Ride a fat bike to the South Pole

Tour d’afrique, the Toronto-based company that runs months-long bike trips on six continents, is adding a new trip to Antarctica. The 10-day trek will be the first commercial bicycle trip at the bottom of the world. Ben Shillington, the trip’s lead guide, will be heading to Antarctica this December on a scouting trip that will include some gear testing. The tour, to run in December 2016, will be completely self-supported, which means riders will have to carry clothing, tents and food. Shillington will be testing frame packs, and possibly rack or sled systems for carrying supplies. The bikes, not surprisingly, will be fat bikes. “Their wide, low-pressure tires will provide more than 5" of flotation, which is comparable to the width of a modern snowshoe,” Shillington said. “The terrain can be dense foam-like hard-packed snow, which, depending on wind conditions, will allow for efficient propulsion. But, if the drifts get too big or the snow gets too deep, we will be pushing our bikes. “The one big challenge would be a flat tire. While typically the fix is a very easy task in regular temperatures, in -30 C, you can’t expose your hands to get the dexterity you need for an efficient repair. Rubber and plastic are much less malleable and more brittle in those temperatures, which make for a lengthy, uncomfortable repair.” Tour d’afrique plans to have a boot camp this February at Lake Winnipeg to help trekkers prepare. The price of the expedition hasn’t been settled yet, but organizers say it will be “north” of us$65,000.– MP