Radu Paltineanu, the first Romanian who crossed the continents of North and South America by bike, received on Tuesday, in Munich, the “European Adventurer of the Year 2018” award.

This is the first time when a Romanian wins this prize, Paltineanu said on his Facebook page, according to local Agerpres. The title was handed to him at the ISPO outdoor fair in Munich.

“I’ve just been awarded this prestigious title that I want to dedicate to all young Romanians who dream of seeing the world and venture into the unknown and all the Romanians who have already done it. This makes me want to keep inspiring other people through my travel stories and continue to overcome my own limits in future expeditions,” Radu Paltineanu wrote on Facebook.

Paltineanu is the first Romanian who crossed the American continents on a bicycle. He pedaled over 34,500 kilometers on an expedition that debuted on August 5, 2015, and ended in Ushuaia at the "End of the World" on the evening of October 22, 2018 after more than 3 years.

The European Adventurer of the Year is an award given to people with outstanding performances in the concept of adventure. The first prize winner, back in 2009, was Italian climber Simone Moro, who was honored for his winter decent of Makalu (8463 meters).

newsroom@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Radu Paltineanu)