Two Swiss bikers, Rita Staub and Simon Greuter, stopped at the Crookston Public Library to charge their solar-powered bicycles before continuing their year-and-a-half trek across the world!
Staub and Greuter are traveling with a solar tandem recumbent bike. They started the trip in their home country of Switzerland and have been worldwide. “We started in Switzerland and bike through France to the coast; from there, we took a sailing ship to Mexico,” said Staub. “From Mexico, we were biking all up Mexico through the United States to Vancouver, Canada, and now heading east to the east coast, so yeah, a lot of nice memories.”
We asked why Staub and Greuter were in Crookston. “We are here now because into North Dakota from Canada, and we want to take the way to the Great Lakes,” said Staub. “We have been on our way for one and a half years, so maybe at the end of the year, we will be back home. We want to travel back home over the ocean on a cargo ship or a sailing ship, and it is difficult to find somebody who can take us.”
Staub and Greuter decided to take the trip to see the world at a slower pace. “Just to see the world or a little tiny bit of it. With the bike, we don’t disturb nature and the world so that our children can also travel, so that is the reason why we are on the bike,” said Staub. “The solar helps them charge the phones and laptops, but mainly for the little motor in the bike trailer. The motor helps us, it is like an assisted bike.”
Staub said it has been nice not having a timeline so they can take their time on the trip. “It’s nice to have the bike; you can go slow,” said Staub. You don’t need to hurry up because we don’t have time to be home, so we don’t have an endpoint time.”
Staub said they sleep in a tent at night and love stopping at libraries because the people are so nice and welcoming.
The map of Rita Staub and Simon Greuter’s trip so far.
