UPDATE 24TH DAY

Update 24th day: Juan hizo ayer la mayor distancia hasta ahora, 41KM en un solo día, a pesar de las malas condiciones de visibilidad por el fenómeno del whiteout. Ayer a mitad de jornada, se cruzó con el coche de apoyo de la británica Maria Leijerstam, quién ha alcanzado el Polo Sur en apenas 10 días de expedición. En triciclo, por una ruta más corta , 500KM, y en condiciones de FULL SUPPORTED, ha conseguido culminar con éxito su objetivo. Juan le manda su más sincera felicitación.

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Juan cycled yesterday the greatest distance so far, 41km in one day, despite of the poor visibility cause of whiteout phenomenon. Yesterday mid-day, he met María Leijerstam's support car, who has reached the South Pole in just 10 days of expedition. By tricycle, in a shorter route, 500km, and FULL SUPPORTED , has managed to successfully complete its objective.
Juan sends its most sincere congratulations.

UPDATE 15TH DAY

Update 15th day: otros 26 KM en la cuenta de Juan. Nos cuenta que ayer volvió azotar el fuerte viento y que hoy hace más frío que en días anteriores (-21ºC). Está ya a 911 metros de altitud, la ruta siempre pica hacia arriba, ya que el Polo Sur se encuentra a 2.835 metros. No hay grandes rampas, pero la ruta es siempre un falso llano.
...

Update 15th day: 26 KM more in the Juan's account . He tells us that yesterday the wind blow stronger and it's colder than previous days (-21 °C). Already he is in 911 meters of altitude, the path will always be difficult, because the South Pole is in 2835 meters. No big ramps, but the route is always a slope.

#NeverGiveUp
#AmundsenSpiritExpedition

UPDATE 14TH DAY

Ayer Juan decidió descansar debido al mal tiempo y a la intensa niebla. Eso da lugar al denominado fenómeno del whiteout que apenas deja distinguir la línea del horizonte. Estas condiciones complican mucho la navegación, y avanzar en esas condiciones es extremadamente difícil. En esas horas, que Juan aprovechó también para recuperarse del esfuerzo físico hecho hasta hora, nos dejó estas reflexiones.


...

Yesterday, Juan decided to rest because of weather conditions and heavy fog. That gives rise to the phenomenon called whiteout, the horizon disappears completely and there are no reference points at all, leaving the individual with a distorted orientation. These conditions greatly complicate navigation and progress . At that time, Juan left us these reflections.




#YoPedaleoConJuan
#NeverGiveUp
#AmundsenSpiritExpedition

UPDATE 13TH DAY

Juan nos ha escrito contándonos algo más de esa pequeña congelación para no preocuparnos:

"Como ya sabéis, tengo una pequeña congelación en el pecho. Tranquilos, no os asustéis por favor. No es la típica congelación que estamos acostumbrados al ver en las noticias, negras, que se acaban complicando. Es otro tipo de congelación más sutil, pero que puede acabar dando verdaderas complicaciones. Es como una especie de "picadura de mosquito". Una ampolla sin aparente importancia, pero que si no se trata puede infectarse (que es lo verdaderamente peligroso) y empezar a dar problemas de verdad.

De momento le aplico áloe vera y la tapo para evitar que se abra.

Sigo luchando. La Antártida está poniendo las cosas difíciles este año. Ya puedo pedalear aunque ahora menudo me quedo atascado en zonas de nieve blanda.

Un abrazo muy fuerte y gracias de corazón por todo vuestro apoyo.
Juan."

Juan has written telling us something more about the little freezer:

"As you know, I have a small freezing in my chest. Do not be alarmed please. It is not the typical freezing we are used to see on the news: Black, which is able to complicated. It's more subtle freezing but it may end up giving true complications. It looks like a "mosquito bite" a not significative  ampoule, but if I left it untreated can become infected (which is really dangerous) and start giving real problems.

For now I have applied aloe vera and I have covered to prevent it from opening.

I'm still fighting. Antarctica is making  difficult the conditions this year. I can already pedal but I often get stuck in areas of soft snow.

A big hug and heartfelt thanks for all your support.
John. "
#NeverGiveUp
#AmundsenSpiritExpedition
#YoPedaleoConJuan

Update 12

 Juan sigue avanzando hacia la meta. Más de 50 Km en dos días, y buenos tramos de pedaleo. El tiempo se ha vuelto más nuboso, lo que dificulta su orientación y distinguir entre el hielo y el horizonte. Ha sufrido la primera congelación, nada importante. Los días empiezan a castigar su estado físico aunque no pierde el ánimo. Os dejo una foto de la inscripción que lleva en sus esquíes, toda una declaración de intenciones. Y un homenaje a un aniversario muy simbólico.
 Juan continues to progress toward the goal. More than 50 Km in two days, and good pedaling sections. The weather has become more cloudy, making it difficult to orientate and distinguish between the ice and the horizon. He has suffered the first freezing, nothing major. The days begin to punish his physical condition but not lose courage. I leave a picture of the inscription that he carries in his skis, a declaration of intent. And a tribute to a very symbolic anniversary.



#NeverGiveUp
#AmundsenSpiritExpedition

Juan Sin Miedo en Marca

Muy muy contentos por toda repercusión de Juan en los medios. Ahora nos acordamos mucho más de esas marcas que no han querido apostar por nuestro súper Juan, suponemos que ellos también. 

Brutal la infografía que ha hecho el Diario Marca para acercar la hazaña de Juan a sus lectores. 

Diario Marca

Very very happy for all the news published in the media. Now we remember those brands that didn't want to support the Juan's expedition. We imagine them as well.

Spectacular graphics that made Diario Marca to teach their readers the expedition.

Marca Newspapper

#AmundsenSpiritExpedition
#NeverGiveUp
#YoPedaleoConJuan

Update 10

Hoy es el propio Juan el que nos cuenta las últimas noticias desde la Antártida en este audio!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqlX7pd3MLU


Today Juan tells us all the news from the Antarctic!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OYPC92MzbQ

#YoPedaleoconJuan
#AmundsenSpiritExpedition
#NeverGiveUp

Update 9

 Así ha amanecido la tienda de Juan esta mañana a causa del viento que sigue soplando con fuerza. La buena noticia es que el frío, el sol y la ventisca están mejorando las condiciones de la nieve, lo que acerca la posibilidad de hacer tramos íntegros pedaleando. Eso significa avanzar más, e ir acercando el sueño de ser el primer hombre en llegar sólo y en plena autonomía al Polo Sur sobre su bici.

#YoPedaleo(más que nunca)conJuan
#AmundsenSpiritExpedition
#NeverGiveUp

Update 8

 El viento sigue mostrándose implacable en estas primeras jornadas de expedición. Rachas de más de 70km/h hacen que el avance sea más lento del esperado. Ayer, 16 KM, en una jornada maratoniana de casi 10 horas, en la que apenas pudo descansar por la ventisca. Ayer perdió parte de un diente al intentar comerse una almendra. El frío es intenso y hace que estas cosas puedan suceder.

Juan nos deja esta foto en la que podemos sentir la dureza del gran continente blanco. 




El Diario Marca se vuelca con Juan y abre un blog para seguir la expedición:

goo.gl/yRlcml

Podéis ver la posición real de Juan cada día en una aplicación Live Track que han integrado en la página. 

The most important sport newspaper in Spain publishes an Expedition Blog, where you can follow the real position thanks to a live track app.

goo.gl/yRlcml

#YoPedaleoConJuan
#NeverGiveUp
#AmundsenSpiritExpedition

Update 6

Juan avanzó ayer otros 20 KM. Parece que la nieve empieza a endurecerse por el frío, y la posibilidad de montar sobre su bici está más cerca. Podría ser hoy.

Hoy nos hablaba de su rutina diaria: 7 horas en ruta, con paradas de 10 minutos cada 50 de marcha. Monta 2 veces la tienda, una para comer, y otra para cenar y dormir. Parte de ese tiempo lo dedica a comunicarse con nosotros, y a enviarnos fotos tan espectaculares como esta.

#YoPedaleoConJuan
#NeverGiveUp
#AmundsenSpiritExpedition

Update 4

Acabamos de hablar con Juan. Ayer fue un día complicado con viento rancheado aunque pudo avanzar cerca de 15 km más. De momento, las condiciones de la nieve no le permiten andar sobre la bici. Tiene que ir arrastrandola en la pulka e ir sobre sus esquíes. Eso no le permite avanzar todo lo que quisiera, pero era previsible en estos primeros días de expedición.

Vamos a apoyar a Juan.
#JuntosAlPoloSur
#AmundsenSpiritExpedition
#NeverGiveUp

Update 3

Nuevas y ¡¡buenas noticias de Juan!! 

Ayer superó a Daniel Burton, el americano que intenta también ser el primer ciclista en llegar al Polo Sur y que había iniciado la expedición 24 horas antes que él. Como se diría en argot ciclista, ahora Juan es "tète de la course".

#YoPedaleoConJuan
#NeverGiveUp
#AmundsenSpiritExpedition

Good news from Juan!

Yesterday beat Daniel Burton, the American Expeditionary also trying to be the first athlete to reach the South Pole by bike and that he had started 24 hours before. As they say in cycling slang, now Juan is "tète of course".

#YoPedaleoConJuan
#NeverGiveUp
#AmundsenSpiritExpedition

Update 1

Juan está bien después de la primera etapa. Nieve blanda en estos primeros kilómetros que le obliga a un esfuerzo descomunal para avanzar y poder arrastrar los más de 80 kg de peso que lleva en su pulka. 

Esta es su posición hoy: http://map.iridium.com/m?lat=-80.013266&lon=-080.105133

¡Vaaamos!

#YoPedaleoConJuan
#NeverGiveUp
#AmundsenSpiritExpedition


Juan is well after the first stage. Soft snow in these first few miles that requires a huge effort to advance and to drag more than 80 kg of weight carried in his pulka.

This is his position today: http://map.iridium.com/m?lat=-80.013266&lon=-080.105133

Come on Juan!

The weather delays the expedition

A few days of starting the expedition we are still attentive to the weather in Antarctica and now the outlook is not encouraging.

Because of the inclement weather Juan has had to delay his flight to the base Glacial Union, logistics headquarters of the expedition, from which he will starts his challenge. The images that come to us from the different cameras in scientific stations that are scattered throughout the southern continent show a stormy sky with heavy rainfall and strong gusty winds, which makes very difficult the air travel.

We hope that the weather will get better in the coming days for John to begin his period of acclimatization at the base before starting the expedition. For now he is still filing the details with the Norwegian explorer Bengt Rotmo.

*Photo from the United States Antarctic Program

Boarding to Chile

Yesterday Juan took the flight to Chile, a prelude to his adventure at the South Pole where he will spend a few days in Punta Arenas finalizing the details and logistics of the trip.

A few moments before boarding he lefts this message for all the people who have supported him in this important project. From the communication equipment we encourage you to continue working with Juan on this adventure.

Video Before Boarding

During the expedition we will publish on this blog and his various social media profiles all the news about the expedition and information about his equipment, climate and terrain conditions and interviews in different media which following his adventure.

# Fearless 

# NeverGiveUp

New goal reached!!

Hi everybody!

I’m too excited to annunciate, after twenty-seven hard days, I have reached my objective: Crossing Greenland coast to coast.

But it was not easy, the Autumn in Greenland put us to the limit, with very hard weather conditions, like a hurricane with winds above 140km/h or more than twenty days with the known ”whiteout effect”, a very thick, constant fog which makes you confuse the limits of the surface with the sky. You are not able to see the horizon and, because of that, the orientation in these circumstances is very complicate.

I have to thanks this amazing experience to the team of Norwegian explorers who have guided me day by day across the challenges that we found and which I will face by myself at the South Pole.

Now it’s time to rest, to return to the training and preparation of my great challenge of this year: arriving the South Pole. I am also looking for the support of brands which could be interested in my project, so I have to start working really soon.

Thank you for all the support and congratulation messages. It is easier not being afraid in this way.

Bye!

Asturianos por el mundo (English version)

Hi everybody!

In this new post I want to share a new TV reportage in RTPA Channel (asturian public media) where I could show the hard work and effort that hold this adventure.

 

Asturianos por el mundo

I am very gratefully because of all this media have been interested in this project. For this reason, I've received thousands of supportive comments

Interest is bigger thanks to some media like “Marca”, which has included me in its cover recently, “El Larguero” or this TV program.

Enjoy it!

Bye!

#The last test

Hi everybody

I’m finally writing from Greenland, a new adventure before the challenge at the South Pole.

My intention is training myself and get more experience in similar conditions that I am going to find at the Antarctica. Because of that  I have to try all the materials, the weight I will carry on, the clothes I must to wear and, most of all,  to find the way overcoming all the different obstacles that I could find like clefts, thaw, rivers, lakes, cold, hurricane winds, snow, adverse conditions…

For all of that I have the great help of the Norwegian explorer Bengt Rotmo, who will guide me during this training which will last 25 days.

I will tell you all the news during this experience in this blog or my personal sites in Twitter and Facebook. Also in this direction: http://www.ousland.no/blog/

Bye!

#Interview before the challenge

Hi Everybody!

In the last months some different media have been contact with me to make some interview about my next challenge at the South Pole.

I want to thank in this post all their support and show you the last interview I have made, so you can know the detail of my life here in Norway, my next travel to Greenland and, of course, the expedition at the South Pole.

http://www.explorersweb.com/polar/news.php?url=exweb-interview-with-juan-menendez-grana_137564755

I invite you to see and share it; you can also follow me in Facebook and Twitter for more information:

@Juan_M_Granados
www.facebook.com/juanmenendezgranados

#The start and Expeditions

Hello everybody!

In this post I’m going to talk about my initiation with my bicycle and the expeditions I’ve done.

I was born in Pravia, a village in Asturias (Spain) where I started to ride bicycle when I was fourteen years old.

At sixteen I did my first travel through Camino de Santiago and at that time, what was at first a hobby, became my way of life.

In year 2004 I made my first expeditions out of Spain running more than one thousand Kilometers at Scotland ore one thousand and four hundred kilometers at High Atlas at Morocco.

Next year I did an expedition trans Amazonian during six months across 6458 kilometers, an incredible experience as well as I did at the Ural Mountains from more than 4000 kilometers.

At 2008 and 2009 I dared with the most extremes places in the world and I did an expedition to Scandinavia in winter and through Australia in diagonal raiding more than 5000 kilometers side by side.

The same extreme conditions were the expedition through the Canadian Artic, Baikal Lake or Greenland.

At last I've ride more than 25800 Kilometers, pushing myself to the limit. And now the greatest challenge of all is waiting for me: reaching the South Pole alone and with no help.