A European couple is taking a winter journey of a lifetime, motoring up the world well-known Alaska Freeway on the again of their sidecar bikes.
A European couple is taking a winter journey of a lifetime, motoring up the world well-known Alaska Freeway on the again of their sidecar bikes.
Robby Knecht and Magazine Habouzit started their journey criss-crossing Canada in October, arriving at Mile Zero this month to chart a course north.
“Even in Europe, individuals know concerning the Alaska Freeway,” Habouzit mentioned throughout a cease in Whitehorse earlier this week. “We did not know till final week that we are going to take the Alaska Freeway. We all know the place we wish to go roughly, however we modify our plan fairly often.
“However then we have been in Dawson Creek and we have been like, OK, nice, let’s experience on the Alaska Freeway, and we have finished 1,400 kilometres.”
Motorbiking within the winter is outdated enjoyable for the highschool sweethearts. Habouzit remembers Knecht getting his first bike in 1984, after they have been simply youngsters, and choosing her as much as go snowboarding.
Their Canadian journey now is only one of many since these days, and a part of Knecht’s ambition to journey the world by motorbike. He began final January driving as much as North Cape in Norway, and completed by crossing 34 European nations.
“Folks mentioned, ‘Oh, watch out in Jap Europe, if you happen to experience Turkey, Serbia, it’s harmful’. No, no,” mentioned Knecht. “Solely TV exhibits the nations as harmful. If you cross, persons are such as you, like me, they need solely peace.”
“If you cross nations, all persons are very cool, superb,” he mentioned.
With their three children all grown up, and after careers working in worldwide policing and humanitarian assist, Habouzit joined the worldwide journey and the couple bought their possessions, shopping for up two of the final Russian-made Ural sidecars they may discover on the market in Europe.
Habouzit says they have been “tremendous fortunate” to search out one sidecar via a seller they knew in France, and a second that was presupposed to ship from Germany to america, however was as an alternative redirected to France, because the bikes have been underneath export embargo resulting from conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
“Once I was prepared to hitch Robby, I mentioned, OK, we have now to have two of the identical fashions. In case we have now a breakdown, we have now to have the identical mannequin, it’s lots simpler to restore,” she mentioned. “So we have now two of the final sidecars totally made in Russia… Ours are from Siberia.”
The sidecars have been dropped at Canada on a four-day aircraft experience from Geneva, Switzerland, to Montreal — “5 minutes, tick, tick, tick, we bought the stamps, right here we go. It was tremendous straightforward,” mentioned Habouzit.
They couple has since clocked greater than 16,000 kilometres, travelling the nation on a six-month visa and attracting the curiosity and enthusiasm of fellow motorists.
“Plenty of thumbs up from truckers,” mentioned Habouzit. “Each time we cease at a fuel station, we get loads of individuals asking questions.”
Added Knecht, “A sidecar Ural, it is atypic. It’s a particular look. A ‘wow’ look.”
As for taking an Alaska Freeway journey now, throughout the winter: “Solely as a result of there is no such thing as a vacationers and no mosquitoes,” Knecht mentioned with amusing.
“We come from Switzerland; we all know winter, we all know snow. It’s an actual pleasure to experience with recent air, with a large view.”
“Winter brings a special environment than summer time,” Habouzit added. “We meet much more locals, true locals who dwell right here all yr lengthy. It’s utterly totally different. And the surroundings is magical.”
Relying on the climate and the chilly, the sidecars vary in mileage, typically taking them 250 kilometres, different instances 340 kilometres, earlier than needing to be refuelled.
“We now have separate tanks all the time with us, after all, as a result of your nation is admittedly massive and we are able to have 400 kilometres with no fuel station,” mentioned Habouzit.
“We’re effectively outfitted. We cease lots as effectively to warmth up, however once more we don’t experience quick. It’s 70-80 most. It’s actually a cruising experience,” she mentioned. “We do very effectively with the climate. What’s wonderful is in sooner or later we have now a snow storm and sunshine, and blue sky and fog… It’s loopy however fulfilling.”
The northern friendliness and hospitality has been second to none, too.
Habouzit says the couple enjoys free espresso each time they refill at a fuel station, and even bought a heat night time’s keep in Fort Nelson because of a pleasant native lodge supervisor they met whereas fuelling up within the small B.C. group.
“All is gorgeous in Canada. The Alaska Freeway may be very, very good,” Knecht mentioned. “However crucial half on this journey is while you meet individuals.”
As of this writing, Knecht was making his manner up the Dempster Freeway from Dawson Metropolis, Yukon, to Tuktoyaktuk within the Northwest Territories to see the Arctic Ocean.
From there, the couple isn’t certain what path they’ll go subsequent, whether or not crossing into Alaska from Dawson Metropolis, or going again to Whitehorse to complete the Alaska Freeway.
They’ve been invited to a world bike present in Toronto in February, and their final plan is to journey south via Mexico and Central America, to the tip of South America in Ushuaia, Argentina. Additionally they wish to go to Chicago and Louisiana in america.
Knecht and Habouzit are chronicling their journey on Fb and YouTube, and different social media platforms, all alongside the way in which.
“Many Canadians, they ship us messages they usually say, ‘Oh, thanks for making us go to our personal nation, our personal roads’. Lots of them say they do not take the time, they fly to Florida to search out the solar,” mentioned Habouzit.
“A few of them simply notice how lovely some elements of Canada, I imply, each a part of Canada, is.”
