Another hectic day. I decided to load up my polar cycle with all of the kit I will be carrying across Antarctica (all 45kg of it), to experiment with weight distribution. Firstly, I must admit I love experimenting with new ideas. This has not been done before so it could go one of two way but that's what makes it so exciting.
The good news is that the majority of that weight loads up the rear driving wheels and in fact reduces the weight on the front two wheels meaning that I might just get some extra float out of my front two wheels. On top of this we made a custom fit pair of skis for the front two wheels that fit on with a simple brackets system for when the snow is just too deep to make any headway.
With the extra weight on the rear wheels this will increase the traction which is good news. I have had to add additional padding to the frame on the rack of the polar cycle so the bag doesn't rub on the gears. It just shows how important testing everything is!
We also added a wedge to the inside of my right peddle to support my weaker knee. Due to years of training, my left patella has been weakened but with this minor change that Phil, the Biomechanic picked up, I'm now able to peddle with no problems.
My newly fitted arm-rests provide huge assistance and now with my sleeping bag acting as a head rest my upper body is 100% rested as I peddle away. That was one of my objectives from the very beginning.
I also tested my new stove and made everyone a cup of tea at lunch time!
Only 7 days to go....