‘Intense homesickness for his family’: ex-cyclist Marvulli pedals 2,500 kilometers through Asia

Not the first adventure

Marvulli has often traveled daring distances. He traveled through Africa and South America by bicycle. “But here it is even worse,” he says. This also has to do with the fact that this time he chose a route outside the tourist hotspots. “We drive through absolute hinterland and are sometimes seen as aliens by the locals, because many of them have never seen white Europeans.”

Fortunately, everything has gone well so far. “Apart from two customs crossings that we were not allowed to pass through,” says Marvulli. “One of these was a military customs line that civilians are not allowed to cross.” They were sent back to the other border post because their visas were not valid until the next day.

Family missing

There is only one thing that bothers the four-time world champion during the great Asian adventure: “I am very homesick for my family.” He spoke every day with his wife Belin-da (30) and daughter Carlotta (2). “But that’s not the same as having her around.”

That is why it is already clear to Franco Marvulli that he does not want to spend his next holiday with colleagues, but with his family – but of course also in the saddle! “We are planning a summer bicycle tour with a trailer through the Netherlands and the German islands in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.” The former top athlete adds with a laugh: “It will certainly be quite an adventure for us as a family.”

Through no man’s land: Franco Marvulli withdraws from the tourist areas. After a tiring day, Marvulli looks forward to the dinner he deserves. On the journey through Southeast Asia, the cycling idol also crosses the Mekong, a well-known river.