Jonas Deichmann joins SCOTT Sports
Givisiez, Switzerland, February 2022. Jonas Deichmann is no stranger to adventure. The 34 year old, is an explorer and adventurer, who has lived in Germany, Sweden and Denmark. In 2018, after a few years living the 9-to-5, Jonas decided to dedicate himself full-time to ultra-endurance cycling exploits, and he has since claimed a number of World Records for his adventures. His most significant cycling records include an unsupported crossing of Europe West to East, unsupported Panamerica from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, and most recently, the first triathlon around the world – equaling an incredible 120x Ironman distance journey where he ran, swam and cycled his way across Europe, Asia and the Americas over the course of 429 days.
A unique approach to adventure has enabled Jonas to keep pushing his limits: "I'm not a fan of just doing something that has been done before, like breaking an existing record or doing races." With cycling as the main pillar, he now enjoys finding new ways to explore the world. "I would also like to get into running, ocean rowing, or cross-country skiing. There are a lot of places that are pretty wild where you can go on skis or running or the bike."
His adventures have led to the publication of two books Cape to Cape and The Limit Is Only Me as well as a number of film projects chronicling his adventures.
“We’re delighted to welcome Jonas into the SCOTT family,” comments Reto Aeschbacher, CMO at SCOTT Sports. “Jonas and his adventures are an inspiration to many people far beyond the world of cycling. We admire Jonas’ innovative approach to pushing the limits of himself and his sports, and we’re looking forward to supporting his next adventures.”
We had the chance to catch-up with Jonas and ask him a few questions about his recent adventures and what he has planned for the future.
Tell us about your recent round-the-world triathlon adventure. What was the idea and motivation behind it?
When I was cycling from North Cape in Norway to Cape Town, South Africa - 18,000 km in 72 days - I was in the middle of the Sahara and I thought, "I have seen so much on the bike. I need a new challenge, a new discipline." I was a good runner, I didn't die swimming, and I've always wanted to go around the world and, well, that's how I got the idea of doing a triathlon round the world. I immediately started planning it in my head and figured out a route where it could be possible. I wanted to do it in line with the Ironman distance, so I had to find the right multiple.
So then I set off in September 2020 to do the distance of 120 Ironmans, going once around the world. First I cycled from Munich to Croatia, then I swam for 460 km along the coast to Dubrovnik and continued on the bike across eastern Europe and then to Russia. By then it was the middle of winter but, because of Covid, most borders were closed and Russia was the only country I could cross. After reaching the Pacific, I then ran 5000 km across Mexico. The final leg was from Portugal to Munich.
In the end, I cycled across Siberia in winter and I ran across Mexico in summer – my timing could have been better. But I made it! I finally arrived back in Munich in November last year after 429 days in total.
Your history is as a cyclist. Can you tell us more about your background and how it led to what you do now?
Cycling has always been my main discipline. I started cycling from 3 years old and was racing when I was 16-17 years old. I eventually stopped racing to go to university, but found I had a lot of time and wanted to see the world, but had no money. I thought, why not explore the world by bicycle. I cycled once around the world, slowly, with no records, just pure adventure. After that, I got the idea of combining the athletic part from racing with the adventure of the bike touring and quickly thought, "how fast can I cycle across a continent unsupported?" In 2017 that’s what I did, first with the world record for crossing Eurasia, then Panamerica and Cape to Cape.
What does your new partnership with SCOTT mean to you?
I'm super excited to work with SCOTT. It's one of the biggest and most well-known cycling brands in the world. It’s simply the perfect partner because I love the bikes: gravel bike, road bike and mountain bike. And as I'm often in exotic parts of the world, SCOTT is also one of the very few bike brands that can possibly help out when I'm in Colombia or wherever, and I have a problem. I'm really looking forward to our partnership.
What is the first thing you're looking forward to doing on your new SCOTT bike?
I have just received my Addict Gravel, and I'm super excited that in two weeks I'm doing a gravel expedition in Baja California and Mexico. There's a gravel route called the Baja Divide. I think it's around 2000 km, or more through the desert and the mountains. It will be my first long ride on my new Addict Gravel, and I'm super excited.
We are excited to see what Jonas is up to next and how he’s able to continue to push the limits of what some think is possible.