Poland to Fayetteville, TN

Polish couple bikes across the world; makes stop here
Laurie Pearson, Staff Writer


A Fayetteville family recently hosted an adventurous young couple from Poland, whose goal is to cycle their way around the world.

Ania Kozhowska, 25, and Kris Gasior, 28, left Poland Aug. 16.

"We want to start basic life again," said Ania, in slightly broken English.

"My personal goal is to meet good people in the world and for adventure," she said, noting that they both want to see new places.

This is not their first tour. Ania said they started cycling 10 years ago. Their first cycling trip was around Poland.

"And we fell in love with bicycles," she said.

The two met in their hometown of Goleniow, in northwest Poland.

Over the past several years, they have cycled through Germany, Sweden, Norway, Lapland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Holland, Belgium, France, Spain, Monaco, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and the Czech Republic.

In August, they cycled from Poland to London, England, then took a flight to Halifax, Canada. It was a tiring seven-hour flight to the Halifax airport. Once they landed, the couple reassembled their bicycles at the airport and prepared for the next leg of their journey.

From Sept. 1 through Oct. 8, Ania and Kris bicycled through Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, enjoying the beautiful forests, rivers and lakes. They rode through the Appalachian Mountains with the wind, more times than not, blowing in their faces.

While riding through Canada, they stopped in Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto and Niagara Falls. And while their $7 per day (for food, bike parts, etc.) budget doesn’t afford them much more than bread and jam for meals, they have been fortunate many days to meet kindly people who will buy them a meal or invite them to stay overnight in their homes and provide them with a warm meal.

Other times, they’ve had to pitch a tent along the way, even when the weather is cold and rainy. Like the night in upstate New York after they cycled all day to run from the forecasted, only to spend the night in their tent in a field next to some railroad tracks.

Fortunately, a website Warmshowers.org hooks up touring cyclists, when possible, with sponsors that allow them to stop and take a warm shower. Occasionally, their location corresponds with a sponsor’s home.

From upstate New York, they cycled to New York City, which they described in their blog as "huge, busy and terrifying."

Ania and Kris generally cycle 50 to 60 miles per day, but sometimes take a day to rest, sightsee or watch a concert.

From New York, they traveled to Philadelphia, saw the Liberty Bell, city hall and the steps Sylvester Stallone ran up in the movie "Rocky."

Their next goal was to see Washington D.C., which they considered the best, big city in the U.S.A., because of its malls, museums, landmarks and beautiful bike routes.

In Virginia, they once again headed toward the Appalachian Mountains, nature and fresh air. The cyclists crossed the mountains through the Shenandoah Valley and did some hiking.

Ania and Kris, country music fans, looked forward to arriving in Tennessee. They refer to Nashville as "the little big city". While there, they managed to listen to some country music.

While riding through Fayetteville last week, the couple was spotted on the Huntsville Highway by Kevin Freeman, a local resident with a passion for bicycling. He said that he saw they were serious about traveling and invited them to stay with his family that evening.

Once Ania and Kris reach the southern coast, they plan to bicycle through Mexico, then Venezuela, through the Amazon and Argentina and then … "the rest of the world."