While all the attention was focused on the North Pole last week, Royal Enfield was on its way to planting the world’s oldest motorcycle brand's flag at the South Pole! The 90° SOUTH Expedition was intended to pay tribute to Royal Enfield's 120-year heritage and the courage of countless riders and explorers who have made history on two wheels.
On December 16, 2021, Santhosh Vijay Kumar and Dean Coxson reached the geographic South Pole in 15 days. The team arrived at Novo in Antarctica from Cape Town for four days of acclimatization, loading of supplies, checking equipment and the motorcycles. From Novo, they rode 1,988 miles over the next 9 days, braving extreme weather conditions with temperatures between -30° to -25°C (-22° to -13°F) and wind speed of 60 km/h (37 mph), towards Ross Ice Shelf.
The Ross Ice Shelf was the designated start point for the riders, however, an unexpected blizzard forced the team to alter their course. Instead of starting the ride from 86 South, the team started the 400-km (250-mile) ride from 87 degrees South. Despite a few initial roadblocks and a slight detour, the expedition team completed the quest by reaching the South Pole on December 16, 2021.
The team is currently heading towards the western part of Antarctica, Union Glacier, from where they will fly out to Punta Arenas, Chile.
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