There are many amazing people in the world who do even more amazing things. I never thought and I still cannot believe that there are people so committed to their bikes that they bike around the world. With all the new technology today it seems unnecessary to me to use such a simple form of transportation to travel to new places. But even in this technological world we live in one man, among others I’m sure, has decided to embark on one of the most interesting and ultimately challenging travels of his life.
Karol Voltemar was born during socialism in Czechoslovakia under Soviet supremacy. Even since a young age Karol has been interested in computers and technology. He believed that computers were like his teachers, telling him everything he needed to know about the world outside his own hometown. Even though Karol was interested in computers he was also fascinated by the beauty of nature. At about the age of 15 Karol saved up enough money to buy his first bike and then would ride around regularly with his friends.
As Karol got older he accepted jobs from Adobe and Microsoft as a lecturer who was paid to talk highly and encourage people to buy their products. After 9 years he eventually realized he wanted to be a developer which lead him into the field of marketing. He believed combining his knowledge for tech and his people skills marketing was the job for him. Karol was living a comfortable life when he got into a terrible skiing accident. After about 2 years of rehabilitation he was ready to get back on a bike.
Karol’s time in the hospital changed him, he decided to stop wasting his life and to do what he really wants to do now. In 2010 he decided to do his first bike tour of Turkey and had an amazing time. Karol is currently on his first solo trip around the world which he began in 2013 and is due to return this fall.
Credibility is the quality of being trusted or believed in. Karol claims he travels around the world on his bike but how can we know for sure if he is telling the truth? Horner states that to be creditable a writer must exhibit intelligence, virtue, and goodwill; Karol expresses all three. Karol is a very intelligent man who for many years worked with computers but soon discovered he wanted more out of life, a choice only an intelligent man who knows what he wants could have made. Intelligence can also be defined or molded through experience and Karol has extensive experience with bicycles because he has been riding them around the world for years. To be virtuous and have goodwill Horner stats that an author must identify with the values and interests of the audience. Karol’s audience is one which values bikes and thinks they are an amazing mode of transportation that can be used for travel to far and near places. Virtue can also be defined as showing high moral standards or the way one treats another. Karol often stops on his journey’s to help those in developing countries that are not as well off as his. One example of this is when he is biking through Nepal and sees a small man carry a very large and heavy bag. When he approaches the man Karol graciously gives him a few hundreds of Nepali Ruppies. Karol is a virtuous man who care about those who are not as fortunate as him.
Karol travels the world by bike because he can truly immerse himself in the culture. Karol is like a part time anthropologist who travels to a certain place and lives among the people. Karol does not stay for as long as an anthropologist would be it’s the same idea he wants to learn as much as he can about a certain culture before he has to move onto the next. Karol and his experiences are creditable because he expresses all of Horner’s qualities for creditability. Karol and his experiences are valuable resources for those of us who may not want to travel the world on a bike but maybe just want to see the world around us in a new light.