Wolfgang Kulow loves adventure. Anything the 63-year old sets his sights upon as the next competitive goal would be ambitious enough for a lifetime goal for mere mortals. In February of this year, Wolfgang Kulow aims to cross frozen Lake Baikal by bike. He will be packing, among other things, an extremely warm multi-functional jacket, 150g of dry food per day, and his individually configured STEVENS bike.
Kulow’s trekking bike was prepared for the adverse conditions of his mission in Hamburg in January. His choice was the robust Super Flight frame including robust and low-maintenance Shimano disc brakes. To this, an encapsulated Rohloff Speedhub gearshift and Schwalbe Spiker Pro tyres for good grip on the ice were added. “The bike has to be realiable even in ice weather,” says Kulow.
Siberian Lake Baikal is the ultimate challenge. It is the largest and deepest freshwater lake on Earth. In permanent frost conditions, the surface remains frozen for some 5 months per year. From the southwest to the north, the way is free on 649 kilometres. Usually, you’d use a truck, mega-jeep or a hovercraft. Wolfgang Kulow mounts his bike.
The nights on the ice are concerning Kulow the most. During the dark nights, alone in the tent while the ice is crackling, you need an optimal attitude: “You need to be attuned physically and mentally, and you must view it in a positive light. Then you can enjoy the icy desert and it will be fun.”
The first days go well. Kulow makes steady progress across the clear ice with his STEVENS Super Flight. The monotone clacking of the spikes is the only diversion while driving. Apart from that, there’s only silence. Towering pack ice forces him to turn back after 250 kilometres. At times, he pushes bike and material over ice ridges for 15 kilometres. After 17 lonely days and 752 kilometres, he reaches the base camp.
Resting for long is not this extreme athlete’s cup of tea. Wolfgang Kulow is training for the next challenge at home. An underwater race against his friend Joe Kelly and the ten-times Triathlon world champion Marcel Heinig in Großenbrode on the Baltic Sea is up next. Although hydrodynamics are not playing a big role, the bike is still adjusted to get more weight on the tyres and minimize buoyancy.
We wish Wolfgang Kulow the best of success for the future and are curious about his next plan, so we can build him the optimized STEVENS Bike.
