Ian Hibell, Famed Adventure Cyclist and Author, Killed After Collision With Car In Greece
Posted by Jason A. Hendricks on September 5, 2008 |
Ian Hibell spent the last 40 years of his life touring the world on bicycle. Between 1971 and 1973, Ian Hibell would become the official bearer of the title “first person to complete a Trans-Americas expedition by land.” He started off at Cape Horn and finished his bike ride in Alaska three years later. He would later write a book, “Into The Remote Places”, that would explore this journey, as well as many others he had completed along the way.
On August 23rd, 2008, while touring on bike in Greece, Ian Hibell was tragically killed after a collision with a vehicle. This sad ending to a life of discovery comes at a time when Ian Hibell’s story is looked upon as inspiration for those adventurous spirits that followed and continue to follow his journeys.
Along with Ian’s “Trans-America’s” expedition, he also made a valiant journey from Europe to the Cape of Good Hope–proving that once again he was up for a challenge.
After Ian’s book was published he began speaking to audiences in the United States and Great Britain..even lecturing an audience at Yale University. He was able to reach out and touch many lives that, at that time, would probably have never thought about venturing out.
Through all of the fame, Ian never lost site of his goals. He never lived a lavish life of luxury, but his life was lived, lavished in adventure. At one point, Ian even designed and used front and back luggage racks, rather than buy them new. He was known to do this with much of his gear, as much out of necessity or need in those wild areas of the world that he ventured.
The driver who hit Ian Hibell on August 23rd has not been found. He left the scene of an accident that truly took away one of adventuring’s greats. He will be missed by his family, friends, and those he met in his travels and speeches, as well as the hundreds of thousands that continue to read and discover his story.
sources: BikeBiz, EcoVelo, and Wikipedia
That’s so sad. I don’t understand how anyone could leave the scene of an accident knowing they’d hit someone. That’s incomprehensible to me.
September 8th, 2008 at 9:30 am