South Pole Epic: First Bike Expedition to the South Pole

Daniel was an ordinary guy with an extraordinary dream. With no prior polar experience and no expedition experience, Daniel set off alone to bike to the South Pole. Starting near sea level and climbing to 9,300 feet while battling 10 to 30 mph headwinds, blinding whiteouts, deadly crevasses, and extreme cold Daniel biked for 51 days, covering over 750 miles to become the first person to successfully bike to the South Pole.South Pole Epic is a story of endurance and finding solutions to do the impossible.

Daniel Paul Burton is the first person to complete an expedition from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole by bicycle. Daniel started his expedition, The South Pole Epic, on December 2, 2013 at Hercules Inlet and arrived at the South Pole on January 21, 2014. Burton was a computer programmer by trade. Twenty-three years into his career and out of shape in his 40s, Burton went to get his blood checked. His cholesterol numbers were terrible, his blood pressure was high and he was a bit overweight. He started to mountain bike and in 2008 established a bike shop in Saratoga Springs called Epic Biking. He finished the LOTOJA Classic six times and then wanted to do more. He decided to set out on his Antarctic ride to inspire people to be active and to encourage donations to the American Diabetes Association. He also wanted to ride in honor of his mother, whose high cholesterol contributed to her death. Burton started riding fat bikes, which are fortified bikes with wide tires that are intended for sand, ice and snow. He became interested in Eric Larsen's attempt to travel to the bottom of the world in 2012. Larsen made it a quarter of the way before turning around. Training for a year, Burton set off on his South Pole Epic expedition December 2, 2013. He started at Hercules Inlet and rode 775 miles until he reached the Geographic South Pole.