Duo cycle 15,000km from Finland to S’pore

Biking buddies: Heinila (left) and Poikola posing for a photograph after completing their journey to Singapore. — The Straits Times/ANN

It was an epic 15,400km journey that took two Finnish cyclists 245 days, crossing 21 countries and overcoming obstacles that included mountain ranges, multiple tyre punctures and dengue fever.

Romanced by the notion of clearing their minds through a mental and physical challenge, Alvari Poikola, 25, and Valtteri Heinila, 26, left their jobs in Finland in 2022 to embark on their adventure, which took them through countries such as Poland, Turkiye, Tajikistan, Nepal, Vietnam and Malaysia.