Ian Hibell: A Greek Perspective

We have been researching the precise location of where Ian Hibell was killed on 23 August 2008 by a Greek motorist in Nea Erithrea, a suburb of northern Athens. We hope to be able to place there a memorial in the Greek tradition. If you have any detailed information on this subject, please Contact Us.

In the course of this research, we have found 437 Google citations to the name 'Ian Hibell', spanning 44 pages! Some of these are in Greek and present a unique perspective of the tragedy, seen from within this country. We attach three articles representing this view, and we have left them as roughly translated by Google. The resulting English somehow gives a deeper and rawer response to the irony and tragedy of Ian's demise. This is something that comes easily to the Greek mind and it is something that Ian would have appreciated. He would like to have been called 'January Chimpel'! There is a sharp contrast here with the cliché-ridden, formal expressions of sympathy, condolences and comfort to be found in other obituaries.

The last sentence says it all: 'Would like to live a small part of the experience before closing the chapter of my existence.'

The Translation

In the following articles in the Greek media, 'Hibell' is translated as 'Chimpel' since there is no H and no B in the Greek alphabet. 'H' is rendered as 'X' and can then be pronounced as 'CH'. B is rendered as 'MP', which is then pronounced as 'MP', rather than 'B', if it's in the middle of a word. 'Ian' becomes 'Jan' and then 'January'! Hence, 'Ian Hibell' = 'January Chimpel'. He would have loved that.

'Varibobi', mentioned in the articles, is an area in Nea Erithrea (New Erithrea, a northern suburb of Athens) where Ian was killed, probably on the main Athens - Lamia - Thessaloniki Road (E75).

CAT or KAT is an accident hospital in Kifissia, just south of New Erithrea.

'Chrono' = 'Years': Ian's age (74) and that of the driver (32).

Sometimes, often in quotes, the Greeks use the original English words in the Latin alphabet.

Article One

Having escaped from lions and robbers, was killed in Greek road

Tragic death in New Eritrea for the famous British cyclist Jan Chimpel

Turn the bike around the world. Crossed the jungle and wild rivers. Escaped elephants, lions and armed robbers. But he made a mistake. Came to cycling in Greece. And came to CAT, dead. The reason for Chimpel January, made the fatal mistake to make cycling to the National Highway Athens-Lamia, which was tragically killed when hit and the driver who has left «conflict» with another car. The incident happened on 24 August at the height of New Eritrea, starring the 74chrono British and a 32chrono Greek driver, who is now in the hands of police, was arrested and confessed after his action. The January Chimpel left his last breath shortly after the transfer to the CAT.

The British cyclist, who came from Brixcham Devon, spent by the 1960s more than 400,000 miles, travelling to more remote and dangerous corners of the world. The cycling adventure started in 1963, when he asked his employer biennial study leave and returned ten years later, having become the first travelled by bicycle from the Land of Fire as Alaska. Overall travelled the ice of Antarctica to the Amazon jungle and the Arctic Circle to the most remote islands of Indonesia. It also made the distance Brussels-Vladivostok to pedal. He liked to travel alone goes for covering the costs of saving the few economies. In travels find shelter and food, whenever possible, and was hosted by the more distant and nomadic tribes of the five continents.

I like to visit most spiritual' to try the original front and pool bags designed to transport. And look for another opportunity to take pictures of Peru. Do not be afraid to back these women with strange hats and strange skirts that were both scared last time »wrote to explain why it had started a dangerous journey to Peru in late 1970. The January Chimpel preferred to travel under very abnormal conditions and managed to cross marsh, steep cliffs, and the Sahara desert. Indeed, during the trip was attacked by armed robbers, tropical ants, lions and elephants.

The matter was Chimpel itself in the minds of cyclists in the world. Indeed, in his book «Into the Remote Rlaces» encouraged and inspired countless to follow his example. For this reason, last Thursday cyclists from around the world spent the website in his memory

Article Two

Ian Hibell, the man who turned around the world by bike and hit him unconscious in the driver made Varibobi conflict.

Ian Hibell was from Devon, England. A bachelor who in 1963 requested permission from his employer for two days and returned after ten years after he went by bicycle from Alaska to Cape horn! After this trip continued for the next 30 years to travel by bike in the world. Crossed the Sahara, ate the scene of tropical ants, the thieves shot, chased the elephants, were in the race and the Africans Aborigines generally valued understand the man was faced with many tests of mother nature, but never not prepared for Greece, this rare type of domestic raw undauntedness arrogant and unknown ..

The Ian Hibell was 70 years and the last trip, when on 23 August in the highway at the height of the Varibobi hit, and left 32 chronos driver involved in improvised fight. The driver was arrested after two days and charged with murder plea dangerous driving.

Article Three

These days I fell on a perception that unfortunately is news once again as a small confirmation of what we are good drivers. A British cyclist in the name «Ian Hibell» was launched 40 years turning the world of cycling. As the British newspaper Daily Mail (which highlighted the issue) an article of the British cyclist in his long journey from one side of the world to another was found in some of the most remote and hard parts of this planet and faced extreme situations in which several times threatened his life. The robbers shot in the desert, threatened to eat live tropical ants, fell into a marsh and near to killed, charged by elephants, and attacked a time and a hungry lion.

Of all those mentioned came alive but unfortunately for him did not even face the greatest of all the jungle. The jungle of Greek roads. A jungle filled with a rare wild most dangerous one which can only find it. To be more specific, on the August 23 «Ian Hibell» cycling national Athens-Lamia highway at the height of Varibobi when he fell on the passing car which did conflict with another speed. As if this were not enough "wild beast of the jungle" dumped on the asphalt and left. Finally the «Ian Hibell» moved to a nearby hospital where just found the death. Fortunately the driver was unconscious and an eyewitness saw the sign and said the police.

The cyclist was one Himbel philosopher. In 1984 he wrote a book entitled "In isolated places," and when not travelling give lectures at universities urging other cyclists love to travel. Once when asked by a journalist travelling replied because "a bird often leaves and travels to places where for some reason the drawing there. I suppose I can not tell us why do but do anyway." Unfortunately for him not xanapetaxei to all these parties pulling the.

Surely this is just an isolated incident and does not prove anything by itself. Yet I believe that even leaving aside any statistics and any such incidents hear occasionally, personal experience and only the Greek roads is the biggest proof of how good drivers are finally ...

For once, shame. Greeks ............ anyone who understood, he .. You 're on the road and you cross your back to your home .. Not anything else. He takes the ball and all the other drivers. Little attention, do not run . If you are interested in your life, at least respect the lives of others ..

The man spent so much and came here to be killed? So I dare to say that we are worse than the jungle? It is really addition reviews the new. Life plays strange games sometimes ... it is certainly not fair, and certainly not as if we are to believe is bad unpredictable. I do not want to comment on the accident ... I do not need to say that we should welcome our life and our daily lives .... damn because we do not know what protects the future

Will focus on the life of cyclist not in death - no further comment. But that does not like to justify his passion under the logic of others. Lived just how feel that him to be happy and this is the great success in my humble opinion. To manage the man not to live like protozoa, social "must" as one of the whispers of the heart! Would like to live a small part of the experience before closing the chapter of my existence.