Somewhere deep in the cold black night, a lightless train travels from world to world – from a place of beauty and light to a place of darkness and pain, where postcard sunsets, frames Spectacular scenery and meaningful connections will be replaced by broken members. broken life, destruction and death.
Anna Grechishkina felt nothing. Returning to a country at war for eight years, eight months and eight days after leaving on his motorcycle to travel around the world, it is impossible to tell if it is home anymore. And as the kaleidoscope of thoughts and emotions spilled into the night, a single purpose evolved: to serve! To do whatever needs to be done. Join the Ukrainian people in their fight against a totalitarian aggressor who wants to destroy everything they have built since independence in 1991.
Anna was prepared for death, knowing she would dedicate her life to a greater cause than the travels around the world that landed her in the Guinness Book of World Records for the journey. alone by a woman’s longest motorcycle.
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Prewar
Back in 2005, while working in the human resources department at a local bank in Kiev, Anna started riding in a 125cc Kawasaki Eliminator. She developed a passion for motorcycles that didn’t stop when the bike was stolen from outside her apartment one night.
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Replacing it with another Kawasaki, the Vulcan 900, Anna began her journey. She started vacationing on her motorcycle and within a few years she traveled through Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Syria, Jordan and other places. Sometimes she goes with friends, but she also makes trips alone. While many world travelers find inspiration in books or videos, Anna finds it in the stories she hears on the road and the experience itself.
Over the years, it became more difficult to return home to a desk job with piles of paperwork and the dream of a trip around the world began to take shape. It was clear that a Kawasaki cruiser was not the ideal machine for such an adventure, although it did take her over every kind of terrain she could imagine.
With the intention of using a large displacement motorcycle for the journey and the goal of becoming the first Ukrainian woman to cycle around the world, Anna sought sponsors. KTM Ukraine has stepped up and offers 1190 Adventure with 50% off. It was a great start, but it still consumed most of her savings.
In July 2013, with just over 1,000 euros in her pocket, support from several equipment donors, and massive backing from the local Ukrainian media, Anna set out to see if she had How far can you go with your limited money? After 15 months of planning, leaving the house was scary. Her fear of failure accompanies her as she heads east through Russia, with plans to reach Vladivostok, on the Pacific coast. Since Anna didn’t want her trip to be rushed, it took her three months to reach her destination. During that time, she named her journey “I Have a Dream” and matching tattoos began to take shape.
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The road became Anna’s teacher, and as she began to hone her skills and learn to survive on the road with limited money, the concept of showing others what was possible began to emerge. The more she traveled, the more photos she took, and the more she shared her experiences, it all started to come together. Her money stretched as far as Vladivostok, where a local motorcycle club helped transport KTM to Thailand. The journey continued through Malaysia and down to Singapore before another ship reached Australia.
By then, Anna was building her social media following and giving presentations to local motorcycle communities, and the money started flowing in. In total, she spent four months cycling in Australia, where she crossed the deserted, treeless Nullarbor Plain on her way to Sydney, and from there to America.
Arriving in Los Angeles, Anna headed east and fulfilled her dream of riding on Route 66. After arriving in New York, she turned south and eventually crossed Mexico. She continued south to Central America and then South America. Finally, the KTM was boxed again and Anna bought a ticket to South Africa.
The next three months have been the biggest test of Anna’s patience and faith in the journey to date, as a massive dock strike left KTM stranded in Brazil after Anna had flown ahead. Johannesburg. The situation is further complicated by paperwork issues. Finally, in October 2016, on the occasion of Anna’s birthday, she was reunited with her beloved motorcycle.
Much of 2017 was spent traveling through Africa, passing through Namibia, Zimbabwe and Malawi before passing through Uganda, Rwanda and on to Egypt. While the whole African experience was amazing, it was Namibia that stole Anna’s heart. After making a vow to return, she continued to ride her horse back to Europe. The first solo circumnavigation of the world is complete.
By then, 4 and a half years had passed since she anxiously left Ukraine, horseback riding and unscheduled travel had become a way of life. After returning to Ukraine, Anna has a vivid dream of returning to her old desk job. Morning reveals that this is not the case, and Anna takes the resulting happiness as a sign that it is time to start circumnavigating the second world. This time it will be counter-clockwise.
Things changed when she arrived in Argentina; She had a plan and felt more mature. It is clear that the existing Guinness World Records of 5 and a half years and 180,000 km driven alone by female racer Benka Pulko can be beaten. Anna has been riding, exploring, networking and continuing to share her experiences over the next year in South and Central America before heading to Mexico. The goal is to get as far north as possible in Alaska, a journey she didn’t make on her first visit. Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit, she found herself stranded in Mexico.
After so many years on the road, Anna built up an extensive network of friends and was able to secure a place to stay on the beach in the Yucatan for the first six months of the pandemic. Living just 100 yards from the ocean isn’t a bad place to wait and see what happens next. As border restrictions continue to expand, her goal of reaching the US seems unattainable. Then the opportunity to fly to Germany opened, two months of waiting for KTM to catch up, Anna was locked again, I don’t know how long.
Finally, when the border reopens, it’s time for KTM to swallow a few miles. With the GPS positioned at the North Cape above the Arctic Circle at the top of Norway, it’s good to be back in the saddle. Traversing the northernmost part of Europe, a land of snow, reindeer and endless daylight at the summer solstice, Anna’s life is back to normal.
Back home
Returning to Germany a few months later, Anna booked a trip to Namibia because she could not ride through Morocco, and on February 23, 2022, she arrived in Windhoek. Little does she know that the next day the world will be turned upside down for her and 44 million fellow Ukrainians.
Waking up on February 24 to news of the Russian invasion of her country, Anna is suddenly faced with a difficult decision. How can she stay on track to enjoy her life and post pictures while her country is at war? She has to go – to be with her people and country, to do something.
A call to a friend at a local battalion in Kyiv kicked off the process. The prep work has begun and so has Anna’s fundraising as she gives interviews and talks. Meanwhile, the world witnessed the horrifying first days of the war with gruesome images of women and children being bombed. Anna secures safe storage for her loyal KTM in Windhoek, and the long journey back begins.
Returning to Kyiv, she received immediate military training, where she learned about weapons, combat medicine and how not only to deal with physical injuries and amputations but also the loss and mental damage. It was imperative to know how to help, and she learned what to say — or not to say — to victims.
When she and I talked on the phone, she said to me, “I know I could be killed at any moment, it’s not safe, but it’s more important to have my life to help. “
During training, one of the most important things Anna learned was not to hate. “When you hate, you lose, because hatred will defeat you and let them win.”
It’s hard not to hate when your country is invaded, but Anna and all the volunteers on her Territory defense team know they must act with a sober and cool mind.
Anna is extremely proud of the Ukrainians who showed the world that they are ready to fight to the death for their country. At the time of this writing, Anna is making perilous trips to the front lines, and since we met, the number of projects she has taken on has been astounding.
Her trusty Vulcan 900 is back up and running. Anna has used it to visit some of the hardest hit areas, raise awareness of the atrocities, and give aid and supplies where possible. During a recent phone call with Anna, I could hear explosions in the background as she delivered supplies to soldiers on the front lines.
As I look to wrap up this snapshot of Anna Grechishkina’s incredible life, I can only hope that we are all inspired by her travels, courage, and heart. she. And that she will continue to get the support she needs from our global motorcycle community, who have gathered to support her incredible efforts for the people of Ukraine.
Follow Anna Grechishkina on Instagram @anna_grechishkina.
