Breaking the Cycle Yukon
Apr 14
#16: Ready for Antarctica
Published at 04:31
I am writing the final post for Breaking the Cycle Yukon from Vancouver
airport, waiting to board the plane for Brisbane and then on to
Melbourne.
My sister Robin, who lives in Sacramento, California came up to
Whitehorse and we spent three days staying at the magical Boreale Ranch,
about 40 minutes drive from the capital, and visiting some of the local
sites. It is rare these days that we get to spend some quality sister
time together and we were both able to relax.
Overall I'm very happy with the expedition. I was able to spend an
extended time in conditions that will be as cold as I will expect to
find in the Antarctic summer. In addition, at times we were facing a
serious arctic wind chill. I didn't have all the clothing systems right,
but got to try several combinations of gear made from different
materials and now know what works for me.
I am confident the all-wheel drive Christini fatbike (mark III) is right
for the task. The extra flotation gained from using the 13cm wide rear
tyre (the widest available) is beneficial in the soft conditions and the
all-wheel drive system is engaging smoothly and efficiently. Having
spoken to other fatbikers in Whitehorse who are experienced at cycling
in similar conditions, I know that I was able to cycle more of the bad
surfaces than others have managed (often in the kind of snow conditions
that I faced, riders have to walk their bikes much more, even days at a
time because they could not get enough traction). My bike is no miracle
though, I still have to battle extremely hard much of the time just to
move forwards, but I have more chance of pedalling because of the
technology.
It was a tough expedition and I lost a lot of weight, especially in the
first 3 weeks. Towards the end, when I was just riding the ice roads,
the energy requirements are not so great (more like normal cycling
except the cold burns more calories), and my weight seemed to normalise.
I learned a lot also from Bob and Theresa, who have been facing such
conditions for many decades - dealing with the extreme cold is second
nature to them.
All of these experiences from this expedition, and the previous two in
Svalbard and Northeast Greenland, have gone into the mix and I now
believe I am ready and have the team to traverse the Antarctic continent
- just add the right funding and we'll be there this coming
December/January.
Claudio has made a short video using stills from the stunning footage
that he's taken on this journey.
airport, waiting to board the plane for Brisbane and then on to
Melbourne.
My sister Robin, who lives in Sacramento, California came up to
Whitehorse and we spent three days staying at the magical Boreale Ranch,
about 40 minutes drive from the capital, and visiting some of the local
sites. It is rare these days that we get to spend some quality sister
time together and we were both able to relax.
Overall I'm very happy with the expedition. I was able to spend an
extended time in conditions that will be as cold as I will expect to
find in the Antarctic summer. In addition, at times we were facing a
serious arctic wind chill. I didn't have all the clothing systems right,
but got to try several combinations of gear made from different
materials and now know what works for me.
I am confident the all-wheel drive Christini fatbike (mark III) is right
for the task. The extra flotation gained from using the 13cm wide rear
tyre (the widest available) is beneficial in the soft conditions and the
all-wheel drive system is engaging smoothly and efficiently. Having
spoken to other fatbikers in Whitehorse who are experienced at cycling
in similar conditions, I know that I was able to cycle more of the bad
surfaces than others have managed (often in the kind of snow conditions
that I faced, riders have to walk their bikes much more, even days at a
time because they could not get enough traction). My bike is no miracle
though, I still have to battle extremely hard much of the time just to
move forwards, but I have more chance of pedalling because of the
technology.
It was a tough expedition and I lost a lot of weight, especially in the
first 3 weeks. Towards the end, when I was just riding the ice roads,
the energy requirements are not so great (more like normal cycling
except the cold burns more calories), and my weight seemed to normalise.
I learned a lot also from Bob and Theresa, who have been facing such
conditions for many decades - dealing with the extreme cold is second
nature to them.
All of these experiences from this expedition, and the previous two in
Svalbard and Northeast Greenland, have gone into the mix and I now
believe I am ready and have the team to traverse the Antarctic continent
- just add the right funding and we'll be there this coming
December/January.
Claudio has made a short video using stills from the stunning footage
that he's taken on this journey.
Arctic Fatbike Training in Canada from Claudio von Planta on Vimeo.
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