Kevin Lytle

kevinlytle@coloradoan.com

On the way to the World Cup, two CSU graduates adopted a pet chicken and almost died at sea.

Their (mostly) bicycle trip from San Diego to Brazil saw them travel through 12 countries, bike 5,592 miles and suffer 19 flat tires on the 225-day journey that started in October.

Isaac Manobla and Heinrich Flaig, who both graduated from Colorado State University with degrees in natural resource recreation and tourism, decided to make the trip to "travel to the Cup in a sustainable style, try to educate people on low-impact lifestyle, farming good food and trying for a sustainable future."

First let's talk chicken. His name is Cisse and he was given to Flaig and Manobla as a gift in Ometepe, Nicaragua.

Cisse traveled with the pair for weeks, riding on the bike, sleeping in a hammock and was even sneaked aboard a boat. He was given the #travelingchicken hashtag on SustainablySouth.com, the blog Flaig and Manobla maintained throughout the journey. When the pair went swimming in the jungle, Cisse calmly floated along on the edge of half a watermelon.

In the words of Flaig and Manobla, Cisse was a "super chill chicken."

The bikers only parted ways with Cisse when they had to take a short flight from Panama City, Panama, to Quito, Ecuador. The pair built Cisse a coop so he could live with a family they stayed with an Ecuador.

But before that, Cisse survived a near-death experience on the water.

That occurred the first time Flaig and Manobla tried to leave Panama City.

They planned to take a boat from Panama to Ecuador. Six days into the trip, the motor on the small sailing boat died.

A small fire started, and the boat started to flood. A distress signal was sent to the Coast Guard, but no rescue boats were within range. They packed a bag of essentials and prepared to bail into a small raft if need be. They also grabbed the "super chill chicken."

Sitting 250 miles off the coast of Panama City, the Coast Guard radioed to an oil tanker from India, which found the sinking sailboat and saved the two CSU grads, their captain and Cisse by hauling them and their belongings back to Panama City.

After that, relatives offered up frequent flier miles to safely get the duo to Ecuador via plane.

The rest of the trip might not have had the same amount of fear or excitement as the boat trip, but there was plenty of intrigue.

Locals often offered housing in exchange for nothing more than labor to help clean their property or build an outdoor stove.

"The most surprising part was just how awesome everyone has been toward us," Flaig said in an email. "I knew people would be friendly, but we have received so much support, hospitality and good treatment along the way."

They scaled huge mountains and fought gale winds and had peaceful rides along coastlines.

They dove off cliffs in Costa Rica and climbed volcanoes in Guatemala and El Salvador. They had a bike stolen in Quito and played pick-up soccer games with locals just about every step along the way, including on the deck of a boat floating down the river toward Manaus, Brazil.

The best place they visited?

"My favorite country has been Mexico," Flaig wrote. "Mexico receives such negative press in the USA. The people were amazing and the tacos are out of this world!"

Throughout the trip, Flaig and Manobla were joined at times by different friends who met them along the way. The pair separated between Quito and Brazil, but reunited before heading to Manaus.

Once there, Manobla headed to Cuiaba to watch Chile play Australia in Group B action Friday. Flaig, who also attended games at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, headed to Natal for Monday's Group G game between the U.S. and Ghana.

Presently, Flaig doesn't have an exit plan. He would like to finish with the environment-friendly theme and boat to Florida, where his parents live. With hurricane season looming, he might end up flying home.

"The future is unknown, but that's what makes it so enjoyable!" Flaig wrote.

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle at twitter.com/Kevin_Lytle and at facebook.com/ KevinSLytle.

Biking from U.S. to Brazil

Numbers: 225 days, 12 countries, 5,592 miles biked, 4,349 miles floated in the Amazon, 19 flat tires.

Notable: Isaac Manobla and Heinrich Flaig graduated from CSU with a degree in natural resources recreation and tourism...Manobla has previously volunteered at the Fort Collins Bicycle Co-op...Flaig owned eight bikes at one point in college.

Blog: SustainablySouth.com