Cyclist who covered distance from Earth to Moon, Killed in a Hit-and-Run
Ian Hibell, a famous 74 year-old bicycle tourer, was recently killed by a motorist in Greece that was attempting to race another vehicle. The driver fled the scene and was arrested and charged two days later.
Hibell wrote a book called Into Remote Places that documents his journeys through untraveled areas on all seven continents. He set out on his journeys in 1963, and has covered at least 6,000 miles/year for 40 years…equivalent to riding around the Equator 10 times, or riding from the Earth to the Moon.
Some of the situations that he survived throughout his many years of touring include being shot at by bandits, having his tent devoured by ants, being chased by elephants and a close encounter with a lion…I suppose, though, that these situations aren’t nearly as dangerous as being in the path of an idiot operating a huge piece of machinery on the highway.
-lauren
September 10th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Wow, what a tragic end. I am really interested in reading his book, what an amazing individual.
September 11th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Ian was one of the people who inspired me to become a bike tourist. So sorry to hear about his death.
September 11th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Snap, that is intense. I was going to comment on one of Ryan’s postings to tell him how wonderful of an employee he had in Lauren, but apparently Lauren, you wrote this one. Let him know how wonderful you are for me, okay? By the way, Paul and I are shipping the bikes home from San Diego today.
Back to this posting… it’s crazy how much this guy has ridden. At the same time it gives you an interesting perspective that all of his riding adds up to the distance to the moon. On one hand, that’s an incredibly large distance to ride a bike, on the other, it’s hardly of any significance at all when thinking on a universal scale. Reminds me of thoughts I had under the stars we watched outside of Cayucos. Good times. Keep in touch.
September 11th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Yes this man was not just a tourer but an intrepid explorer…I would really love to read about more of his stories…incredible…but yeah that’s nothing…we’ll cycle the perimeter of the milky way before our lives are over…haha….
Wow, chris…the end of a biketouring odyssey…which day did you guys hit 6,000 miles…it was wonderful meeting/riding/camping with you guys for a few days…the lady in reeeeed….