342 km on the first day

By road bike to the Hagia Sophia on the Bosporus

Family and friends said goodbye to the extreme cyclist at five o'clock in the morning in front of Friedensburg Castle.

(Bild: Weber Franz/Franz Weber)

After a number of athletic adventures, Ernst Artner was once again seized by sporting ambition. He set off from Stadtschlaining at five o'clock in the morning on Sunday.

Ernst Artner is characterized by verve, discipline and an iron will. The police officer from Bad Tatzmannsdorf has already achieved a lot. He once cycled 2200 kilometers and 20,000 meters in altitude to the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, in just a few days.

Used to hardships
Another time, his destination was Portugal's Atlantic coast - more than 3,300 kilometers and almost 21,500 meters of altitude in 136 hours over 14 days. At the end of May, the Burgenland native set off at 10 a.m. from the Heldentor in Vienna, and at 9.27 a.m. the following day he was standing in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. The 49-year-old mastered the 613-kilometre route non-stop - at an average speed of 28.8 km/h with 4457 meters of elevation gain.

A quick kiss from "his" Karin, then Ernst Artner cycled off in Stadtschlaining.

(Bild: Weber Franz/Franz Weber)

The next adventure was not long in coming. At five o'clock in the morning on Sunday, Ernst Artner pedaled hard again. From the Friedensburg in Stadtschlaining to the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, in just five days.

Now he is pushing himself to the limit
1540 kilometers and 12,000 meters of altitude lie ahead of the highly motivated athlete: "The tour to the eastern end of Europe will push me to the limits of my ability. In order to complete the route in 120 hours, I will also have to be on the road in the dark and sleep less." That will be tough.

First stage completed
The start of the extreme tour went according to plan. Ernst Artner had set himself a target of 342 kilometers for the first stage - and he made it! On Sunday evening, the Burgenland native arrived safely in Osijek, the fourth largest city in Croatia. On Monday he continues his journey.