Antarctic cycling expeditions were made possible with the development of fatbikes: fat tired bicycles designed for riding in snow and sand.

Expeditions

Expeditions in order of distance cycled.

Doug Stoup was the first person to undertake a cycling expedition in Antarctica. In January 2003 he rode 200 miles (320 km) on a specially designed "ice bike" around the Patriot Hills.^[8][9]

In 2012, Helen Skelton became the first person to reach the South Pole using a bicycle. The bike was custom built for her trip with 8-inch-wide (20 cm) tires. She also used skis and a kite to help her pull a sled containing 82 kilograms (181 lb) of supplies.^[10] She covered 329 miles (529 km) by kite ski, 103 mi (166 km) by bike and 69 mi (111 km) by cross-country ski. Some of Skelton's claims have been challenged.^[11]

In December 2012, Eric Larsen made the first attempt to undertake an expedition solely by bicycle to the South Pole. After covering 175 miles (282 km), a quarter of the distance to the South Pole, Larsen abandoned his attempt and cycled an additional 160 miles (260 km) back to Patriot Hills.^[12] On 27 December 2013, Maria Leijerstam became the first person to cycle from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole.^[13] Leijerstam's achievement was criticized for excessive motorized support.^[14]

Juan Menéndez Granados, calling himself "Juan Sin Miedo", started his bicycle and ski expedition at Hercules Inlet in December 2013 and finished on January 17, 2014. He traveled the full distance without being resupplied, surviving the last 4 days of the expedition drinking chocolate powder and sunflower oil. When it was not possible to progress by cycling, he used skis to make progress. He became the first person to cycle to the South Pole solo, unsupported and unassisted.^[15]

Daniel Burton attempted a solo cycling expedition to the South Pole later in 2014, although there were four caches of food staged along the route, as well as an equipment cache. Burton traveled the full distance pedaling or pushing his bike (without skis such as Menéndez used). His effort took 5 days longer than Menéndez'.^[16]

Omar Di Felice attempted a solo cycling expedition to the South Pole first in November 2022 but it was forced to come back home after a week due to family problem. After winning the Trans Am Bike Race in June 2023, he decided to come back trying to reach the South Pole starting from Hercules Inlet in November 2023. He started on November 20th and after 48 days of riding he was forced to stop and cycle back to be picked up in Thiels Corner (85°05' South on the Hercules Inlet - South Pole track). His attempt called "Antarctica Unlimited" is also part of the project "Bike to 1.5°C" to raise awareness on climate change. The distance he covered is the second longest ever cycled in Antarctica ^[17]

References