Man Bikes Round-the-World Trip with Help of Solar Power

After planning for nine painstaking months, Joseph Ascencao is currently attempting a feat that most people could only gawk at: completing the first bicycle trip around the world. That’s right. He’s riding a bike. Around the world.

Ascencao started his 4-5 year long journey in August when he left from Providence, Rhode Island. He has since made his way down the eastern seaboard to Key West, followed by a stop in Mobile, Alabama. While he plans on taking a short break with friends in Texas, he will be trekking it alone all the way until Brazil, where more friends are waiting for him.

While he has written Antarctica out of his plans (for obvious reasons), he’s still determined to bike through countries like Afghanistan and China—that is, if he’s allowed. All in all, his trip should amount to about 57,000 miles.

But don’t think he has forgone all luxuries on his strenuous adventure. Ascencao fixed a solar panel to his bike in order to charge his cell phone and iPod while he’s riding, and he’s also tracking his entire journey through a helmet camera.

Interested in following Joseph? Find him on Facebook—it’s the next best thing to actually taking the trip yourself.

Posted on November 10th in Solar News by Kayla.