In his youth, which he spent in Novo Mesto, he was an active athlete. Twenty-five years ago Andrej Zaman moved to Ajdovščina, and after a couple of years of absence from sport he then discovered cycling.

He was so incredibly drawn to the sport that his cycling trials became evermore long and difficult – among them was this year’s Trans Am Bike Race.

He was the first Slovenian to take part in the race, which was held for the third time. Alone, with no assistance or support crew (which is the basic rule of the race), Zaman completed the almost 7.000 km race in 24 days.

"It was interesting – there were more technical and health-related difficulties than I expected, but I managed to complete the race and finish 14th. I’m satisfied," Zaman told TV Slovenija. There were many endless plains, steep slopes and descents. On long sections of the trail he was completely alone, left to himself and exposed to danger. "You have to help yourself, or just stop anyone who happens to be passing by to help you with your problems."

"A race around the world also exists," is Zaman’s reply to a question of whether there exists a more difficult cycling challenge.