Steven Weinberg is one of those Luxembourgish adventurers who make you dream! His new project starts this Monday: a 12,500 km trip on 5 European rivers at the wheel of the “Charmante”, a gleaming Peugeot 201 from 1930.
Weinberg’s first vehicle was a Peugeot BB Griffon 49cc moped, which he rode from 1960 to 1963 from La Turbie to Aix-en-Provence (roughly 200 kilometres).
We have come a long way since then! Born in the Netherlands and living in Senningen in Luxembourg, this enthusiast of beautiful machines is above all a specialist in marine biology (many students of the European School of Luxembourg remember his courses between 1982 and 2010). These passions have led him to multiply his adventures in the four corners of the world.
Let’s mention, for the car part, a Paris-Gobi of 16,000 km with an old Renault 4CV of 1959 in 2007, a world tour of 33,500 km with the same ‘Petite’ in 2010-2011, a tour of the mini-states of Europe in a ‘Mini’ in 2014-2015, and a tour of France in 2016, for his 70th birthday, with ‘La Petite’ and in company of his wife.
And he’s far from retiring from bikes: the proof is in his new project which revolves around his latest acquisition, a 1930 Peugeot 201, known as ‘La Charmante’.
A delicate nickname for a journey that promises to be rougher: from the Rhine to the Elbe via the Rhône, the Loire and the Danube, “La Charmante” and its crew will be embarking on a large-scale odyssey, reports the Automobile Club Luxembourg (ACL), which is supporting the project.
© Steven Weinberg
After multiple Covid-induced delays and challenges, this time the excursion will take place for certain. Weinberg hopes to cross five European rivers flowing into four different seas. A journey of 12,500 km to be followed from 2 May 2022, the date of departure from Luxembourg.
In addition to the usual twists and turns and other mechanical surprises that are expected to dictate the route, there remains the thorny issue of the war in Ukraine. The fourth river will be the Danube, but Weinberg is unsure with the current political situation that he will be able to go as far as the mouth. He had hoped to travel to Odessa (Ukraine), but now no longer knows what to expect. It’s certainly his way of renewing ties between these neighbouring countries that are at each other’s throats…
Here is the map of his trip:
© Steven Weinberg
So let’s wish him all the best! And if ‘La Charmante’ ever has any quirks along the way that the cannot solve, hopefully the ACL will come to his rescue!