A lone biker pedalled along the N1 from Musina to Louis Trichardt last weekend, after an astonishing journey of more than 10 000km from Zurich in Switzerland, heading for Cape Town via Durban.

The 25-year-old Josch Thilo from Cape Town started his incredible journey some six months ago from Zurich, where he obtained his master´s degree after having previously completed his studies as electrical engineer at the University of Cape Town.

He cycled from Zurich to Italy and then flew to Cairo (it was before the political upheaval there), to commence the unforgetable African leg of his journey back home to Cape Town. He travelled through Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenia, Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe. He pedalled without support vehicles, which means that he had to transport all his equipment, food and water with him on his bicycle.

Looking remarkably relaxed and smiling last weekend while he sat in the shade of a shepherd tree just north of Bokmakierie to fix a puncture (one of many, he smiled), Josch remarked how well he had been received throughout the entire trip. Asked about the long distances alone, through some deserts and dust along the way, he said he met up with a surprising number of other travellers along the route.

The reason for such a gruelling project ?

"To see and experience as much of the world as I possibly can," he replied. “ Modern conventional modes of travel and tourism are often at blinding speeds, thereby creating artificial barriers between traveler, locals and Mother Nature. I want to experience and interact with the people along the way and be immersed in the natural environment. I believe this to be a truer, more valuable way of travelling as opposed to jet-setting around the globe at breakneck speed,” says Josch on his nomadsOn2wheels blog.

He is using this journey to raise money for his favourite charity project, Ikamva Youth in South Africa. It is a by-youth-for-youth educational organization to assist children in townships to lift themselves out of poverty and into university or employment. “I am also collaborating with Engineers Without Borders to facilitate future development projects,” he says.

He had already completed 10 150km of his epic journey and hoped to reach Cape Town within the next six weeks. "First, I want to go past Durban."

Josch’s blog site is www.nomadsOn2wheels.org