A German cyclist was badly frostbitten and taken to hospital while touring eastern Siberia in subzero temperatures, a hospital employee said on Tuesday.
Sven Riedel, 37, was attempting to cycle 300 kilometers from the city of Ulan-Ude to the northern shore of Lake Baikal, but was not fully equipped to cope with adverse weather conditions.
The extreme athlete, a car mechanic in Germany, was planning to sleep over in a tent after traveling some 100 kilometers on his bicycle. However, his equipment and clothing were extremely inadequate for the minus 30-35 degree Celsius (minus 25-31 Fahrenheit) temperatures in Buryatia.
"I wanted to see Lake Baikal," Riedel told RIA Novosti. "I didn't think it would be so cold."
Riedel had previously bicycled across Scandinavia, however, that experience was insufficient for the extreme cold in Siberia.
A local driving by noticed Riedel on the side of the road and "talked him into getting in his car." Riedel speaks no Russian.
The hospital employee said Riedel is suffering from frostbite to his feet and hands but is in no danger, though earlier medics thought they might have to amputate some of his fingers.
ULAN-UDE, January 11 (RIA Novosti)