Mauno Wilkkinen (official name Mauno Samuli Vilkkinen; 15 August 1910 Vampula – 11 April 1995 Somero) was a Finnish world traveler known especially for his long bicycle journeys in various parts of the world. He was nicknamed Someron teräsvaari (English: Old man of steel from Somero), a title that was also printed on his own business card. Between 1972 and 1981, Wilkkinen cycled around the world, visiting 71 countries during his travels. He repeatedly described his travels with the phrase "I am cycling Finland onto the world map" and called himself "Finland's roving ambassador".
Life Wilkkinen was originally from Vampula and moved to Somero in the early 1960s, where he lived on Urheilutie street. His official surname was Vilkkinen, but according to his family he used a "W" at the beginning of his surname as an affectation; his name also appears as Mauno Samuli Wilkkinen in the death notice. Before his travel career, Wilkkinen worked in several different professions, including agriculture, the insurance industry, car sales, real estate brokerage, and as an agent. He participated in the Winter and Continuation Wars and later received a war veteran's pension. Wilkkinen was married, but the marriage ended in divorce; he had three children. Before his long trips, Wilkkinen studied English using the Linguaphone method and completed a middle school course in Swedish and German.
Early travels Wilkkinen made his first foreign cycling trip in 1938, cycling approximately 2,300 kilometres in three weeks through Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. A long break followed from the war years onwards, and the next foreign trip was made in 1966, when Wilkkinen cycled through West Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. In 1967 he again traveled to West Germany, as well as France, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Austria. In 1968, Wilkkinen embarked on an extensive cycling trip to Europe and North Africa. The journey began from Somero on 14 August 1968, lasted 16 months and nine days, and extended to Marrakesh in Morocco. During the trip, he cycled 18,300 kilometres and visited 18 countries. He had 497 marks and 9 pennies as starting funds. Near Paris, Wilkkinen was involved in a traffic accident while avoiding a car that had made an overtaking error. In the accident, he broke his thumb and a couple of ribs. He recovered for about a week in a tent at a campsite and then continued his journey by walking his bicycle. In Marrakesh, he worked for four days as the bodyguard and guide of a Dutch woman who worked as a doctor in the United States. In Morocco, Wilkkinen was attacked several times by local stone-throwers in mountainous areas, and part of his travel funds were stolen in Casablanca. According to the magazines Fillari and Iltalehti, it was specifically the experiences of the Africa trip that convinced Wilkkinen that he would be able to cycle around the entire globe.
Round-the-world trip 1972–1981 Wilkkinen's most famous trip began in January 1972, when he left Rauma for South America aboard a cargo ship. To get on board, Wilkkinen had obtained a seaman's passport from Niilo Wälläri, the chairman of the Finnish Seamen's Union, which allowed him to pay for his trip partly with shipboard work and partly with money. The trip lasted approximately nine and a half years. During the trip, Wilkkinen visited 71 countries, cycled approximately 86,000 kilometres, and traveled in total approximately 250,000 kilometres by various means of transport. According to Salon Seudun Sanomat, 46,500 kilometres of the total journey were covered by flying. According to Uusi Suomi, 79 bicycle tires were used during the trip, and according to Fillari magazine, seven different bicycles were used in total, some of which had no gears and one of which had five gears. The travel route went through South America, Central America, and North America to Asia, Australia, and back to Europe. According to Horila, he cycled through all the countries of South America except Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. He reached Chile from Argentina only via Peru in 1974, because crossing the Andes directly was not possible by bicycle. In Central America, he passed through six states, and according to the Suomi 1975 column in Turun Sanomat, in June 1975 he had cycled through Costa Rica and was at that time heading toward Mexico. According to Horila, he stayed in Mexico for more than a month. Over the following years, he cycled extensively in the United States and Canada and also visited Alaska, and in 1976 he followed the Montreal Olympics in person. From America, Wilkkinen continued in 1978 to Hawaii and from there to Japan. The route continued to the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand. After this, he continued his journey to India, Egypt, and Israel, where he worked on a kibbutz for several months. He returned to Finland in June 1981.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
