Umling La Expedition: World Record Highest Altitude On A Hand Bike

Hi, and thank you for visiting this crowdfunding page. Since 2013 I have rolled through life in a wheelchair after my legs got paralyzed in a traffic accident. Recently my leg's muscles have improved drastically after several intensive periods of rehab, and I now can walk further than I have in ten years.

Today I need your help to realize one of my life goals: break the World Record of the Highest Altitude reached on a hand cranked cycle.

Support + share this campaign and help me to realize this important life goal through the contribution of you and your friends!

What happened?

April 2013. After being involved in a traffic accident in Thailand, I got an operation on my broken back and was repatriated to my home country, Belgium. Over there Belgian doctors could only note that their Thai colleagues had done a professional job and that their findings were similar. A short week later, I left the hospital and entered a rehabilitation center. I worked hard and learned to live life all over. Two months and a half later, I got the message that I could head home.

My life could start again, although now in a wheelchair. Since that day, I have made it my goal to live an active life, as I did before my accident. In 2022 I cycled from Alaska to Mexico, establishing a new world record for the longest distance ever traveled with a hand bike.

Check out our Youtube channel! So far 16 episodes have been made about this past expedition, and more to come!

Why crowdfunding?

Ever since ending up in a wheelchair, I was intrigued by the fact that efforts can break boundaries, that sitting on wheels can bring you into new worlds. Being still young and seeing the strength in my arms progress, I started to think: how would it be to break the world record of the longest journey by hand bike, which is a hand-cranked bicycle. In June of 2022 I left from Anchorage, Alaska and over the course of 6 months cycled 8554 kilometers / 5315 miles. It set a new Guinness world record, beating the old one of 20 years ago by over 3300 kilometers / 2050 miles.

Now I have set a new ambitious goal: break the world record of the highest altitude reached on a hand cranked cycle in June of 2024.

It gives me a 'butterflies in the stomach' type of enthusiasm to know that I can get out of my wheelchair, into my hand bike and head into the outdoors to undertake a journey that was never done before. This world record expedition will take off in the Indian state of Gujarat, in a town called Khambhat (0 meters above sea level). From there, we (my cycle partners Sam and Chris, more about them below) will head north. The Umling La Pass (5883 meters above sea level) being the final destination.

I am deeply inspired by the world-changing towards a more accessible environment. A change led by the development of emerging technology, a progressive social movement and new mobility infrastructure. With this new official record attempt I want to be an active part of that movement. Make my contribution to a world that becomes more accessible.

Why do I want to undertake this expedition?

1. Record Breaking

Ever since ending up in a wheelchair I was intrigued by the fact that efforts can break boundaries, that sitting on wheels can bring you into new worlds. Seeing the strength in my arms progress, I started to think: how would it be to break the world record of the longest journey by hand bike, which is a hand-cranked bicycle. Now I want to realize this life goal.

2. Resilience

Life with a disability can be a burden at times. But it also gives an enormous drive to make progress and work with the possibilities you are offered. This expedition has at its heart this first goal: creating awareness for the strength that I have. The strength that lies within people with a disability.

3. Environment

I want to create awareness for sustainable travel on our planet. I want to prove the world that great deeds can be achieved with a positive mindset, without having a negative impact on our environment by using human power to move my hand bike across a continent.

4. Exploration

With my hand bike, I want to break through this limitation and go out and explore the world. See new places, meet new people and move through the natural world. Break imaginary boundaries, break the standing world record.

How am I preparing for this project?

1. Indoor Training

The past years I have consistently kept up with weekly training, 5 days per week. This training is made up of one hour of indoor rowing & a variety of core muscle exercises.

2. Hand bike training

For the past year I have been training in a light weight Tiarrow handbike which is a titanium three-wheeled bike that allows the rider to move forward by cranking the two handles by hand. This mechanism works the same way a conventional bike works, the only difference being that my arms do the work instead of my legs.

Training with the hand bike consists of performing non-stop, short interval distances between 30 -70km. This training is performed on a variety of terrains: including altitude alterations, long stretches of flat terrain and a combination of both.

3. The Right Pace

Long distance athletic performances require a well calculated daily performance that does not exceed a certain daily distance in order to avoid straining muscles. Maintaining the right pace is key in succeeding the expedition.

4. The Right Team

This expedition can not be undertaken without the proper travel & cycling partners. Two of my cycle friends Sam and Chris, will join me in this venture. They are both physically fit, trained & between the two of them have over 30000 kilometers of cycle experience. Together we will be able to divide the load of the gear that we need to bring. Share the daily tasks such as cooking, setting up camp, breaking up camp, daily planning & moral support.

Support and Share

In order to be able to realize this great project, I am kindly asking you to give a contribution to our campaign. If you are not able to support me, you can help by sharing the campaign through social media, email or just by talking about it to your friends or family.

If every person who reads this shares it with five people, we will reach its goal in no time.

A Final Word of Thanks

I wish to thank the Funds Emilie Leus, a great organisation that has supported me several times with contributions to things I needed to purchase like a wheelchair for example. One of those donations was the high-end titanium frame hand bike, that I will use for this project. More info on the organisation can be found at; https://www.fondsemilieleus.be/

I wish to thank all the people who supported my previous campaigns with donations in the past, the people who reached out and spoke words of encouragement support.

It is one of my dreams in this life to break this record, and I hope you are willing to help out. Contribute, like or share!

I want to thank you for taking the time to read this text till the very end.

Have a great day,

Michiel