HandbikePacking

21/06/2026

One week in Lofoten. Kom igjen!

A few days of getting the lay of the land, getting my second batch of catheters shipped to where I will be in two weeks time and getting over the tiredness of travelling and off I was. Into the sunset, well the never descending northern midnight sun.

As soon as I was out of the center of Leknes the landscape changed, vast fjords cut deep through the land, blue artic water, mountains with a few remains of snowy frosting on top. It all went for zero to Viking scenery at the drop of a golden foil. I took it in, like a kid in mother nature’s candy bazaar of life. Climbing, descending into valleys of dark green forest, lighter hues of moss and an array of the last flowers of spring. The world is so simple and pretty to live in when we strip away all the human excess we tell ourself to embrace each day. I camp on a camping the first day, the second day I meet a German and a Swiss guy and we set up camp together. They leave for the mainland and I continue alone. Heading back north I camp at a lake, in a field with sheep, swimming in the lake, cooking next to my tent. Doing this solo is possible. Harder then alone but manageable. I create a way to set up the tent without fumbling over the process, basically just doing most of it sitting down, then doing the last part standing up with the crutches. It fills me with joy and confidence to learn, be independent and erase that doubt in me that I could not explore alone due to the practical aspect of not being able to carry enough gear on the limited storage my bike offers. It is possible and I am doing it, and I hope other people with a disability will do so too. The great outdoors is too important to leave behind for what we deem to be acceptable when faced with disability: accessible places, an urban environment with the occasion paved path through some greenery. I know not everyone can be independent like me but many can. Technology such as handbikes, lightweight durable camping equipment had advanced and it allows us to push the paradigm further in the field of accessibility. It can make the weight of living with a disability less of a burden. Nature has the colours of the spirit.

07/06/2026

Big news: it’s official! My new world record for the highest altitude reached on an handbike has been approved by Guinness records. 4739m (15,547 ft.) at Nakeela pass, in Ladakh, India, on 4 June 2024.

Umling La expedition was damn hard work. The heat of Gujarat, Hariyana, Rajastan putting our mind and body through extremes. The altitude of the mountains, the remote nature and aligning that with limited accessibility to bathrooms, showers for example did take it’s toll. It had a profound impact on me, the team. But it all faded
away when the beauty of cities like Jaipur, Udaipur revealed itself. When the mountains opened up their wide vistas spanning the horizon in brown grey hues, topped with snowy peaks all around us. As far as the human eye can see. Landscapes that have stood unchanged through time. It filled me with so much joy, happiness and love for our beautiful planet. A stark contrast with the version of me that was lying in a hospital bed in 2013. Sad and doubtful if I would ever get to experience that connection with nature, the great outdoors, the wild again. Somehow believing I was limited to the beaten path and the places now ‘accessible’ to me’. How could I move through this world with a broken spine, and paralyzed legs?

How wrong could I have been? I learned to walk again and haven’t used my wheelchair in almost 5 years. I learned to move with crutches. Slow but steady. The handbike became my go to partner in crime. These days I think that everything is possible, for everyone. People who are abled or not. Set your mind and strength to it and the path will follow. Emerge from the darkness of the woods. I believe that is what this world record truly stands for. It’s a number of meters/feet on a pass in the Himalayas, and I am damn proud of it. But mostly it’s a celebration of the possibilities I brought to life after I set my mind to it. It made me believe in myself in a new way and shaped me.

All of this would not have been possible without the support of partners: Fonds Emelie Leus, Wellspect, Kluzplus, Elements, K2, Aqtor, Tiarrow Handcycles. Special thanks and much love to Sam, Chris and Benson. This record stands because of you three!

24/03/2026

In October I went to Istanbul, a city that’s adventurous to cross by handbike. Small alleys, a thousands mosques. Challenging at times due to Turkey not being the easiest city to cycle in. Little bike infrastructure, often getting send on the highway by GoogleMaps. But, the beauty is all around you... Syrian, Turkish restaurants with so many new flavours. Gateway to the east. Impressive buildings and history around every turn. I cycled through much of the city (and learned to use the pedestrian setting on GoogleMaps so I didn’t end up the highway). Thank you Istanbul, you have a space in my heart and I miss manti!

07/09/2025

In April I cycled from Antwerp, Belgium to Dover, UK. It was the first time I drove alone, unsupported and with all the clothes, gear for camping, cooking stuff and so on. It was a tight fit to pack it all but it worked. I was so proud to finally do this independently. My disability, riding on a handbike, had always limited me in the amount of stuff I thought I could take. I thought I couldn’t bring it all but I could.

The night I arrived in Dover I had severe neuropathic pain in my legs. The next morning it was still raging, painfully messing up my travel plans. I stayed in Dover, spend three hours in a coffeeshop having cappuccino’s and feeling sorry for myself. Then I went for a swim in the ocean, which sometimes helps the pain because if the cold water. As I sat on the side of the sea. Repairing my bike, I got to talking with two men who just sailed across the channel with their ship. We started talking, went for beers and in the end we spend two days together sailing. It made me so happy, and most of all showed me: you can do this. Alone. Setting out alone doesn’t mean you will be lonely. Riding alone doesn’t mean you will not connect with others, quite the opposite. Trust the process. Live free, ride a bike.

11/10/2024

Me and my , holding the record certificate from the ‘old record’ of the longest distance traversed by handbike. At the moment I am waiting to get the new record of ‘the highest altitude reached by handbike’ certified by Guinness. All the videos, pictures, gps data, witness testimonies and so on have been send over to them. To be continued… Much love to everyone!

13/08/2024

Indian trucks, the gentle giant of the Indian highway system. Braving narrow mountain roads, often driving for ten hours or more in a row, these drivers are what makes India’s economy tick. Their interior and exterior decoration an art form in itself. The trucks often surprise with their colorful lettering, unique paintings and humorist take on life. ‘Blow horn’ + ‘Use dipper at night’ are the standard phrases but as you can tell, anything goes..

We had the opportunity to spend a day in one of them, after ending the record attempt. It was a very wobbly but fun experience together with Trucking!

14/07/2024