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Solo Explorer Begins Bicycle Journey To South Pole
Hugh Pickens writes "Helen Skelton, the first person to solo kayak the length of the Amazon, has set for herself another difficult task — to travel up to 14 hours a day battling 80mph winds and -50C temperatures 800km across Antarctica in an attempt to reach the South Pole by bicycle. It's no average ride, and Skelton, 28, is not using your average bike. Her specially-built Hanebrink 'ice bike' took designers in Los Angeles three months to finish. It features a seamless frame made of aluminium aircraft tubing, heat-treated to withstand harsh environments, and fat, tubeless, rubber tires designed to bulge over the rim to provide maximum stability and traction. The bike is designed to be as minimalist as possible, to make it aerodynamic and very low maintenance. 'The bike is designed specifically to cycle in soft snow or sand,' says polar guide Doug Stoup. 'We trained together in the desert this past summer. It helps because the temperatures are so cold the snow has little moisture and has a sand-like consistency.' Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes commends Skelton for taking on 'incredibly tough and grueling challenge.' 'Like Captain Scott, Helen is attempting something that has never been tried before and I applaud her pioneering efforts.'"
'Like Captain Scott, Helen is attempting something that has never been tried before and I applaud her pioneering efforts.'"
I bet that won't be the only similarity between her and Scott...
Trolling is a art,
Just a casual look at the picture of the bike makes me really wonder about the chain and sprockets on the back. They are totally exposed, and very low to the ground. Seems like they would be damaged on a chunk of ice pretty quickly.
Better known as 318230.
Solo Explorer Suddenly Terrified of Barrels, Penguins
The frame isn't seamless, the tubing that makes up the frame is seamless. The tubes join in distinct seams.
After reading about and looking at it, it just looks like bike with fat tires.
Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!
I for one would use a Dornier Wal instead of a bike!
Doubt it will catch on as a summer vacation thing to do.
The NSA: The only part of the US government that actually listens.
Huh?! "Because it's there."
Don't you ever want to know anything about the world outside of your mom's basement?
I'm doing the Bataan Death March http://www.bataanmarch.com/ - me and a few thousand other people doing something utterly pointless. Just because we want to.
Maybe, but this is also much, much less awesome.
"None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license." --John Milton
If you happen to come across any ammo cans out there, would you please sign my id to the paper log inside? thanks!
Do they expect that she won't make it?
If it's a well planned, modern thinking, expedition, would seem to make more sense to compare her to Amundsen...
Scott appears to have been very brave, but he also seems to have been stuck in the century old Royal Navy mindset of the nobility of man hauling during polar exploration. Amundsen seems to have studied the problem of polar exploration from a very young age and put this knowledge gained into designing a successful solution. He got there first, got there faster, and didn't lose a single man.
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Terra Nova - a play about the race to the South Pole
She just presents the blue peter, it's not actually hers.
The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted. James Madison
I dunno when I think explorer I don't think of these stunts. Sure they are difficult to accomplish but I don't see much actual exploration in them. Exploration would be charting some previously uncharted caves, exploring space (star trek style) or something else. This solo bike ride, is more stunt worthy, record book worthy but I don't think she will be remembered as an explorer.
Not solo. The summary doesn't say she's doing it solo, and the article tells you that she's one of a pair doing it.
Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
One thing I've learned from cyclists is that they know so much more than we do. That's why, for instance, in Oregon there was a large effort to pass a law making it so that cyclists don't have to obey traffic stops -- their judgment about if they need to stop at intersections render stop lights and signs superfluous for them, and waste their time. I am quite sure she'll not only succeed, but have many great lessons to teach the people at stations near the south pole before they strap her to an iceberg and push her out to sea.
And who will be footing the costs of the rescue effort when things inevitably go pear-shared on this misguided publicity-hound?
I'm just sayin'... be mindful of where your donations go.
They were infamous, nightmare sculptures even when telling of age-old, bygone things; for Shoggoths and their work ought not to be seen by human beings or portrayed by any beings.
Hanebrink's been building these bikes for almost two decades, although I've only seen one in person. These days Dan's making an electric-assist version of the bike. They have a bare minimum of plastic parts, which break in the cold. I don't know what he's using for tires these days but his first run were apparently done using knobby ATV tires that he'd ground the knobs off, which he described as a fairly unpleasant process. They also have a somewhat complex geartrain to give reasonable heel clearance from the chain, as well as reasonable speeds across a wide terrain profile.
Nostalgia's not what it used to be.
I don't mean to come off as too cynical, but I mean, I can see being the first person to hike to the South Pole, fly to the South Pole -- heck even snowmobile to the to the Pole. But, what the heck is the purpose of biking to the Pole -- simply because it's yet another form of transportation? Maybe it's just me. I don't get it.
I can understand doing something really difficult with a lot of preparation. Bike across America? Cool. Walk across America? Cool. Crawl across America? Moonwalk across America? Walk on your hands across America? That goes beyond an interesting challenge to just bizarre.
I can understand sailing across an ocean. I can even understand doing it solo. But trying to set a record for smallest boat or rowing? That just seems like trying to push beyond difficult to stupidly dangerous.
I understand doing something for the challenge but there has to be a screw loose to do it for notoriety. Yeah, yeah, nobody will remember my name after I'm dead and she'll get her name in the history books whether she survives or not. In fact, she'll probably be remembered better if she does fail. Amelia Earhart surely owes a good deal of her current name recognition to not just how she lived but how she died. I guess if fame's that important to you, have at it.
Kwisatz Haderach
Sell the spice to CHOAM
This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
I mean, usually when these quests go wrong, the adventurers eat the sled dogs. So is she going to eat her bike?
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
One thing I've learned from cyclists is that they know so much more than we do. That's why, for instance, in Oregon there was a large effort to pass a law making it so that cyclists don't have to obey traffic stops -- their judgment about if they need to stop at intersections render stop lights and signs superfluous for them, and waste their time. I am quite sure she'll not only succeed, but have many great lessons to teach the people at stations near the south pole before they strap her to an iceberg and push her out to sea.
Really? I hadn't heard about that, that sounds like an excellent law.
You trust car drivers, who are in a closed, partially sound proof box with large vertical obstructions in their field of view to be able to make that judgement when their car hood keeps them 4 - 5 feet behind the intersection, but you don't trust a cyclist who has a clear field of view and sense of hearing who is 18" from the intersection when he approaches to make the same decision?
Often when I'm biking to an intersection, a car will pass me in the last 5 or 10 feet to the intersection, slow down, and proceed through the intersection before I even reach the stopping point. Did that driver really look carefully to decide if it was safe to go? If he did, then why do you think that I couldn't make that same decision in the same amount of time,even if I don't come to a complete stop? Plus, by not coming to a complete stop and unclipping from my pedals, I get through the intersection faster, so the approaching car from the side doesn't need to wait as long for me to clear it.
A bike loses significant momentum when he comes to a full stop, and loses further time when he has to clip in again to proceed, *and* he has much more to lose if he makes the wrong judgement - if a car pulls out in front of a cyclist, the worst he'll face is some scratched paint. If a cyclist misjudges and pulls out in front of a car, he risks serious injury or death.
I live in Minnesota and ride 6 miles to work year round in all weather and have gone winter camping where we slept under the stars for a weekend in -15F. I'm very intrigued by the design of this bike and would LOVE to try one here. Typical mountain bikes are a ton of work to pedal through even a few inches of snow, - at least the type of snow we get in these parts.
Somebody has already mentioned the Surly Pugsley and while it's a fine machine it has its limitations. If the snow isn't fairly firm, it's worse than a conventional bike. You end up pushing 4 inches of tire through the snow instead of 2.
An ultra-wide, small diameter tire like the ones they're using make a lot of sense. More float without all the extra weight of a large diameter tire. They mentioned the aerodynamics of the bike but it doesn't look like they've done much in that department other than adding aero bars.
Clothing and supplies will be a huge deal. She's going be traveling mostly under her own power and working hard. Her clothing needs to be able to wick sweat effectively while still keeping the wind out. She'll also need a lot of water and need to consume a lot of calories. Does she have a support team supplying her?
Good Luck to her !
Rule of driving: Never assume that the other person will act in a safe manner. Because one of these days during the next 50 years of your driving life, they wont, and you will come out much better if you are prepared.
I really don't get the "she's going to die" comments; this is Blue Peter - a UK (middle class, losing audience) BBC kids' show. There will be tens of thousands of kids following her attempt, she'll have scads of logistical support. If she gets into real difficulties, don't be suprised if Prince WIlliam flies her out, she's in no way doing this 'solo'. She is really doing it (though not cycling all the way, as I understand) but you really don't get a high-profile BBC presenter putting her life at risk in front of kids. Although they've done really risky things in the past (those of you who thought that John Noakes was just a humourous character should read up) by now there's no chance that the BBC would be taking a serious risk,but those of you who think this is a suicide mission or doomed to fail can look forward to watching the kid-friendly "it was really hard but worth it" episodes later on, (or possibly the "she broke a leg and was airlifted out 100 miles out").
Nobody's going to be seeing a Blue Peter death here, that's just for the pets. And good on Blue Peter for showing young girls that they can aspire to something other than X-Factor (though I think it's pointless, same as with all other ''explorer' antics, other than as a personal goal).