It is by temperatures going until - 30°C that the French Arnaud Manzanini succeeded in his winter crossing of Lapland by bike on the roads of Norway, Finland and Sweden. A journey of 1,500 km covered by bike in 11 days in the middle of winter.
Even the pandemic did not prevent Arnaud Manzanini from completing his feat. On January 16, the ultra cyclist completed a 1,500 km long journey. A crossing of Lapland in record time, achieved in 11 days on the icy roads of Norway, Finland and Sweden. If the adventure began in January 2021, the COVID will only have succeeded in postponing the continuation of the journey of this 48 year old Frenchman. In two times, between 2021 and 2022, Arnaud Manzanini will have covered these 1 500 km, under temperatures close to -30°C to reach the northernmost point of Europe, the North Cape.
It must be said that the man already has a nice resume when he tackles this crossing. Holder of the French speed record on the fascinating Race Across America (RAAM) since 2015 and of two world records for crossing France, Arnaud Manzanini was inspired by these races to create the Race Across France in 2018, which has now become a reference race in Europe, 2,500 km long.
The role of organizer has obviously never made him give up the handlebars. For his project in Lapland, the man from Lyon is supported in this expedition by Suunto, and equipped with its flagship model SUUNTO 9 PEAK. Arnaud Manzanini got the idea for this adventure from the confinement. While he was supposed to realize a round-the-world bike trip in record time, the adventurer saw his project fall through in March 2020, a few months before the departure. The epidemic hits the world and everything has to be reset. The ultra cyclist then plans a tour of France by the coasts and the borders, that is to say 5 000 km. He completed this adventure in 21 days, but experienced a difficult moment during the ascent of the Col de la Bonette, which left him almost tetanized by the fear of hypothermia and marked him to the point of inspiring his next adventure.
It is from there that he imagines a crossing of Lapland in the middle of winter to reach the North Cape. The name of the expedition is found: North Calling. But once again, the epidemic is going to jeopardize his journey. While the third confinement is announced in France, he leaves for Finland in January 2021. The respect of the curfew and the prohibition to pass in Sweden prevent him from reaching the North Cape. He still managed to drive 800 km.
Finally, we have to wait until 2022 to see him come back to Lapland to complete his adventure. Arnaud Manzanini. On January 9, he set out to tackle the last 700 kilometers remaining before the North Cape. But the conditions are more difficult than a year earlier and the progress is slower. Temperatures dropped to -30°C, the wind whipped up in gusts of more than 120 km/h. Worse still, the North Cape was even closed just as it was reaching its goal. The authorities decided this because of the extreme conditions. The cyclist therefore waited one more day before finally reaching the northernmost point of Europe.
"At the end of the day, you always have to stay the course, and have the plan A in mind" explains the Frenchman after reaching his goal. "This project is the culmination of two years of thinking and many changes of direction without ever losing sight of the goal."
The numbers of the achievement:
1,500 km cycled in the middle of winter
A crossing of Lapland in record time: 11 days between Norway, Finland and Sweden
Temperatures between -5°C and -35°C
6,000 calories burned daily
An average speed of 18km/h in 2021 versus 16km/h in 2022
