Czech man to cycle a city bike through 352 villages starting with "D" to raise money for palliative care

Jan "Gonza" Kohoutek from Žďár nad Sázavou will set off on June 23, 2026, on an unusual cycling journey called #D352 — his plan is to visit all 352 municipalities in Czechia whose names begin with the letter "D," riding nothing more than an ordinary city bike from the Rekola bike-sharing network.

The route will stretch roughly 6,500–7,000 kilometres, and Kohoutek expects the whole journey to take three to four months. As he explains, he's talking specifically about individual municipalities (obce), not city districts — and there are exactly 352 such places on the map of Czechia.

The main point of the project isn't setting a sporting record, but raising money for Domestici, a non-profit organisation working in palliative care. The idea is simple: one village equals one thousand crowns. That way, Kohoutek hopes to raise at least 352,000 crowns.

"D is for domov — home. D is for dobrodružství — adventure. D is for dobrý den — good day. D is for Domestici," he says, explaining the meaning behind the project's name.

The idea for this ambitious trip didn't come out of nowhere. Kohoutek used to work as a steam turbine tester, but a year ago he took unpaid leave and cycled from Žďár nad Sázavou all the way to Azerbaijan. By his own admission, he hadn't been much of a cyclist before that — but the trip turned out to be a turning point in his life. During that journey he was already partnering with Domestici.cz, and raised 190,000 crowns to support palliative care.

After returning home, he decided not to go back to his corporate job, choosing instead to devote himself to travel and socially meaningful projects. This time, he wants to discover his own country: having travelled half the world for work, he admits he still struggles to find Klatovy on a map.

For this trip, he deliberately chose not a sporty bike but an ordinary city-sharing Rekola — heavy and hardly built for long distances. According to him, that's a key part of the concept: to show that adventure doesn't require top-notch gear or professional training, and that a heavy bike forces you to slow down and pay closer attention to the people and places around you.

Kohoutek doesn't intend to simply pass through each of the 352 villages — he plans to properly visit them: talking with locals, collecting their stories, and, wherever possible, getting people involved in the fundraising. His progress can be followed on a dedicated online map, where visited towns and villages will gradually "light up." Anyone interested will be able to follow the route and join in — either in person or remotely.

Kohoutek himself stresses that he doesn't see himself as some kind of hero: he calls it a slightly absurd journey meant to remind people that a full life can be lived every day, rather than waiting for some "perfect moment" — because some people may no longer have the strength left to wait. The project's motto sums it up: "I can, while I live. I live, while I can."

Read also: 9 best cycling routes around Prague: from the Vltava embankments to Karlštejn Castle

Source: turistika.cz