Swiss couple cycle 10,000 miles to see son compete in Winter Olympics

T TV Monday 19/February/2018 14:35 PM
By: Times News Service

Pyeongchang: A year and 10,000 miles later, a Swiss couple arrived in Pyeongchang last week to watch their son compete in the Winter Olympics.
Guido Huwiler, father of Swiss Freestyle aerials Olympic athlete Mischa Gasser, said, "The most important thing is that my son is here and he can live his dream."
A year ago, Huwiler and Gasser's stepmother left their home in Switzerland and made the 10,000-plus mile journey through 20 countries to get to Pyeongchang to see their son compete in the Winter Olympics.
Huwiler said, "He felt very moved to have drived (cycled) after all this year to arrive here and see my son waiting for us and we were really touched, I had no words." The couple - who are both in their 50s - said cycling every day was difficult, but that didn't stop them from pressing forward and even posting pictures of their journey on their blog along the way. Their toughest challenge however was travelling the Pamir Highway that crosses several central Asian countries including Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. The highway is 15,000 feet above sea level.
When the couple reached the Chinese border, Huwiler said he wasn't able to get a visa because of his beard. He refused to cut it and the couple found another way to get to their destination.
Once they got to South Korea, they camped outdoors in sub-zero temperatures en route to Pyeongchang's Phoenix Park to see Gasser compete.
Huwiler had some advice for his 26-year-old son who dreamed of being in the Olympics since he was young, "Mischa, do your best you can in your life, just live your dream and don't listen to anybody who tells you some stories about what you have to do, how you should be good, how you should be bad, whatever you do, go only for your dream."
The couple will continue their journey through South Korea before flying to Japan. From there, they'll head back to Switzerland to pick up visas for China, Mongolia and Russia before resuming their adventure.