British TV star riding to the South Pole
Originally posted on January 16, 2012 at 15:14 pm
British TV personality Helen Skelton is known for her daring adventures—2,000-mile kayak trips, ultra-marathons, highwire tight-rope walking—but this winter she may top them all with an 500-mile bike ride to the South Pole.
As of today, she’s about 150 miles from her destination, making good use of an amazing bike that was specially built for the task. Deisgned and built by Hanebrink for the most difficult terrain, it features 20-inch wheels with 200cm-wide tires that run at extremely low air pressure. The aluminum frame has a long wheelbase for traction and stability. Other features are designed to handle the extreme cold, such as the mechanical disc brake (hydraulic fluid becomes unusable at extremely low temperatures), the leather saddle (plastic would freeze and shatter) and simple pedals with large straps to fit over heavy expedition boots.
You can follow along with Skelton’s progress at the Telegraph and you can read more about the bike at the BBC.