World's First Cycle Trip To the South Pole Achieved 49
Zothecula writes "Shortly before Christmas, we heard about 35 year-old British adventurer Maria Leijerstam's planned attempt to ride to the South Pole on a recumbent fat-tired tricycle. On December 27th at 1am GMT, she achieved that goal, becoming the first person to ever successfully cycle from the edge of the Antarctic continent to the Pole."
LOL ... (Score:5, Funny)
Oh, great, now someone will feel the need to do it in a unicycle.
Re:LOL ... (Score:5, Funny)
Actually, even two wheels has not been successfully accomplished yet. Though, to be fair, zero wheels has been done.
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I'm waiting for the "First handstand-walk to the South Pole" achievement to be unlocked, myself.
Icebound ship in Antartica rescued! (Score:3)
. . . by a team of tricyclists . . . !
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. . . by a team of tricyclists . . . !
My first thought :}
Hey Maria, (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Hey Maria, (Score:4, Insightful)
its a trip TO the pole.
in other words, there's a lift out of there.
Re:Hey Maria, (Score:5, Informative)
There's daily flights to the pole from McMurdo...
It's only in the winter you can't fly.
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There is a research station at the south pole.
She can probably crash there for a few days
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amundsen%E2%80%93Scott_South_Pole_Station [wikipedia.org]
My questions are:
She had a cargo rack and panniers on her trike, was that enough to carry all she needed? Did she drag a sled like many solo explorers? Was this a solo? Were there supply drops on the way? It just seems insane to attempt such a high-energy feat in such a harsh climate with the limited gear apparent in the photographs.
Congratulations
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that's why I'm very interested in finding out what her dietary regime was for the trip... Low-carb, high-fat fuelling herself from proper pemmican? Not the crap dietary "balanced" formula pemmican that caused the Scott expedition to fail.
From some quick googling, you only need one pound of proper pemmican per day (that's pemmican made the old fashioned way with just pounded drie
Sounds to me like she just wanted a popcycle. (Score:2)
Epic South Pole (Score:4, Informative)
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Wow. Funny I was just thinking of that antarctic explorer who planned to be the first person to the south pole, and instead got to Antarctica in time to meet the expedition who beat him to it on their return trip.
Of course, his expedition ended when they got caught in a storm and all died. Hopefully this guy will not follow in that tradition.
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You mean the Scott expedition? [wikipedia.org]
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Actually, this is the same news, although I do like Daniel's blog.
FTA:
Despite starting days later than her competitors Maria is significantly closer to the finish than American, Daniel Burton, and Spaniard, Juan Menendez Granados. The two men are cycling the most common route from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole on Fat Bikes – an approach that has been taken before but without success.
Then I guess (Score:2)
So Krystal Ball, Ari Melber, Abby Huntsman and Touré will have to try to be The 1st Cycle to the North Pole then
Aokiji did it on a bicycle... (Score:2)
Aokiji did it on a bicycle, though it's a bit unclear how far the distance was. He did have to freeze the water first, though.
Why? (Score:1)
What's the point?
I would love to see someone try it using Amundsen or Scott's equipment. Amudsen's voyage was the most remarkable because of the horrific route he took with no maps or GPS or radio....
The point is ... (Score:1)
... one less item on your bucket list.
My question is: Who paid for this, and why? Unless it was his personal money, it seems like a waste of money.
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You don't know who "Amundsen" was, do you?
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There was an effort in 2006 to re-create the Scott expedition to see if they could figure out why it failed (see the second paragraph of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_the_Amundsen_and_Scott_Expeditions#Food_and_fuel [wikipedia.org]). They called it off before reaching the pole because the expedition members were suffering from severe weight loss.
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Amundson's route was partly mapped by Shackelton and they carried maps and sextants. Radios and GPS units did not exist at the time, which is why they decided not to use them.
News for nerds?! (Score:1)
The brand of trike (Score:2)
Maria, aged 35 from Wales (Score:2)
Took a lot out of her just getting there, (a direct quote).
The Singularity of World Records (Score:2)
Blue bags? (Score:2)
Seriously, pack it in pack it out. I wonder how many bags it takes to make it to the pole and back. This is what I am referring to if you do not know:
http://www.backpacker.com/june_2008_pack_out_waste/nature/12424 [backpacker.com]
No surprise (Score:2)
The guy trying it in a car was probably following traffic laws, while this jackhole on a cycle likey rode through the red lights. Typical.
In other news (Score:2)
Maria Leijerstam's surgery to remove the bicycle seat that'd been frostbite-fused to her backside has been successfully removed and a butt-lift in lieu of reconstructive surgery has been completed.
Douchebag achievement (Score:1)
Everest is already dirty and overrun by extreme tourists with too much time and money. Naturally the south pole couldn't be far behind. She should try peddling across the ocean.
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For Christ's sake. "I really think you should take a stress pill and lie down".
What is your problem with one person doing this? Does it deserve physical violence?