“Philipinos by heart" Bike Expedition
Development workers ride the roof of the world for a cause, a Filipino cause.
It started with doing development work in the Philippines. Both Martin Langevoord from The Netherlands and Jens Funk from Germany were introduced here to the fun of cycling and meeting the true Filipino in the country sites on all there trips nationwide. The love for biking and the enthusiasm from other bikers made them decide to write down there experiences and produce the first travelbook about cycling for the Philippines. ‘Cycling Philippines?was released last May and is sold nationwide and serves all cyclists who want to disembark on multiple-week rides through the Visayas and Palawan, as well as the toughest downhill adrenalin junkies. With 350 pages it is as much a tribute to the countryside as well as it is to the Filipino. And exploring the islands by bike is just the perfect way of meeting these two....the story continues
Both Langevoord and Funk wanted to do more. Having so much fun just from cycling alone, they felt that the poorer people should have more access to bikes. And ?strong>Bike 4 U?was born. This foundation aims at getting bikes and bike parts from all over the country and Germany for the deprived filipino kids. Aim of the foundation is to introduce kids to riding and repairing bikes and joining several seminars about biking. In September Funk and Langevoord will leave from Islamabad, Pakistan to ride the Karakoram Highway in between snowcapped mountains of over 7000 m (21000 feet). into China. The highest pass will be Kunjerab Pass at 4730 m (almost 15000 feet). By riding here they are trying to get attention for their foundation and showing that a bike is more then just a bike, it’s a tool that connects people. The tour is supported by The North Face, Philippines and Rudy Project, Philippines.
Martin Langevoord, Jens Funk
