Young activist and independent Ħaż-Żebbuġ local councillor Steve Zammit Lupi has completed his 41-day bicycle trip from Malta to Stockholm.
The youth crossed through six countries by bicycle, moving through Italy, Austria, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden, to reach his final destination.
Zammit Lupi told The Malta Independent that he has always had a passion for cycling. He had always thought that a bicycle trip around Europe would be a memorable thing to do, and after seeking inspiration through online cycling forums and groups, he finally went ahead with this idea this summer.
He said that food was the largest expense throughout his trip and something he had to plan his stops around. Zammit Lupi described how it was impractical for him to carry food with him due to the added weight it would contribute, and therefore, he had to keep an eye out to see where he could purchase any snacks and where he could have a sufficient dinner every evening to fuel himself throughout his journey of cycling an average of 120 kilometres daily.
Across this 4,400km, he settled accommodation by mostly camping outdoors and by couch surfing and finding hostels for a couple nights. Henceforth, costs were greatly minimized.
Only a month of training was required by the young cyclist to prepare for his long bike ride. Despite cycling through over a hundred kilometres everyday on average and cycling for 211km in his longest singular ride, Zammit Lupi ensured to travel lightly to optimise his energy output; he carried with him a sleeping bed and a tent to sleep under shelter, as well as his phone, phone charger, and some few changing clothes.
After being asked about the respect on the roads he felt while cycling throughout his trip in mainland Europe, the Żebbuġ councillor noted that “cycling in Malta isn’t the impossible thing most people, unfortunately, think it is”. He stated that with extremely short distances, cycling in the Maltese islands should be a very practical aspect for daily commuting.
He also noted the patience of car drivers he encountered while cycling towards Stockholm. He described how cars left sufficient safe space between him and their vehicle while overtaking and patiently drove behind him when the opportunity was not yet available.
Navigating across the continent through his mobile phone, Zammit Lupi highlighted the easily accessible infrastructure he came across. For instance, he found it very easy to navigate through junctions and saw no trouble in crossing any roads or pathways safely. He continued that “the good infrastructure helps” and that “these are things that are planned organised neatly” by authorities which value bicycles.
Throughout parts of his transcontinental bike ride Zammit Lupi posted semi-regularly, often including images of secluded bicycle lanes and bicycle highways which he followed to traverse through the beautiful European countryside. Many of these paths were often built by long river banks.
Steve Zammit Lupi was elected into the local council of Ħaż-Żebbuġ on an independent ticket away from partisan politics in 2019 when he was just 23 years old after acquiring 947 first preference votes. He concluded this trip on Saturday, 19th August – less than a week before his 28th birthday.
The councillor is known to be an environmentalist who has long been involved with the local bicycle advocacy group known as “Rota”. Upon election, Zammit Lupi said that the subjects relating to transport, the environment, and sustainable mobility were all topics he found close to heart.