IAN HIBELLIan Hibell, regarded as the world's most accomplished long-distance touring cyclist, died after a road accident in Greece on 23 August, 2008.The remarkable 74-year-old, from Brixham, was in collision with a car while cycling on the Athens-Salonika highway and died at the scene.The Torbay sportsman was famous for travelling the world on his bike nearly non-stop for the past 40 years. He took countless expeditions, among them his famous Cape Horn to Alaska trip, and an epic Europe to Cape of Good Hope expedition. He epitomised what it means to be a trailblazer and many of his expeditions were 'firsts'.Tributes poured in from cycle fans world-wide on the internet for the daredevil tourer who had been to the most remote spots on earth from Antarctica and the Amazon to Alaska and Indonesia.There were also calls for his book, Into the Remote Places, to be re-printed as a posthumous tribute, and plans for his enormous collection of photos and slides to be preserved and exhibited were made.Mr Hibell, who lived in Higher Brixham in Devon and cared for his mother until she passed away five years ago, died still modestly claiming a whole slew of long-distance and 'first to go across' records.But the sinewy sportsman with endless reserves of stamina will be best remembered for his casual asides to fans and interviewers. They revealed he had been almost eaten alive by tropical ants, got lost in mangrove swamps, was chased by rogue elephants and once faced down a hungry lion.The adventurer, photographer and lecturer had been jailed, shot at and, having left on a two-year sabbatical trip from his work at a communications firm in Paignton, returned 10 years later murmuring apologies. He never did summon up the nerve to ask for his old job back.A regular guest on Blue Peter and the BBC Globetrotter series,Mr Hibellwas honoured by the League of American Wheelmen and by the UK's Cycle Touring Club for his pioneering spirit and accomplishments.He developed his taste for travelling during his RAF service in the 1950sIn later years, he lectured at Yale University in the USA and was a popular public speaker.
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