Sjaak Lucassen Will Ride His 2001 Yamaha YZF-R1 to the North Pole

[Thunder]

To the Top of the World

Dutch adventure motorcyclist Sjaak Lucassen will take the trip of a lifetime on one of the fastest sportbikes out there. He’ll ride his modified Yamaha YZF-R1 to the North Pole from Anchorage, Alaska. Over the course of the trip, Lucassen will cover 3,000 miles over hundreds of miles of sea ice.

Because he has to cross so much sea ice, he will have to go during the coldest time of the year, according to ADV Pulse. His trip is set to begin in January of 2021. It will take three seasons and over two years to complete. Because he’ll be running at the coldest time of the year, he will battle temperatures as low as -40 degrees F.

According to ADV Pulse, his biggest fear is the temperature climbing and he having to deal with deep snowdrifts and cracks in the ice that could swallow his bike. To combat this he will receive weather updates via satellite. There’s also the threat of polar bears. He will have to avoid them.

He will pull a sled behind his motorcycle with food, tools, and camping gear. He will take on the quest in three different stages. The first will be from Anchorage, Alaska, to Tuktoyaktuk, Canada. The second will be from Tuktoyaktuk to Ward Hunt Island, which is the longest portion. The third will be from Ward Hunt Island to the North Pole. This last stretch will be the most challenging due to the ice’s condition. 

Lucassen had the idea to do this run while on an around-the-world ride in 1995. It’s a crazy journey, but I’m looking forward to covering his progress over the next few years.

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[Gnomad]

I met him at a motorcycle show in Anchorage, we were the only two to ride to the show as it was still winter that year. We traded notes a bit, I asked him why a R1 which seemed an odd choice for a winter bike and his answer was it was what he had so why not? Hard to argue with that! 

That ice is going to be a helluva challenge.