Antarctic cycling expeditions were made possible with the development of

fatbike A fatbike (also called fat bike, fat tire, fat-tire bike, or snow bike) is an off-road bicycle with oversized tires, typically or larger and rims or wider, designed for low ground pressure to allow riding on soft, unstable terrain, such as sno ...

s: 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 on a specially designed "ice bike" around the Patriot Hills. In 2012,

Helen Skelton Helen Elizabeth Skelton (born 19 July 1983) is an English television presenter and Actor, actress. She co-presented the BBC children's programme ''Blue Peter'' from 2008 until 2013, and since 2014 has been a presenter on ''Countryfile''. She als ...

became the first person to reach the

South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...

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 of supplies. She covered by

kite ski Snowkiting or kite skiing is an outdoor winter sport where people use kite power to glide on snow or ice. The skier uses a kite to give them power over large jumps. The sport is similar to water-based kiteboarding, but with the footwear used in ...

, by bike and by

cross-country ski Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

. Some of Skelton's claims have been challenged. In December 2012, Eric Larsen made the first attempt to undertake an expedition solely by bicycle to the South Pole. After covering , a quarter of the distance to the South Pole, Larsen abandoned his attempt and cycled an additional back to Patriot Hills. On 27 December 2013, Maria Leijerstam became the first person to cycle from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole. Leijerstam's achievement was criticized for excessive motorized support. 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. 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'.

References

{{reflist Cycling by continent Antarctic expeditions History of cycling Antarctic cycling expeditions