After 4200 kilometers and over 40 days of cycling, Omar Di Felice has completed his arctic world tour. In the heart of the winter season, the Roman ultracyclist pedaled through Kamchatka, Lapland, crossed the Svalbard Islands, Iceland and Greenland, before launching himself on the tough Dalton Highway and experiencing the boundless North America.
Omar Di Felice's Arctic World Tour has ended in Alaska. After two months of pedaling along the line of the Arctic Circle article, the Roman ultracyclist is the first in the world to complete this circumnavigation of the globe, and what's more, in the heart of the winter season.
Starting on February 2nd from Kamchatka, Omar continued his ride through Lapland, from Murmansk (Russia) to Tromsø (Norway), then continuing through the Svalbard Islands, Greenland and Iceland before finally landing in the Arctic regions of North America where he cycled from Whitehorse (Yukon region, Canada) to the Arctic Circle line in Alaska (USA), along the Dalton Highway. “The most remote road in America, certainly one of the hardest and most difficult winter routes in the world” comments the cyclist.
Omar, you did it!
I had never faced anything so extreme. I had never covered such a long distance in similar environmental conditions. In these two months I found myself dealing with technical difficulties and bicycle management. Adverse weather conditions that created many problems of thermoregulation and risk of frostbite. It was a long journey, which did not hide moments of crisis.
How were these miles in North America?
Winter was almost over when I set out along the Dalton Highway, but it was still making its grip felt. The frigid temperatures and long distances to cover put me to the test once again, weakening me physically.
What do you mean?
With a few hundred kilometers to go, everything was about to vanish into thin air. I was struck by a strong flu with a high fever. I stopped for a couple of days and feared I would have to give up. My body was sending a clear message: stop! I was exhausted from two months around the world and they still continue to push on the pedals. Now it's time to recover.
What do you mean when you talk about freezing temperatures?
Even though I reached my half in the first days of spring, the thermometer still read -22 degrees in the morning. The conditions were harsh and I felt them all on my skin and body.
What bike did you ride along the Dalton Highway?
After the various stages on a fat bike I returned to gravel and this allowed me to cover great distances quickly, with stages of up to 200 kilometers. It was not only thanks to the bike, but also to the training accumulated in these months of activity, on the other hand also to the desire to close this experience and reach the goal.
What was the moment like when you took your foot off the pedal?
Exciting. Having completed such an ambitious and complex challenge has suddenly made all the accumulated tiredness vanish.
Tell us something about Canada and Alaska, what kind of environment did you live in?
I followed this huge road that connects the main towns in the area. It is a place full of contrasts. When you pedal you are in the middle of nowhere, often there is not even a cell phone network. When you then arrive at the gates of the town you find yourself in the midst of civilization with fast food and all the comforts of modern life. Certainly an extremely different environment from that experienced in the other parts of the trip, where I found myself in contact with realities that are still intimate and tied to tradition. Here in North America it is as if they had sought a way to concentrate civilization by drawing well-defined borders, leaving the town you are in the most extreme nature.
Can you leave us some numbers?
I think there are just a few essential ones. 4200 kilometers, over 40 days in the saddle. Stages of even 200 or 250 kilometers, on gravel, drastically shorter when I moved with the fat bike. I think this project sums up my love for the great north.
Do you still have something left to explore in the Arctic lands?
I think I'm done with this project.
So will we see you in the heat soon?
I would like to say that my experience with the great north is over, but in reality once it gets inside you you are not able to leave it. I will definitely come back up here again.
