this foreign environment can be much more intensively experienced with a simple means of transportation. At first they kept to back roads that led along the coast through idyllic fishing villages, and it wasn’t until they reached the coastal town of Tarfaya that they realized they were now in the open desert. They found accommodation in a private home and marveled at the lavish interior decoration – after all, the rows of houses had seemed like sand-strewn ruins from the outside. Their gaze ambled pensively to the horizon; only a few nautical miles from the island resort of Fuerteventura, they felt like they were in another world. Early next morning, Geri Winkler and Sylvia Alfery started off on the first real desert stage of their journey. For more than 100 kilometers they encountered nothing but sand, rocks, dunes and thickets. From time to time, goat and camel herds crossed their seemingly endless path. Lost in thought, they had to make sure only that they were not swept from the road by the wake of oncoming trucks. Friendly waves, the honking of horns, flashing of lights and acknowledging gestures gave them encouragement on their journey. South of Tarfaya, they crossed the boundary to the Western Sahara and moved into an area that until recently was still heavily disputed. A separate state or not? A referendum is to decide this question, but no one knows when it will take place. The land of the Saharawi is currently under the administration of Morocco. The travelers expected to pass through only a few towns over the next 1,000 kilometers of their journey – an all but uninhabited world, canyons, sand dunes of all color shades as far as the eye could see. Again and again, their glance was drawn to the craggy bluffs littered with shipwrecks. Along the way, the cyclists found accommodation in the storage rooms and back rooms of scanty service stations. Variety was provided by colorful bazaars in the few towns along the route, where crowds gathered around market criers and miracle healers. After a few days they reached the first city in Mauretania, Nouadhibou. In the middle of the fray, they turned into a clean and welcoming campground and washed down sweat and dust with water and lemonade. They were in a completely new world, the streetscape an artistic patchwork of previously unknown fragrances, colors and sounds. The men proudly wore their flowing white or light blue gowns. The next stage of the journey took them across a stretch of 500 kilometers without any settlements, a tent or two periodically dotting the way. The words “Auberge” and “Restaurant” beckoned promisingly from roadside posters. Yet there wasn’t much more to be had than old bread and a sardine can on a much-too-large tray. The request for forks was met only with a laugh. The fine shell sand crunched under their wheels as the two adventurers approached the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott, a sandy desert city with devilish traffic. The city’s residents greeted the visitors with enthusiastic clapping and honking. Some pushed them mercilessly from the street onto the shoulder of the road. South of the Nouakchott, the world became more animated, the landscape more mellow: tender pink dunes, green bushes and trees, graceful villages. The children greeted them with friendly calls: “Monsieur, Madame, ça va?” On their last day in the desert, a strong wind suddenly emerged, whipping sand onto the fissured road winding up and down. In an instant, the large potholes filled up with sand and presented a new danger. Soon they could only see a few meters ahead. Oncoming vehicles additionally fogged in the travelers with hot sand, forcing them to progress blindly for a few moments. Soon the storm raged with such force that the riders had difficulty keeping their wheels on the road. And then it was over. The tour through the world’s largest desert had ended after nearly 2,000 kilometers. Geri Winkler and his girlfriend stood on the bank of the Senegal River, waiting to cross over on the ferry into the country of the same name. They were now in sub-Saharan Africa. Just a few days later they reached Dakar, the capital of Senegal. Finishing point for the famous Paris-Dakar rally – as well as their 40-day bicycle adventure. This unusual journey will not be the last for Geri Winkler. So far, he has not revealed which corner of the Earth he will be reporting from next, however. About Geri Winkler Geri Winkler was born in Vienna in 1956 and has suffered from type 1 diabetes for 24 years. His passion is the discovery of foreign countries, cultures and communities. He prefers to explore these worlds on foot or by bicycle. On May 20, 2006, he reached the 8,850-meter summit of Mount Everest. It was the longest ascent of all time, as Geri Winkler began the climb at the lowest point in the world – on the banks of the Dead Sea in Jordan, 411 meters below sea level. Traveling alone by bicycle and ultimately on foot, he reached the base of the world’s highest mountain in five months before ascending to the peak together with an American colleague. About Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care supports customers in 100 countries. Since the introduction of CLINITEST® reagent tablets in 1941, Bayer has led the way in diabetes care product innovation. The company changed the face of diabetes care in 1969 when it introduced the first portable blood glucose meter and test strips. Bayer HealthCare further innovated diabetes management by being the first company to introduce a suite of blood glucose monitors with No Coding™ technology. The BREEZE® and CONTOUR® blood glucose monitoring systems offer people with diabetes an unparalleled choice in diabetes management systems. The Arthritis Foundation in the United States and the Arthritis Society of Canada each granted Ease-of Use Commendation to the BREEZE meter, representing the first time a blood glucose meter has been recognized as easy to use for arthritis sufferers. In July 2006, Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care acquired Metrika Inc., maker and manufacturer of A1CNow+, a meter-based diabetes monitoring system for measurement of HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin) an important indicator of long term blood sugar control. Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care global headquarters is located in Tarrytown, New York, in the United States and operates as part of Bayer HealthCare LLC, a member of the worldwide Bayer HealthCare group. The Headquarters for the region Europe and MERA (Middle-East, Russia and Africa) is located in Basel as part of Bayer Consumer Care AG, in Basel. About Bayer HealthCare Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world’s leading innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. The pharmaceuticals business operates under the name Bayer Schering Pharma AG. Bayer HealthCare’s aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Find photos and more information at www.viva.vita.bayerhealthcare.com.   home > Bayer > news     Legal Policy | Copyright © 2005-2006 The Information Company Private Limited. All rights reserved.