German tourist beaten and robbed in Iran says he will continue his trip

A German cyclist who was attacked and beaten by a number of young people in Mazandaran on August 21 and had his bicycle stolen says that this incident will not stop his trip.

Philip, a German cyclist who was recently treated for cancer, wrote on his Instagram page that he was attacked by some people while cycling on the shores of the Caspian Sea, his jaw and facial bones were broken, and his belongings were stolen.

He explained that he would need about a month of rest after the surgery, but would continue his trip after that month and reschedule.

He wrote: "My excellent experience of Iranian culture is not affected by the primitive behavior of a few."

 

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04/08/2019 Diary of a journey beyond the greatest peaks -marks- ________________________________________ What a sad story. 10 days ago, a group of young people ended my wonderful journey in Iran in a brutal way. While camping at the Caspian Sea I was heavily beaten up and robbed. My yaw was fractured and my face too. After surgery my mouth got screwed up in steel. This will take at least one month to be cured. That night I wanted to publish a text about what marks living 4 months on the road had left on me and on the world around me. I changed in so many ways and now especially one thing I need to declare: This incident didn't change anything within me. I won't let the incredible time I had with all the fantastic people being abused by the selfish ambitions of a group of young criminals. I never could allow this project, which you all are part of in some way being affected by such primitive behavior. It will for sure have an impact: I need to take a time off to recover and reorganize the robbed and destroyed equipment, and the worst: the @Silkroadmountainrace 2019 now is a lost case for me. Preparations were going on very well and this epic event would have been a perfect story in all this great journey. But things have happened and now there is no chance. At the same time: thanks to all the worried people with those lovely words which you sent to me! Once again: my wonderful experience of Iranian culture won't be affected by a bunch of primitive idiots. My journey will continue in the pamirs as soon as I will be able to use my mouth again. Meanwhile let's take care of bike and body. To be continued... __________________________ #sad #assault #robbed #primitive #criminals #focused

A post shared by Philipp Markgraf (@pedalskillcancer) on Aug 3, 2019 at 11:38pm PDT

Philipp, who started his journey in Germany, plans to end his journey in eastern India after crossing Central Asia and the Pamirs. During the trip, he will raise funds for a campaign to help cancer patients.