The parents of Swiss freestyle skier Mischa Gasser cycled a staggering 10,000 miles to watch their son take part in the winter Olympics.
Gasser’s dad, Guido Huwiler, 55, and his step-mum, Rita Ruttmann, set off from Zurich on their bikes and passed through 20 countries in total. They set off on 2 February 2017 and arrived in PyeongChang the week before their son was set to compete.
According to Yahoo Sport, the pair passed through Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.
Due to restrictions at North Korea, they had to hop on a flight to stay on schedule. Discussing the epic bike ride, Olympic skier Gasser said: “My dad is crazy. He was a skydiver as well in his younger age. It’s just what they have to do.”
On Huwiler’s blog, where he’s charted their trip, the former architect revealed he quit his job in May 2016 because he felt “that something was missing” and that “what I’m doing no longer serves what I really want”.
Huwiler and Ruttmann have become full-time ‘adventurers’, traveling the world by bike, on foot and - where needed - other forms of transport.
“I want to inspire you, give ideas and also encourage you to approach and implement your own adventure, your own journey or your vision of life,” he wrote on his blog.
To keep up to date with the couple’s adventures, check out Huwiler’s Instagram.