How many people can claim to have cycled on all seven continents? Not many, I'll warrant, but I can say confidently that I have made tracks in Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Australia, Asia and Antarctica. Most were straightforward, but Antarctica was tricky. In December 2003 I travelled to the frozen continent and took with me a folding Specialized Globe bicycle. On the Antarctic Peninsula, the beach opposite the old Argentine station of Almirante Brown in Paradise Bay provided a perfect spot for a bit of riding among the penguins. See photos on next page.

The dotted line isn't my route. It would be a clever bit of cycling if it were, but it's the Antarctic circle. I cycled near the northern end of the Antarctic Peninsula.