From Iceland — Man Cycles 400 Km By Hand In One Day

Man Cycles 400 Km By Hand In One Day

Published June 24, 2021

Alina Maurer
Photo by
Vísir / BJARKI VIÐAR BIRGISSON

Yesterday, Arnar Helgi Lárusson ended his 400 km long cycling trip in Selfoss after cycling four hundred kilometers along the south coast. Arnar Helgi has been paralyzed below the chest since an accident in 2002.

Cycling for a good cause

According to Vísir, a group of people accompanied Arnar Helgi throughout the trip, which began Tuesday afternoon. Arnar was involved in a motorcycle accident in 2002 when he was just 26 years old. The accident caused him to be paralyzed from the chest down. However, he did not let his physical disability drag him down, as soon after the accident he got into all kinds of sports. He is also the chairman of the SEM association, which is an association of rehabilitated spinal cord injuries.

About his phenomenal performance, Arnar Helgi says, “The trip went very, very well. I’m just happy. The trip started to draw attention to the movement of people with reduced mobility and shows what people with reduced mobility can do. I’m in the process of collecting four mountain bikes for people with reduced mobility so that I can lend them to those who need them.”

Arnar Helgi achieved his goal

He describes the most fun part of his trip as being the joy he felt after he achieved his goal. “It’s naturally the endorphins that are flooding my brain. You can just imagine how happy I am with myself. I set some goals, rode 400 kilometers, and achieved it.”

Arnar Helgi’s wife, Sóley Bára Garðarsdóttir, is also amazed by her husband’s achievement, “He’s just unstoppable and crazy.”

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