Rad(renn)fahrer Goran Kuzmanovski ist die Route Skopje-Istanbul in 24 Stunden gefahren, 740 km beträgt die Entfernung. Um 5:45 Uhr ging as am Hauptlatz Makedonija in Skopje los, 24 Stunden später kam er am Bosporus an. Mehr Einzelheiten im englischen Text unten doer im Video:
Macedonian cyclist goes from Skopje to Istanbul in 24 hrs
Thursday, 05 November 2015
Cyclist Goran Kuzmanovski has achieved another huge success in his career. He has succeeded to get from Skopje to Istanbul, or 740km in 24 hours.
He started his adventures a year ago with a "shorter" trip, Skopje-Belgrade. He succeeded to cross the distance in 15 hours. Recently, Kuzmanovski entered a new race with time and limits.
The journey of Kuzmanovski and his team began at Macedonia Square in Skopje early morning at 5:45 am and ended 24 hours later. The whole route was carefully planned, every street, road, every turn.
"Assuming we will get to Istanbul in 24 hours, we took off early morning from Skopje at about 5:45 am. I also knew there was going to be a full moon," Goran says. He says that along with the team, they did not experience unexpected, unpleasant situations, whereas they crossed all borders without delays.
"We had no truble with the police or at the border, only few trouble with the team that was at times lagging behind. However, there was a situation when my companions stopped at the gas station and remained there for quite some time, thus I was convinced they had car trouble, thereof I was prepared to stop in Plovdiv and give up. But, fortunately it was a minor misunderstanding, and we continued our journey", Goran explains.
"I was thinking how to get from one point to another. Kumanovo was my first point, then Kriva Palanka, then the border. It is better that way, because if I constantly ponder on the fact that I have 20 more hours and about 700km to the goal, I would be in serious trouble", he adds. He says he did not race with anyone, but himself. He wanted to push himself beyond limits.
"On the road to Belgrade, I was guided by the same thought, to push my own limits, to see how far I can go. That's my main motive. I have succeeded to get to Belgrade, now I know I can get to Istanbul in a given time interval", Kuzmanovski says. According to him, nothing can stand in the way of decisiveness, not weather conditions, or physical preparedness.
"To be honest, I was more mentally prepared to get to the finish line, than I was physically prepared. I made a thorough analysis of the whole trip, I knew exactly what to expect, the mental image of the trip has helped me a lot", Goran says. However, his work responsibilities that had "tied" him at an oil platform in Africa, did not allow to prepare as mush as he wanted.
"There were moments when I was in crisis and pain, I still cannot feel my left leg. I found myself in a situation where I could not take my shoe off", he further adds. However, against all odds, everything turned out great. When he got to Istanbul he laid down on a bench to relax.
"The whole weight that I was carrying for a year, has lifted", he says. Following this great accomplishment, the urge for adventure persists. Kuzmanovski already thinks about his next move.
"I have several crazy ideas, however I would share them when I am absolutely certain they can be accomplished.", Kuzmanovski says.
Goran has made both of the trips at his own expense, without the help of sponsors or logistical support. He gathered a team of few people. He says that the possibility to search for sponsorship is not excluded.
