World Climate Conference: Cycling to the climate summit: German travels 110 days to Baku

Ingwar Perovanovich spent 110 days on the road from Freiburg to Baku: The 30-year-old cycled to the World Climate Conference in Azerbaijan. “I didn’t have a single flat tire in over 5,000 kilometers,” said Perovanovich in an interview with the German Press Agency. At the end of July he started his adventure in his hometown of Freiburg.

As a freelance journalist, the cycling enthusiast accompanied his journey with a newspaper column, social media posts and a film. Azerbaijani politicians even became aware of this – and granted him an exemption to enter the country via WhatsApp contact. Azerbaijan’s national borders are usually closed. “I was in Georgia – and then flying the last 500 kilometers to Baku would have felt wrong somehow. That means that was the day of the decision.”

The bicycle as an “underestimated climate factor”

With his trip he wants to inspire people to cycle and draw attention to positive examples of the transport transition. “The bicycle has the potential to solve almost every ecological problem we have in cities. What technology can claim that?” says Perovanovich. So far it has often been ignored because lifestyles would have to change if streets were redesigned to accommodate bicycles. “But the bicycle is an underestimated climate factor.”

From Germany, the 30-year-old cycled via South Tyrol and Italy, where he made good progress on long-distance cycle paths. After that – in Slovenia, the Balkans and finally Turkey and Georgia – more route planning was necessary. In return, Perovanovich encountered a lot of hospitality: invitations to tea or even overnight stays came again and again. “There’s a lot of doomsday talk in Germany at the moment.” But his message, despite all the crises, is “that if you leave out everything political, that people are actually warm at heart – even to strangers.”

In Baku, however, the man from Freiburg prefers to leave his bike at home – cycle paths are a rarity. He would prefer to travel back by train and bus – if he manages to send his bamboo bike home.