In Goran Kropp's Tyre Tracks...

An American climber and cyclist, inspired by the late Swedish adventurer Goran Kropp, is aiming to circumnavigate the world using only human power and climbing the highest summits on six continents along the way.

Erden Eruç from Seattle, met Kropp when he lectured in the town and stayed in touch with him thereafter. Initially his plan was 'merely' to circumnavigate the globe, but meeting Kropp inspired him to up the ante and add the summits to his plan. '"Life is short, get it done!" was the message that I took to heart,' he says.

It's one down, with five to go now. Eruç takes up the story: "I left Seattle on Feb 1, 2002 on my bicycle towing my gear in a trailer a la Goran. I met my friends in Talkeetna and we walked into Kahiltna Base Camp over hill tops and glaciers, covering a distance of 67 miles by snowshoe and sled over 14 days. On May 29th, we stood on the summit, and I was back in Seattle by August 24. The total miles on the odometer of my rig was 5,546 miles."

The next goal is South America's highest summit, Aconcagua: "I will bicycle to Florida' says Eruç , 'then row through the Panama Canal to Ecuador. From there I will bicycle to Aconcagua to climb it.' From there he plans to cross the Pacific by boat to reach Australasia's highest peak, Carstenz Pyramid.

It's not a cheap enterprise, so the team is looking for sponsors and finance. They're also set up Around-n-Over, a non-profit organisation, which has as one of its aims, the support of the school Kropp set up in Nepal. You can find out more about the proect on their web site.