German cyclist visits Watauga

County cousin along cross-country trek
By Jason Reagan

Vilas resident Marion Warren didn’t have to travel far for a family reunion with a German cousin. In fact, the reunion came to him on two wheels.

Warren, an electrical engineer with IRC Electronics in Boone, recently received a visit from cousin Florian Hanusch, who is embarking on a 4,000 mile trip across the U.S. as part of a goal to bike (along with some flying) to Sydney, Australia.

A native of Bavaria, Germany, Hanusch accepted an invitation to meet and stay with Warren after he mapped out his cross-country trip and found his route would bring him near Boone.

A recent college graduate, Hanusch saved for several years to take off time between the academic and working worlds for his ocean-spanning trip.

“[By cycling,] I get the chance to meet people and really get in contact with them,” he said.

Hanusch launched his tour in New York City on April 1 and started cycling south through, among other states, Pennsylvania, Virginia and finally North Carolina a few weeks later.

Hanusch usually doesn’t make reservations for lodging, preferring to either tent-camp or depend on the kindness of strangers —a strategy that has so far worked out well.

Although his bike experienced a wheel malfunction in Virginia, Hanusch made it to Boone two weeks ago, met up with Warren and his wife, Lois, and had his bike repaired at Boone Bike and Touring.

As far as contemplating the miles he faces, Hanusch doesn’t worry too much about the road ahead.
“I keep my head down and take it 5 meters at a time.”

Sounds like a future book title, maybe?

Editor’s Note: As of this printing, Hanusch was expected to be somewhere in Kentucky. He maintains a blog at www.biking-worldwide.info. The site is written in German but can be easily translated with several Web-based translation programs (like babelfish.yahoo.com).