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Cyclist to Ride Maine-Designed Bike on 700-Mile Solo Expedition in Antarctica

Courtesy of Denise Van Weelden
Hank Van Weelden of Alberta, Canada, rides his four-wheel fat-tire bike, which was custom-made by Carver Bikes of Woolwich, in February 2016.

A fat-tire bike designed in Maine was the talk of Union Glacier Camp this week in Antarctica, where the bike’s rider — Hank Van Weelden of Alberta, Canada — waited out bad weather before heading to the South Pole. From there, Van Weelden plans to pedal this custom-built bike more than 700 miles to the Hercules Inlet.

For such an ambitious undertaking, the Canadian cyclist knew he needed a special bike, one designed to tackle the rugged terrain and frigid temperatures of Antarctica. And for this one-of-a-kind vehicle, he turned to Davis Carver, owner of Carver Bikes and Bath Cycle & Ski in Woolwich.

“We went back and forth with some designs, and then I went ahead and built it,” said Carver, who opened Bath Cycle & Ski in 1976, and founded his own bicycle brand — Carver Bikes — in 2001.

The resulting $17,000 custom fat-tire bike is quite the spectacle. Instead of two wheels, it has four, and each of the tires are 5 inches wide for maximum traction and flotation on deep, powdery snow.

“The front are two wheels side by side, interlaced with spokes so that it’s almost like a 10-inch-wide wheel,” Carver said. “Then the chain actually goes between the two rear wheels, which are separated by about an inch.”

The bike’s unusually long frame is strong, lightweight titanium, and it is outfitted with a Pinion 18-speed internal gearbox, a German-made “work of art” that allows for smooth transitions between gears, Carver said. A towbar on the back of the bike allows Van Weelden to haul a sled of supplies.

“He’s going through a huge variety of different types of terrain, ranging from glare ice to powder to ice crystals,” Carver said.

Carver Bikes shipped the custom build to Van Weelden about a year ago so he could test it out in Alaska and The Yukon before heading to Antarctica.

Credit Courtesy of Davis Carver
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Courtesy of Davis Carver
Davis Carver, owner of Carver Bikes and Bath Cycle & Ski in Woolwich, shows off a fat-tire bike custom built for Hank Van Weeldon of Alberta, Canada, for his solo expedition in Antarctica in this 2015 photo.

His planned route has never been attempted by a bicyclist before, according to Van Weelden’s expedition Facebook page, titled “ Hank’s Antarctic Adventure.” And of the nine attempts to travel in the other direction — from the coast to the South Pole — only one was successfully completed on a bike.

“Many great men have been bested by this hostile environment,” it reads on the Facebook page. “Statistically speaking it is unlikely he will succeed. So, as ‘old men dream dreams,’ he felt it is time to try.”

The CEO of a remote-housing manufacturer and an experienced endurance cyclist, Van Weelden has been saving and preparing for such an adventure for many years. However, it wasn’t until 2015 that he selected the route and started to plan in earnest.

On Dec. 12, he arrived at Union Glacier Camp, a full-service camp that operates during the Antarctic summer (November through January). Because of the remote location of the camp, Van Weelden could not be contacted for this story, but he has been sending voice messages by satellite phone daily to his wife, who then posts them on Facebook.

“It’s one of the most spectacular places I’ve ever seen,” Van Weelden said from the Antarctic camp on Dec. 12 in a voice message.

Credit Courtesy of Davis Carver
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Courtesy of Davis Carver
A fat-tire bike custom built by Davis Carver, owner of Carver Bikes and Bath Cycle & Ski in Woolwich, for Hank Van Weeldon of Alberta, Canada, for his solo expedition in the Antarctica, can be seen in Woolwich in this 2015 photo.

In the message, Van Weelden described the beauty of Union Glacier and the surrounding mountains, and he described the camp’s clever hot shower system, which involves shoveling snow into a container that is heated by jet fuel.

Because of strong winds, he was stuck at the camp for three days. In fact, in his second message, on Dec. 13, he described a training ride where he contended with wind gusting at 60 to 70 mph.

“I was flying over three and a half food snowdrifts with my bike and loving life,” he said. “And when I turned back into the wind, it was quite hectic to say the least.”

In that same message, Van Weelden stated that the plan is for him to be flown to the South Pole to start the ride on Dec. 15, dropping off three food caches along the way.

Van Weelden estimates the trip will take 30 days, and at Union Glacier Camp, he mapped out an alternative route that would lead him through the Heritage Range and end back at Union Glacier Camp. This route wouldn’t land Van Weelden in the record books, but it would be more scenic, with several days of riding through the mountains on a glacier. He’ll need to decide between the two routes about 20 days into his expedition, he said.

Credit Courtesy of Davis Carver
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Courtesy of Davis Carver
A fat-tire bike custom built by Davis Carver, owner of Carver Bikes and Bath Cycle & Ski in Woolwich, for Hank Van Weeldon of Alberta, Canada, for his solo expedition in the Antarctica, can be seen in Woolwich in this 2015 photo.

Back in Maine, Carver and his team at Bath Cycle & Ski are following the expedition closely on Facebook.

“He’s a super nice guy,” Carver said. “You get to know people pretty well when you’re working with them on a bike.”

Today, Carver Bikes are ridden by serious cyclists all over the world. These high-end mountain bikes, designed by Carver and his team, often in collaboration with the rider, have an average price of about $3,500 but can cost much more.

Just two months ago, the Carver Bikes completed and shipped out a bike designed for a bicyclist who aims to pedal unsupported across the Australia’s Red Centre, a landscape of desert plains, mountain ranges and rocky gorges. The bike will haul a trailer and be equipped with solar panels.

“A lot of people we build bikes for have very specific needs,” said Carver. “Most of them know exactly what they want, and it’s fun dealing with them, and often times, it’s very challenging.”

Designing and building custom bikes is just a part of Carver Bikes, and it’s an even smaller part of Bath Cycle & Ski. The shop sells about 10 brands of bikes that range widely in price and design, as well as cycling gear and equipment for downhill, backcountry and cross-country skiing. And on top of that, Carver sells bikes and bike parts all over the world online at bikeman.com.

To follow Van Weelden’s Antarctic expedition, visit www.facebook.com/hankadventure.

This story appears through a partnership with the Bangor Daily News.

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