Yesterday I had the privilege of meeting & riding with Hubert Kriegel. Hubert (pronounced U-Bear) has been riding the world 12 years now, most recently on his 2008 Ural 2WD sidecar.
He is French, 68, has married 3 times, has 3 daughters, has lived in New York, & is hugely passionate about sidecars, which has included some racing.
You can easily recognise Hubert from his white Ural, his trademark round red glasses, his red open faced Joe Bar helmet, & his easy smile.
His Ural is somewhat modified to accommodate his travelling, including sand ladders, & a truck oil bath air filter. It has a 48 litre alloy tank (yes, I’m jealous). It’s a right hand chair, & still set up for right hand drive road cambers, so may be evil handling on our roads. Urals are not hugely powerful, but this helps him see more by taking a slow steady pace thru the countryside.
He’s completely flexible with time – he’s seen too many travellers spoil the experience of travelling by focussing too much on plans & time lines. But sometime shortly he’ll head south. He is aiming to attending the Brass Monkey, but other than that his plans are pretty fluid.
In talking with Hubert, the place he most enjoyed travelling through was Mongolia. Whilst he is pleased he has ridden it, he wouldn’t be in too much of a hurry to ride Africa again. Once he has seen a much of New Zealand (as is practical) he’ll likely head to Australia.
If you are interested in his travels you can see his website http://www.thetimelessride.com/US/WhereisHubert.html. Click on the photos & that’ll take you thru his timelines.
If you are able to help out with acccomodation, pop a note onto his website, or if you see him in his travels, make sure you say hello. He’s completely approachable & very interesting.
Yesterday we had a leisurely breakfast at Raumati Social Club, then rode through the Akatarewas to Cycleworks workshop. After a brief time with Damon, we headed across the Rimutakas to Martinborough to see Bill & Iona. It’s a pity that the Lake Ferry Pub closed just before we got there. Thanks Michael for this opportunity.
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