The launch from the Klapka square in Komárno

On the Klapka square I already found people waiting for me. There was a relatively large group present; I saw my friends and acquaintances but also lot of unknown faces. It was a good feeling to see that so many people came to wish me luck on my journey.
The start was planned for 9 o’clock, but after I done all the hand-shaking and interviews it was already 10. I was followed by a small group of cyclist till the outskirts of the city. So this was it, the long awaited moment, I left my hometown behind so that for the next four months I would follow the footsteps of Arminius Vámbéry trough Middle Asia.

We took the direction towards Párkány (Štúrovo). At this time I was followed by 11 people. For our convenience we had tailwind, but in spite of this it was still hard to pedal the new bike, as with everything I packed on it, it was well around 45kg. The excitement I felt about the launch kept me awake in the morning and forenoon, but later on by every turn I felt fatigue nagging on me.

I said goodbye to my parents in Párkány (Štúrovo), two other friend I parted with at the Hungarian border. On Hungarian soil it was just five of us left: my wife Ági, Kamil, Tibi and Gábor. After 90km we arrived at Kemence, where the local priest offered us hospitality. After being awake for 36 hours strait I was really glad that I did not had to put out my tent for the night.