France – Le Parisien, July 07, 2025
The 18-year-old adventurer hasn’t been heard from since June 16 in Iran. His cycling journey was supposed to take him all the way to Japan, through countries deemed dangerous by French authorities, who now describe his disappearance as “worrying.”
“At 18, I’m going to cross the most dangerous countries in the world by bike.” That’s what Lennart Monterlos declared in a video posted on Instagram in August 2024, at the start of an ambitious journey meant to take him to Japan. The young French-German traveler has been missing in Iran since June 16.
On Monday, French Minister for Citizens Abroad, Laurent Saint-Martin, called the young man’s disappearance “worrying” in an interview on RTL. “Iran has a deliberate policy of taking Westerners hostage—a fully intentional strategy,” he reiterated.
Lennart’s Instagram account is a mix of manga sketches, outdoor climbing photos, and frequent travel updates detailing his bike trip across Eurasia. His posts consistently paint a glowing picture of the countries he visits.
He left Besançon on August 13, 2024, traveled through parts of Switzerland and Germany, and reached Austria by the end of the month. From there, he cycled into Slovakia, arriving in Budapest by mid-September.
