Italian ultra-cyclist attempts crossing of Antarctica by bike

[Update: November 27, 2023. Omar Di Felice is embarking on a renewed attempt to reach the South Pole by bike. His progress and updates are on his Facebook page and map.]

[edit 5th Dec 2022 – Omar Di Felice’s attempted crossing of Antarctica has ended prematurely. After three stationary days in his tent, Antarctic Logistics picked him up and returned to Union Glacier Camp. Other than his blog stating “serious personal issues, ” the reasons are unclear.”

This means that Welsh Adventurer Maria Leijerstam remains the only person to have reached the South Pole by cycling from the edge of the Antarctic continent. She achieved this record-breaking feat on December 27, 2013. Leijerstam completed the journey on a custom-built, three-wheeled polar cycle designed to handle the icy and snowy terrain. She chose a route that started from the Ross Ice Shelf and traversed the Leverett Glacier, covering approximately 650 kilometres (400 miles). Her expedition was the first, fastest, and most efficient route to the South Pole on a bicycle, completing the trip in just over ten days. This accomplishment set a new precedent for polar cycling expeditions.

Italian climate activist and ultra-cyclist Omar Di Felice hopes to complete the first 2,000km coast-to-coast crossing in 60 days. Earlier this week, he arrived at Hercules Inlet in western Antarctica and began cycling toward the South Pole.

A live track of his progress can be viewed on an expedition map, and updates from his expedition team are on his Instagram feed. Wind and snow are slowing progress after just a few days, so we’ll be watching the weather updates and wishing him all the best.

Cycling in Antarctica is not a new thing. In 2013, Welsh Adventurer Maria Leijerstam set the world record as the first person to reach the South Pole by bike.

Omar Di Felice’s fat bike is made by Wilier using steel in favour of composite materials that may not perform well in temperatures as low as- 40 °C. It has a notable paint job that shows stripes showing how global temperatures are warming up to the present day. Reading University’s interactive climate stripes website is well worth a look.