By Marcus Wallmeyer, CEO
Last week, Jonas Deichmann started his triathlon around the world. The first leg is from Munich to Croatia by bike. From there, he’ll swim 456 km (283 miles) along the coast toward Montenegro. He is then going to cycle through Russia, Siberia, and China. After a sailboat trip across to San Francisco, the next stage looms. Jonas plans to run 5,040 km (3,131 miles) across North America to New York. He’ll then cross the Atlantic and then ride the last 2,500 km (1,553 miles) from Portugal to Munich on his bike. In total, the journey will cover almost 40,000 km (25,000 miles) – and Jonas wants to complete it in less than a year! Jonas Deichmann already holds three world records for crossing continents by bicycle. Now he wants to set a new record as a triathlete. Before his departure, I had the opportunity to spend a whole day with Jonas to take part in a unique test of his equipment, but more about that later. Originally, Jonas had planned to ride through Iran and then through India and South East Asia. But because of the Covid-19 crisis, he now has to take the northern route via Siberia and the Gobi Desert, which means cycling through Siberia in winter – at temperatures as low as minus 40°!
Why having the right equipment in extreme temperatures is crucial
For this adventure, Jonas chose the new M99 Mini PRO B54 because this battery-powered headlight offers vital features. The new Supernova light system has a very long lighting time – even in icy conditions. It’s an extremely reliable and robust system with a focus on longevity, and it is exceptionally bright. Most importantly, the remaining lighting time can be tracked down to the minute. This feature will allow Jonas to plan his tour precisely as he might not get to a power outlet at hand for days on end. To ensure that the headlight is the right one for his trip, the M99 Mini PRO B54 was subjected to an extreme test.
The ultimate test at minus 25 Celsius (-13F)
Jonas received permission from the Deutsche Bahn to test his equipment in their huge climate chamber. Here, they usually test Locomotives to determine how they behave under the most adverse weather conditions such as snowstorms, freezing rain or extreme heat.
For Jonas, the focus was on testing his equipment in extreme cold. The hours in the climate chamber were really hard! Wind, icing machines and cold down to minus 25C (-13F) made me limit my stay in the chamber to a few minutes at a time. Outside, it was fortunately a pleasant 20C (68F). Jonas spent most of the time in the freezing chamber. He tested clothes, bike computer, sleeping bags and of course our new Supernova headlight M99 Mini PRO B54.
Supernova passed all the tests with flying colors! I wasn’t surprised by the results, because in our laboratory we test all Supernova products in our own climate chamber – which is of course much smaller. Being in this huge climate chamber was an amazing experience for me!
On the way back, Jonas and I talked for hours. What I particularly like about his new adventure is that the whole triathlon is unsupported. And it’s CO2 neutral, as he’ll be travelling the sea routes in a sailboat. His environmental awareness dovetails with Supernova’s values, as sustainability is one of the most important pillars of our corporate philosophy.
Here at Supernova, we wish Jonas all the best for his adventure. We’ll keep you up to date!
Text: Marcus Wallmeyer • Pictures: Marcus Wallmeyer • Video: Marcus Wallmeyer, ravir film