The author of the article is Patryk Strzałkowski, a journalist for Gazeta.pl.
RE: Cycling ! - this is the slogan for Mateusz Waligóra's new journey through Poland. The traveler, who has reached the South Pole and summited Mount Everest from sea level, has been exploring Poland for the past few years, charting new trails along the Vistula River. After a series of walking expeditions, he now plans to cover 3,500 km around Poland on an electric bike. During this journey, he aims to raise awareness about the problem of e-waste, old batteries, and more. You can follow his expedition and related discussions with experts on ecology, recycling, and sustainable transport regularly on Gazeta.pl.
You've traversed Poland along the Vistula, Oder, and Baltic- following nature trails. Now you're riding around the administrative borders, which could be seen as artificial. What prompted this change?
Mateusz Waligóra: It’s only a difference at first glance. When you look at the map of Poland and trace these borders, what do you find? Following them, I'll be cycling first along the mountains, then the eastern wall - forests, primeval forests. And there’s the sensitive region near our eastern border. I’ll visit many places I've never been to before: Masuria, eastern Poland, Białowieża.
Then it’s the Baltic coast and the Oder River, giving me the chance to see what has changed since my last expeditions. So, theoretically, the route is determined by the borders, but in practice, it’s still nature trails.
You're also switching from walking to a different mode of transport -a bicycle.
In my previous - mainly walking - expeditions, I've walked over three thousand kilometers across Poland. This time, I wanted to change things up. The way you travel affects your perspective. We perceive the places we pass through differently, meet different people, and hear different stories. So I knew that the next journey through Poland would be by bike.
How does the cycling perspective differ from typical travel?
I compare it to reading a book. If you only travel to Zakopane or Gdańsk - which are beautiful and colorful - it’s like only seeing the cover of a book. But the content is what’s between those covers. And in travel, I’m interested in everything between Gdańsk and Zakopane.
A bike lets you see villages and small towns, experience smells, hear sounds, and meet people.
Moving between them by car, train, or plane, you miss all of that; at best, you might smell sandwiches, and at worst, your fellow passengers’ feet if they take off their shoes. This kind of slow travel is complete. And I keep saying that walking along the Vistula was a journey that changed my life.
What do you mean by that?
I used to always travel far away, to other continents, often to remote places. In 2020, the pandemic grounded me, and instead of walking across Australia, I had to stay in Poland. I decided to walk along the Vistula. And on that trip, I realized that I don’t need to go back to the Gobi Desert or Patagonia to have adventures that I’ll remember for a long time.
I used to think that discovering the beauty of Poland could wait until my travel retirement. But now, although I haven’t given up on other travels, I can’t imagine a year without a trip through Poland.
What else does this perspective show you - one time it's an Everest expedition, the next it's a journey to Pomerania and Podlasie?
After returning from an Everest expedition, people usually ask about two things: the "bodies" - that’s the term they use - and the trash. How much trash did I see, and did I take mine with me? Of course, I did. But I have to say, I didn’t see as much trash on Everest, which is often talked about, as I did along the Vistula and Oder rivers or on Baltic beaches after the season.
That’s why these expeditions in Poland are so important to me. I get to know my country better, including its darker side. And when I see old furniture dumped on the banks of the Vistula, I think about what I can do about it and how important it is to talk about the problems and challenges we don’t notice in our own backyard.
Returning to Poland - why an electric bike? Previously, your expeditions were "powered by your own muscles"
I see how the popularity of electric vehicles, including bikes, is growing year by year. I thought it was worth trying and taking a closer look at them. It will also allow me to complete the planned route despite health issues, which are the result of all my previous demanding expeditions.
It’s also important that each of my journeys through Poland is dedicated to some significant issue. And since I’m using an electric bike, I want to address the topic of recycling, especially e-waste. Batteries from devices ranging from smartphones to bikes. I’m the kind of person who still has a Nokia 3310 in a drawer and has replaced the battery in my smartphone three times. But I know that’s not common. So I started thinking: what happens to these phones that are replaced every year or two with a newer model? What about the batteries from bikes, scooters - aside from those that end up at the bottom of the Oder or Vistula?
And that’s where the name "RE:Cycling!" comes from. The bike also highlights another important issue: while cycling through villages and small towns, I end up in places where there’s no train, where no bus goes. Without a car, it’s impossible to get anywhere farther. Maybe a bike - including an electric one - could be a solution? Transport, transportation exclusion - that’s another topic I want to explore further.
An electric bike can make the journey easier, but could it also make it harder?
After all, it needs to be charged. Soon after my first rides, I had my first surprise: I imagined that when an electric bike stops using its battery, I would still ride as easily as on a regular bike that I use daily. But it turns out that such a bike is noticeably heavier, and without assistance, pedaling is harder.
I assume that I’ll mainly use it in the mountains, in more challenging weather, when riding against the wind or if I’m feeling weak. On other sections, I’ll ride without assistance to maintain my fitness—I need to stay in shape for my already planned trip to the Gobi Desert. Besides, the bike itself also requires effort, if only because above a certain speed, the electric assist is cut off.
As for charging, it will certainly require a bit more logistics. On a traditional bike, I could pitch my tent wherever I arrived and ride on in the morning. Now I’ll have to think about where to recharge it. Besides, 3,500 kilometers on one trip will be quite a test for the bike. And I’m curious to see how it will perform.
