Axel Carion

Last updated

Axel Carion (Axel, Michael, Jacques), born July 26, 1985, in Chartres (France) is a French explorer, specializing in extreme ultra distance cycling and the organization of ultra cycling self-supported races. [1] He has cycled twice the length of South America in 2015 and 2017 and owns the Guinness World Record for cycling, as a team, the length of South America, established in February 2017. [2]

Contents

He is the founder of the BikingMan bikepacking World Series [3] and ambassador of the French Riviera since 2020. [4]

Guinness World Record - 2017

On January 1, accompanied with the Swede Andreas Fabricius, he attempted to settle the fastest cycle crossing of South America from Cartagena - Colombia to Ushuaia - Argentina. After 49 days, 23 hours and 43 minutes, [5] the duo managed to reach Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego. Self-supported, they had to manage food, accommodations, bike repairs and some remote sections of more than 100 km without a single village.

The highlight of the route was the Paso de Jama border crossing between Chile and Argentina where the athletes had to cycle at high altitude (4.800 above sea level) in the Atacama region.

Human adventure award - 2017

The team duo's expedition in South America, is listed for the 2017 VSD Human Adventure Award [6] along with the explorers Mike Horn, Thomas Coville, Christian Clot, Philippe Croizon and the astronaut Thomas Pesquet.

Uturuncu expedition, Uturuncu Volcano Climbing in Bolivia - 2018

Axel is passionate about high-altitude cycling. In August 2018, he successfully attempted to reach the summit of one of the highest road in the world: the Uturuncu Volcano at 5,800 meters. [7]

Expedition "Chaskis", in the footsteps of Inca runners - 2019

In July 2019, Axel Carion accompanied by the German record holder Jonas Deichmann, managed to cycle [8] the 1,900 kilometers of tracks between the Inca Valley and the Sierra Blanca in Peru. They perform the feat of crossing one of the highest road segment of Peru's "Qhapaq ñan" (network of Inca trails), nicknamed the "Peruvian Great Divide" in reference to the mountain range that crosses the United States from North to South (Continental Divide).

Their course was composed of 35 passes above 4,000 meters of altitude including 3 passes higher than the Mont Blanc. They linked the city of Cusco (capital of the eponymous region) to the village of Conococha which sits at the foot of the white mountain range, in 16 days. [9]

They completed this feat in tribute to the Peruvian "Chaskis" runners, [10] who traveled very long on foot to convey messages from the capital Cuzco to the borders of the Inca empire. This course is extremely demanding due to the prevailing climatic conditions (from + 40 ° to -15 °C), the conditions of the rocky and muddy Andean tracks and the limited access to food for refueling.

World record on the Jordan Bike Trail - 2020

In February 2020, Axel Carion invited the German record holder Jonas Deichmann, to cycle the Jordan Bike Trail in record time. [11] Starting in Um Qais (Northern Jordan), the JBT follows the ancient trade road and link the Sea of Galilee, the Dead sea and the Red sea and finished in Aqaba (Southern Jordan). It is 730 kilometers long, with 20,000m of ascent over 57 climbs. The two explorers completed this expedition in 120 hours battling freezing temperatures, snow, strong wind and extreme elevation of the trail. The fastest time before their successful attempt had been completed in 10 days.

Fastest Known Time on the GT20 in Corsica - 2020

In September 2020, Axel Carion accompanied by ultra-distance BikingMan athletes Anthony Duriani, Xavier Massart, Romain Level and Fabian Burri set the first fastest known time for crossing the Island of Beauty by following the route approved by the Corsica Tourism Agency : GT20. This course connects Bastia to Bonifacio via Cap Corse, the Agriates Desert, Balagne and the Regional Natural Park. After 592 kilometers and 11,000m of vertical gain, Axel and his team reached Bonifacio in 35h32min of cycling non stop without assistance and two full nights spent without sleeping. [12]

Main cycling expeditions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mont Ventoux</span> Mountain in France

Mont Ventoux is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, located some 20 km northeast of Carpentras, Vaucluse. On the north side, the mountain borders the department of Drôme. At 1,910 m (6,270 ft), it is the highest mountain in the region and has been nicknamed the "Beast of Provence", the "Giant of Provence", or "The Bald Mountain". It has gained fame through its inclusion in the Tour de France cycling race; in 2009 it was the scene of the first penultimate-day mountain top finish in the Tour de France, with Alberto Contador sealing his yellow jersey.

Trek Bicycle Corporation is a bicycle and cycling product manufacturer and distributor under brand names Trek, Electra Bicycle Company, Bontrager, and Diamant Bikes. The company has previously manufactured bikes under the Gary Fisher, LeMond Racing Cycles, Klein, and Villiger Bikes brand names. With its headquarters in Waterloo, Wisconsin, Trek bicycles are marketed through 1,700 independently owned bicycle shops across North America, subsidiaries in Europe, Asia, South Africa, as well as distributors in 90 countries worldwide. Nearly all Trek bicycles are manufactured outside the United States, in countries including the Netherlands, Germany, Taiwan, and China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EuroVelo</span> European cycling network

EuroVelo is a network of 17 long-distance cycling routes criss-crossing Europe, in various stages of completion. When completed, the EuroVelo network's total length will be almost 90,000 km (56,000 mi). As of November 2022 more than 56,000 km (35,000 mi) were in place. EuroVelo is a project of the European Cyclists' Federation (ECF).

The hour record is the record for the longest distance cycled in one hour on a bicycle from a stationary start. Cyclists attempt this record alone on the track without other competitors present. It is considered one of the most prestigious records in cycling. Since it was first set, cyclists ranging from unknown amateurs to well-known professionals have held the record, adding to its prestige, romance and allure. There is now one unified record for upright bicycles meeting the requirements of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). Hour-record attempts for UCI bikes are made in a velodrome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paris–Tours</span> French one-day road cycling race

Paris–Tours is a French one-day classic road cycling race held every October from the outskirts of Paris to the cathedral city of Tours. It is a predominantly flat course through the Chevreuse and Loire valleys; the highest point is 200 m, at Le Gault-du-Perche. It is known as a "Sprinters' Classic" because it frequently ends in a bunch sprint at the finish, in Tours. For several decades the race arrived on the 2.7 km long Avenue de Grammont, one of cycling's best-known finishing straits, particularly renowned among sprinters. Since 2011 the finish was moved to a different location because a new tram line was built on the Avenue de Grammont.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kílian Jornet Burgada</span> Catalan professional sky runner, long-distance runner, trail runner and ski mountaineer

Kílian Jornet is a Spanish professional long-distance trail runner and ski mountaineer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest trail runners of all time, he has won some of the most prestigious ultramarathons, including the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, Grand Raid, Western States and Hardrock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Col du Grand Colombier</span> Mountain pass in France

Col du Grand Colombier is a mountain pass in the Jura mountains in France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycling in Paris</span>

Cycling is a common means of transportation, sport, and recreation in Paris, France. As of 2021, about 15% of trips in the city are made by bicycle, taking place on over 1,000 km (620 mi) of cycling paths. The Tour de France, the largest sporting event in cycling, finishes on the Champs-Élysées. Four major recreational cycling routes—EuroVelo 3, Avenue Verte, the Seine à Vélo, and the Veloscenic—pass by Notre-Dame Cathedral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycling in Canada</span> Overview of cycling in Canada

Cycling in Canada is experienced in various ways across a geographically huge, economically and socially diverse country. Among the reasons for cycling in Canada are for practical reasons such as commuting to work or school, for sports such as road racing, BMX, mountain bike racing, freestyle BMX, as well as for pure recreation. The amount and quality of bicycle infrastructure varies widely across the country as do the laws pertaining to cyclists such as bicycle helmet laws which can differ by province.

This is a list of records and statistics in the Tour de France, road cycling's premier competitive event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mathieu van der Poel</span> Dutch cyclist

Mathieu van der Poel is a Dutch professional cyclist who rides for the UCI WorldTeam Alpecin–Deceuninck. He competes in the cyclo-cross, mountain biking and road racing disciplines of the sport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-distance cycling route</span>

Long-distance cycling routes are designated cycling routes in various countries around the world for bicycle tourism. These routes include anything from longer rail trails, to national cycling route networks like the Dutch LF-routes, the French Veloroute or the routes of the British National Cycle Network, to the multi-state routes of the United States Bicycle Route System, to the multi-country routes of the EuroVelo network in Europe, the longest of which is over 6,800 km (4,200 mi) in length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EV5 Via Romea Francigena</span> European cycling route

EuroVelo 5 (EV5), named the Via Romea Francigena, is a 3,900 km (2,400 mi) long EuroVelo long-distance cycling route running from Canterbury to Rome and ending at the Italian port of Brindisi. The route crosses Europe passing successively through six countries: UK, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, France again, Switzerland and Italy.

The definition of ultra-distance cycling is far more vague than in ultra running or in ultra-triathlon. Any bike race or ride longer than a century ride, which is 100 miles (160 km), is sometimes considered to be ultra-distance cycling. However, such events are relatively common, so using a longer distance to define the category is more useful, such as any race or ride that is longer than 200 kilometres (120 mi), 300 kilometres (190 mi) or even a double century, 200 miles (320 km).

The IncaDivide Race is a yearly, self-supported, ultra-distance cycling race across the territory of the Incas in South America and organized by the french organization BikingMan. The first edition took the participants through Ecuador and Peru in 2017. This is the first self-supported race to take place in South America. The inaugural edition route was about 3,500 kilometres (2,200 mi) long and went along some sections of the Qhapaq ñan, the legendary inca road network that was built by the Inca civilization. The main challenge of the race lies in its high altitude route and the challenging weather conditions of the Andes. All cyclists have to cycle across the Andes Cordillera with high passes above 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) on remote andean tracks and random road conditions. The inaugural race was held the 1st of July 2017. 17 athletes attempted to complete it but only 6 could reach the finish line. The fastest rider took less than 17 days to cycle from Quito to Cuzco.

BikingMan is a French-based organization that organises unstaged, self-supported, ultra distance cycling events, in South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. It was founded in 2016 by Axel Carion, who came back from cycling across South America in 2015 and wanted to share the experience of cycling unknown places in survival conditions for endurance athletes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Axel Journiaux</span> French cyclist

Axel Journiaux is a French former professional cyclist, who rode professionally for Total Direct Énergie in 2018 and 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Col de la Loze</span> Mountain pass in the French Alps

The Col de la Loze is a mountain pass in the French Alps, with an elevation of 2,304 metres (7,559 ft). A path up the mountain was opened in May 2019, and is the seventh-highest mountain pass in France. The ascent featured in the 2020 and 2023 Tours de France, as well as in the 2019 Tour de l'Avenir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orcières-Merlette</span> Ski resort in the French Alps

Orcières-Merlette, also known as Orcières Merlette 1850, is a ski resort near to Orcières, Hautes-Alpes, in the French Alps. It has been a summit finish for Tour de France stages on multiple occasions, most notably in 1971, when Luis Ocaña beat Eddy Merckx by over eight minutes to take the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification.

References

  1. ↑ BikingMan unassisted ultracycling races across the globe , retrieved 2019-09-12
  2. ↑ "Fastest time to cycle the length of South America (Cartagena to Ushuaia) by a team of two". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2017-11-06.
  3. ↑ Duncan, Heather (2019-01-28). "Axel Carion | BikingMan - ub-cool Magazine". ub-cool Adventure Magazine. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  4. ↑ "Axel CARION, explorateur Français, recordman, spécialiste de l'ultradistance à vélo en milieux engagés et Ambassadeur Côte d'Azur France". Côte d'Azur France (in French). Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  5. ↑ "Le record de la traversée de l'Amérique du sud à vélo battu par deux Azuréens" . Retrieved 2017-11-06.
  6. ↑ Média, Prisma. "Prix de l'aventure humaine 2017". Vsd.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 2017-10-16. Retrieved 2017-11-06.
  7. ↑ Duncan, Heather (2019-01-28). "Axel Carion | BikingMan - ub-cool Magazine". ub-cool Adventure Magazine. Archived from the original on 2019-08-29. Retrieved 2019-09-03.
  8. ↑ ADVNTR (2019-07-28). "Tools for the job: Axel Carion's OPEN WI.DE". ADVNTR. Retrieved 2019-09-03.
  9. ↑ Outdoor, Outside | Le magazine des amoureux de sports et culture (2019-07-25). "La Peruvian Great Divide ou l'aventure d'une vie dans les Andes". Outside | Le magazine des amoureux de sports et culture Outdoor (in French). Retrieved 2019-09-03.
  10. ↑ "Axel Carion and his 1900km Chaskis ride in the Peruvian Andes". A Life of Adventure. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  11. ↑ "Meet the 2 cyclists that biked across Jordan in 120 hours". Red Bull. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  12. ↑ Outdoor, Outside | Le magazine des amoureux de sports et culture (2020-09-07). "Gravel : record du GT20, le GR20 des cyclistes". Outside | Le magazine des amoureux de sports et culture Outdoor (in French). Retrieved 2020-09-13.
  13. ↑ ADVNTR (2020-02-26). "Breaking Records on the Jordan Bike Trail". ADVNTR. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  14. ↑ "Vélo Mag : en Corse, un premier record sur la GT20 - Vélo Mag - GT20". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 2020-09-13.
  15. ↑ "La Belle Evasion, le défi de l'utra-cycliste Axel Carion" (in French). 2021-02-10. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  16. ↑ "Axel Carion, 2 700 km à vélo sur la piste Hô Chi Minh au Vietnam". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 2023-03-09.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.