It had been proved impossible but on December 27, 2013, Maria Leijerstam from Great Britain became the first person in the world to cycle to the South Pole. For four years, Maria fought against every obstacle. How was she going to fund this mission? What was the best cycle for the job? Would this ordinary woman be fit and strong enough to fulfil her dream, especially with strong male competition from around the world?
Maria started with no more than a childhood dream and describes herself as ‘an ordinary woman.’ Yet through determination and smart expedition planning by Maria herself, she achieves two polar records.
I invite you to share with Maria the highlights and lowlights in this amazing story of human endeavour — the body stabbing 40 mph wind that threatens to whip her cycle into a crevasse, her determination to cycle every revolution of the way up the steep Leverett glacier, and her day to day survival under the most severe conditions on earth inside her tiny red tent.
This book will take the reader through undiscovered terrain, but it will also remind you that you don’t have to climb a mountain or traverse a glacier to realise your goal. Anyone who is faced with any kind of challenge, however big, however small will find Maria’s determination and will to succeed inspiring and relevant.
