World’s coolest mountain bike race at North Pole 

The first mountain bike race at the North Pole took place on 7th April 2007. The event saw fourteen cyclists from eight different nations pedalling furiously for 26.2 miles on specially designed Crescent mountain bikes.

In front of a small crowd on a drifting Russian ice base, Salvatore Grimaldi - owner of Crescent - set the cyclists on their way. Their progress was monitored by event manager and organiser, Richard Donovan. Conditions were perfect for a polar race with brilliant sunshine and -26C temperatures.  

Juan Antonio Alegre of Spain quickly took the lead and stayed in that position throughout the gruelling event. On a special one-mile course carved into the ice, Alegre managed to forge a sizeable lead on his nearest rivals. However, it was never entirely comfortable for him in the extreme sub-zero temperatures. 

Miguel Caselles of Spain took second place with Kym McConnell of New Zealand coming through for third. Alegre said he felt “on top of the world” after the race and that he would like to encourage people to cycle for a cleaner world.  

The race presented a truly unique opportunity for bike extremists to visit one of the remotest parts of the planet to test their biking skills.

There are currently no plans for a future event. However, you can check out the annual North Pole Marathon for the world's northernmost foot race.

RESULTS OF 2007 NORTH POLE BIKE EXTREME 

1.  Juan Antonio Alegre (ESP) 3:10:55 Bib No. 1

2. Miguel Caselles (ESP) 3:30:21 Bib No. 4

3. Kym McConnell (NZL) 3:37:14 Bib No. 8

4. Jukka Viljanen (FIN)  3:47:22 Bib No. 13

5. Peter Bell (NIR)  3:58:51 Bib No. 2

6. Robert Greaves (GBR) 4:02:26 Bib No. 6

7. Bobby Bostic (USA)  4:10:39 Bib No. 3

8. Johan Soderstrom (SWE) 4:16:27 Bib No. 12

9. Peder Stenson (SWE)  4:27:57 Bib No. 14

10. Finbarr Murphy (IRL)  5:11:34 Bib No. 10

11. Karen Michelsen (CAN) 6:37:25 Bib No. 9