Antonia Staacke (25) and Laura Moeller (26) are cycling 30,000km from Argentina to Alaska. The German duo began from Ushuaia, the southernmost city of Argentina, on Oct. 19. They will pedal along the west coast of the Americas until Alaska. They expect to take about a year.
Staacke and Moeller are amateur cyclists and endurance athletes, but “We have never done anything that extreme before,” they admit on their website. “We are also not 100% sure if our plans are going to work. We’re not really good at fixing bike mechanicals and we’re on a very small budget.”
Photo: www.polarsteps.com/LongestRide
So far, they have made it across the border into Chile. They have chosen not to have a public online tracker for safety reasons.
Photo: www.polarsteps.com/LongestRide
The first few weeks of the journey have not been easy. From the airport in Ushuaia, they assembled their bikes and started cycling. Their first stop was Tierra del Fuego National Park, to drink in the long-anticipated scenery. However, as the days wore on, the headwinds became far stronger than they had anticipated. Staccke started to suffer from knee pain.
Photo: www.polarsteps.com/LongestRide
They have not set a strict itinerary. They have a rough plan and route but will remain flexible. So far, the hospitality has been a highlight. In Argentina, they found hosts in most towns. One night, they slept in the basement of a local bakery. One host even took them to a yoga class to help them recover from the first week of cycling.
However, they are also carrying a tent and gear and plan to camp most of the time. They have small amounts of food in their panniers but will restock frequently along the way. You can follow their journey here.
Photo: www.polarsteps.com/LongestRide
