MERS-LES-BAINS, France (Reuters) — Roughly 20 years after setting a record for the first world tour on roller skates, Frenchman Fabrice Gropaiz set off on a tour of France, this time on an electric skateboard, in preparation for his next around-the-world journey.
Public-relations specialist Gropaiz became the first person to successfully rollerblade around the world when he arrived at Paris’ Arc du Triomphe on April 30, 1999, after completing 27,000 kilometers in 28 months.
At 28, he decided to mix his different interests in travel, sport and “communications” by hooking up a tent to his back, lacing rollers to his feet and rolling across the globe.
Although he was fortunate not to have any serious injuries or illnesses along the way, the trip was not without hazards. In Russia he nearly lost his life to a mad truck driver and in the desert he had to go long stretches without water.
The record-breaker set off on Tuesday (June 27) on his new trip using a more modern type of electric skating vehicle, with which he plans to travel 3,000 km (1,864 miles) in one month, and then 25,000 km (15,535 miles) around the world in two years starting in Spring of 2018.
His skateboard has a big battery attached to its underside and he carries a solar panel in his trailer in order to charge.
Through his endeavors, Gropaiz also wants to show how the world can revolutionize its methods of transport.
“If I can do a tour of France and a tour of the world, you can easily go to work on a skateboard,” he said.
Gropaiz compared the feeling of travelling on an electric skateboard like that of using a snowboard. He plans to travel for six to eight hours per day.
