Two Romanians plan to cross Australia on tricycle

Romanian Radu Paltineanu, known for having crossed the American continents on a bike, plans to also cross Australia on a tricycle. His partner Irina Repede will join him in this new adventure set to start on October 1.

The two will try to cross the Australian continent on tricycles, on a unique route of 13,000 kilometres, from the northernmost point of the continent, Cape York, to the southernmost point, South Point, according to a press release quoted by Mediafax. The exploration expedition, which will take the two through the tropical jungle, the savannah and the harshness of the Australian deserts, is expected to take between 6 and 8 months.

Radu Paltineanu will use a recumbent, simple, non-motorized tricycle, while Irina Repede opted for an electrical tricycle that charges with the help of solar panels.

And the expedition promises to be a challenging one. In addition to the dizzying heat and the difficult terrain they set out to cross, the long distances, without refuelling points, will force the two to carry considerable amounts of food and water to ensure their autonomy. Thus, the expedition, with its long distances, extreme climates and dangerous wildlife, will most likely test their limits.

"The 3-year experience in the Americas and the one-year experience in New Zealand will have their say in the new challenge of crossing the "red continent." At Irina's initiative, this time I chose to make this expedition on a recumbent tricycle, a unique means that will allow me to enter the wildest corners of Australia because, above all, the goal of this adventure will be to discover and explore some of the wildest corners of the continent: from the York Peninsula to the Tanami and Nullarbor deserts, through some of the most mysterious and inhospitable places," Radu Paltineanu said.

"We will have some difficult but adventurous months, full of unknown and self-knowledge that will surely teach us important life lessons. Most of the time, the obstacles are great teachers, and we aim to get out of the comfort zone by responsibly embracing the challenges of the unknown," he added.

Radu Paltineanu is the first Romanian to cross the American continents on a bicycle, from northern Alaska to southern Argentina, an expedition for which he was named the European Adventurer of 2018. Radu has so far travelled over 40,000 km in North America, South America, Europe and Oceania and a distance of over 2,000 km on foot. He also climbed some of the most emblematic peaks in the world, and in 2021 he was appointed National Geographic Romania explorer.