24 EU Capitals
14.000 km / 8 days
-
Riding long distances
Iron Butt Rides
The vastness appeals to me, I like to be drawn into the distance. When the horizon disappears into infinity, I feel good. To the horizon and beyond.
Iron Butt Rides are a challenge for the body, the mind and the inner bastard. And they give you time to deal with your thoughts.
I like to ride long distances, they give me the time and space that I often don’t have in my professional life.
Clarification: This is not an official IBA event, but a very personal, purely privately planned tour through Europe. I am only planning and documenting this tour in accordance with the rules of the IBA (Iron Butt Association).
-
24 continental EU Capitals
I´m European
Europe is wonderful. So many nations, so many different cultures, so many different people.
You wake up in the morning, swing into your motorbike saddle and ride off. One minute it’s mountainous, the next it smells like fresh rain, and just a few hours later you’re in the Mediterranean, where it’s hot and the asphalt is red-hot.
Landscapes pass you by, different languages touch your ear and seduce your soul.
All this is Europe. And it can be experienced. All you have to do is get in the saddle and ride off. To the horizon and beyond.
-
Triumph Tiger 1200 GT Explorer
The Bike
I bought my first Triumph in 2018. I went to all sorts of motorbike shops, saw lots of bikes. However, I only fell in love with one bike – my 2018 Triumph Bobber, which I gradually rebuilt over the following years.
In 2021, I got the Triumph Rocket, a wonderful long-distance monster with an engine that is beyond reproach. I rode a few Iron Butts with it.
When I asked Triumph Germany if they could help me plan my 2024 tour, I originally only thought about finding a workshop in Spain through Triumph Germany that would have done my tyre change and inspection.
The result: Triumph Germany will not only support me in tactical matters such as tyres and inspection, but will also provide me with a complete motorbike, a Triumph Tiger 1200 GT Explorer. With its powerful engine and 30-litre tank, it is ideally suited for long distances.
For further information concerning the bike, please click here.
sponsored by:
Berlin, Germany.
ETA: 24.06.24
24 capitals of EU
24 capitals
of EU
The tour will start in Athens and then travel through south-eastern Europe, the Balkans to Rome, Lisbon and Madrid. It will then continue via Paris, the Benelux region to Northern Europe. The return route leads via the Baltic countries, Warsaw, Berlin and Prague.
All in all, 24 EU capitals. The capitals of Cyprus, Ireland and Malta would only be accessible by ferry – and we Iron Butt long-distance drivers avoid ships for our route planning. The only ship, I will take is the ferry from Helsinki to Tallin because drining through Russia seems to be inappropriate to me for the moment.
- 24 EU capitals
- More than 14.000 km within 8 days
- June 14th 2024 – June 21th 2024
timeline of the ride
I will ride an average of 1.800 km every day, then it’s off to the hotel. Sleep hygiene is essential on such tours. Depending on the day, I will pass between 2 and 4 destinations. At each destination, the route will be documented via fuel receipts (IBA method), Spotwalla and there will also be a GPS tracker to log my journey.
Athens, Greece
Sofia, Bulgaria
Bucharest, Romania
Budapest, Hungaria
Bratislava, Slovakia
Vienna, Austria
Zagreb, Croatia
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Rome, Italia
Madrid, Spain
Lissbon, Portugal
Paris, France
Luxembourg
Brussels, Belgium
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Kopenhagen, Denmark
Stockholm, Sweden
Helsinki, Finland
Tallinn, Estonia
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore.
Vilnius, Lithuania
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore.
Riga, Latvia
Warsaw, Poland
Berlin, Germany
Prague, Czech
June 14th
June 14th
June 14th
June 14th
June 15th
June 15th
June 15th
June 15th
June 15th
June 16th
June 16th
June 17th
June 18th
June 18th
June 18th
June 18th
June 19th
June 20th
June 20st
June 20st
June 20st
June 20st
June 21st
June 21st
Live broadcasting
I will document the journey photographically. A GoPro will take a picture every second. These images will then be stitched together into a “flip book”.
Furthermore, 3 Insta360 will broadcast live 3 times a day from the bike for one hour each. The livestreams will be posted here (see below).
Insta360 frame#1: Fork perspective
Insta360 frame#2: Rider perspective
Insta360 frame#3: Drone perspective
Frame#4 shows the respective location of the motorbike.
Front perspective
Rider´s perspective
Drone perspective
My route
Current place
Make a donation!
Riding a motorbike is a fine thing, it would be even nicer if we could also raise a little money for a good cause.
Therefore we partner with Kinderhospiz Löwenherz e. V.
Löwenherz operates an inpatient children’s hospice in Syke and also provides care for affected families from four outpatient bases in Bremen and Lower Saxony. At the hospice, they offer families relief from their everyday lives and accompany them through life, dying and beyond death.
I believe that your donation will provide wonderful support for this difficult and sacrificial work.
LOEWENHERZ e.V.
For further information please visit https://loewenherz.de/
Loewenherz is a registered association whose non-profit status is registered. It supports the children’s hospice in its daily, difficult work.
Account Data
Donations are transferred directly to the association via
Further option
Bank: Kreissparkasse Syke
IBAN: DE07 2915 1700 1110 0999 99
BIC: BRLADE21SYK
Please use “Iron Butt Ride 24 capitals” as donation code to allocate your donation correctly. Many thanks in advance!
Loewenherz – the brave Lion
Every donation helps, every donation – whether 5 or 50 euros – is welcome. If you need support to make a donation as a company, I will be happy to help you.
And if you would like to offer a donation per kilometre travelled, we can offer you the opportunity to put your company name in the limelight.
THE FINAL LAP
Coming home
LOCATION
The Iron Butt Ride will come to an end in Prague on June 21st 2024.
Time
I plan to arrive in Prague at June 21st 2024 1.00 pm. It would be lovely to have a coffee with some biker in the middle of the city :-).
Contact Person
That´s me 🙂
Private party
LOCATION
At Saturday, June 22nd 2024, there will be a coming home party and we will party like hell. See you in the area of Heidelberg. Further details: please see contact person.
I will ride from somewhere in Germany (to be communicated asap) to Mühlstraße 3, 64760 Oberzent via Nuremberg. If you want to ride with during the last kilometers, pls just contact me.
Time
I plan to arrive in the area of Heidelberg between 3:00 and 6:00 pm.
Start somewhere in Germany, time and place not defined so far, will be communicated later. Route will pass Nuremberg-Heilbronn-Heidelberg.
Contact Person
You need further information? Please contact Cornelia Vogt (cornelia_vogt@hotmail.de). She is in charge for each and every detail when it comes to party at June 22nd 2024.
Barbecue on the sports field, followed by a party until dawn in the in-house bar. Overnight accommodation in your own tent, camper or in the barn (please bring a sleeping bag). Cost: €50 per person incl. sleeping place, breakfast and drinks in the in-house bar (food and drinks on the sports field are not included).
Imprint: see www.bodo-antonic.de