I’m Henk, 53 years old, and since 7 years I’ve been living as a nomad. I live in Belgium, but ever so often I need to go and explore the world. In recent years I’ve done two big cycling tours, and currently I’m on a new adventure. My first trip 6 years ago was on a touring bicycle. I cycled in Germany for 6 weeks and enjoyed life on the road, but I faced some major issues. Since adolescence, I have had neck and back problems, and despite bike fit and core stability training, I sometimes suffer a lot on a bicycle. 

Equally important, I need my guitar. I’m a musician in heart and soul, and not being able to play for a long period of time is not an option. I know many people carry a small travel guitar or a ukelele with them, but those instruments are not my thing. So I investigated different options, and it seemed a trike could potentially solve my problem. The neck of my guitar fits nicely underneath the seat, and the rest of the body is almost as big as a 26” wheel, only sticking out by a few centimeters.

Well, I had to try one first, of course. Luckily, in my hometown, Ghent, there is a shop that exclusively sells trikes. I went for a test ride on several models and decided the Ice Sprint X was going to be my go-to trike. I bought a second-hand model in the UK—including drum brakes and a Rohloff—and started preparing a big trip, from Belgium to Portugal. Unfortunately, COVID happened. I had to delay my plans. But in August 2020, I embarked on a 3-month journey nonetheless, in-between two lockdowns. It was a big test for myself and the trike. I had a blast. When I had reached Faro, Portugal, I knew this was a perfect match. No more back issues, and I liked the comfort of sitting down, being able to watch the changing scenery at ease, just having fun. I had no mechanical problems, no flat tires during 2500 kilometers. Impressive and just sheer luck as well. The trike performed perfectly. 

At one point I started dreaming of an even bigger undertaking. Why not try to go around the world with the intention of meeting up with local musicians along the way? First big goal, Istanbul, Turkey. In the middle of May this year, I left Belgium and passed through France, Germany, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, and finally Turkey. 3800 kilometers in total, mainly flat because I followed big chunks of the EuroVelo 6 route along the Danube. This time I did run into mechanical issues like problems with the chain, and at one point I had to change the chainring in the front to get more range; but I love my trike.

Every time I’m on the road, I can’t stop smiling. Apart from when the hills get steeper, even then I enjoy the slow mode. Just looking at it is eye candy to me. And I’m not the only one who likes the trike. I’ve been photographed countless times, people wanting to take it for a ride, asking loads of questions. I even had people pulling over their cars to ask for a picture. 

Especially when I rode through Turkey people were very curious at every stop I made a shop to buy some food or refill my water bottles. After Istanbul I decided to continue to Tbilisi, Georgia. I took me another month and a half to get to the city. There were some mountains and steep hills to cross. The highest point I reached was 1300 meters. It was brutal at times with stages where I head to go uphill during more than 30 kilometers. No mean feat since I’m packing 125 kilograms, the trike, my luggage, and myself included. So slow it goes. I did about 45 km to 80 km per day, depending on the terrain and the road surface.

It took me exactly 5 months to get from Belgium to Tbilisi. Next up is East Asia. I will take a plane - good thing a trike is foldable - and I will be exploring countries like Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.  After Tbilisi, I'm planning on taking a plane to East Asia and exploring countries like Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam; and later on I would like to go to South America and even continue to Africa.

I will see how far my trike and my legs will take me. Along my journey, I have met many hospitable people offering me food and water, sometimes even a place to sleep. I met up with musicians and learned local music and tunes. I even crossed some fellow ‘trikers’ in Romania. Always great to see people from the community. These are the moments I love the most. I know one thing: this is the life for me.

If you would like to follow Henk's journey more, follow him on instagram: @6stringrider