Englishman attempting Year Record

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ldrcycles
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Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby ldrcycles » Fri Dec 19, 2014 7:19 pm

For those that think the Hour Record doesn't see much action, this one was last set in 1939 (aside from Ken Webb's 1972 effort that was initially listed in the Guinness Book of Records but was later withdrawn). He'll need to average about 330kms a day, every single day for a whole year :shock: .


http://www.mkweb.co.uk/WORLD-RECORD-Mil ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby toolonglegs » Fri Dec 19, 2014 7:31 pm

http://app.strava.com/athletes/1419435" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... following, this should be good :)

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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby Ross » Fri Dec 19, 2014 9:09 pm

An American guy is doing a similar thing - http://www.tarzanrides.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby ldrcycles » Fri Dec 19, 2014 9:23 pm

No way, 75 years and now there's 2 blokes going at it, that's brilliant!

EDIT: The yank looks like a good bet, his longest ride on Strava is 441km at an average of 36.7kmh :shock: .
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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby ldrcycles » Fri Dec 19, 2014 9:40 pm

Interesting to note that the women's record is "only" 47,642kms. Any half decent rider should be able to easily surpass that mark, it's not even 100 miles a day.
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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby find_bruce » Fri Dec 19, 2014 10:43 pm

Kurt Searvogel (the yank contender) is also on Strava http://www.strava.com/athletes/350859" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is even a club http://www.strava.com/clubs/117991/members" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby singlespeedscott » Sat Dec 20, 2014 2:28 pm

Following this with interest. Should shut up the stupid Adelaide dwelling vegan in January too.
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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby singlespeedscott » Sat Dec 20, 2014 2:34 pm

Given the Australian connection with this record it would be nice if an Aussie had a go.
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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby ldrcycles » Sat Dec 20, 2014 3:19 pm

singlespeedscott wrote:Given the Australian connection with this record it would be nice if an Aussie had a go.
Give me time :) .


Oh and +quite a few on your previous post :) .
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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby toolonglegs » Sat Dec 20, 2014 7:07 pm

I think you have to be a pretty "special" type of person to give it a go... Certainly a certain Radelaide boy fits in to the category :mrgreen:
Not sure if they will log on Strava... Hope so but logistically that would be a lot of work. Be fun to watch.
I have maybe ridden over 200kms once in my life... Jeez probably only done a handful of 100 milers. How do you handle the boredom doing 200 miles a day!!!

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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby you cannot be sirrus » Sat Dec 20, 2014 7:16 pm

singlespeedscott wrote:Following this with interest. Should shut up the stupid Adelaide dwelling vegan in January too.
:) but I doubt it.

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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby warthog1 » Sun Dec 21, 2014 10:03 am

singlespeedscott wrote:Following this with interest. Should shut up the stupid Adelaide dwelling vegan in January too.

Gone straight over my head (not uncommon I know :oops: ). DR?
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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby singlespeedscott » Sun Dec 21, 2014 11:15 am

You got it in one.
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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby Tim » Sun Dec 21, 2014 2:02 pm

The history of this record is amazing.
The record holder, Tommy Golwin, a vegetarian, set the record during the first year of WW2 under tight food rationing and blackout restrictions.
He broke the one year record with 75,065 miles, and then kept riding till he clocked 100,000 miles in 500 days. :shock:
After all that he joined the RAF and went to war, not before he relearnt how to walk. Incredible;


"The UMCA announces that it will certify attempts for a new category of Highest Annual Mileage per the rules below. Here is a bit of history for such a record.

In 1911, a weekly cycling magazine began a competition for the greatest mileage cycled in a single year, with the first record established at 34,666 miles by Marcel Plaines. And that record stood until the 1930's when the record was broken six times in quick succession until the record stood at 62,657 miles, with the record being held by an Australian. So, three English cyclists set out to reclaim the record for the mother country. They all started riding on January 1, 1939 to see who could log the most mileage in one full year. One of them crashed soon thereafter and the race was now between Bernard Bennett and Tommy Godwin. Before two months were up, Godwin was almost 1,000 miles behind the record pace, so he started increasing his daily mileage. Bennett was soon left in the dust as Godwin upped his average to 200+ miles per day.

In September of that year, Great Britain declared war on Germany and blackout restrictions were imposed, forcing Godwin to ride in the ever-lengthening night hours with only a dull glow allowed to show from his bicycle headlight. More amazing for an Englishman, Godwin was a vegetarian. But food rationing soon depleted even his simple diet of bread, eggs, milk, and cheese. But on he pedaled! By October 26, Godwin broke the record set by the Australian. But he did not stop there. He continued riding until December 31, amassing an unbelievable mileage total of 75,065 miles in one year. But even then, he did not stop. He wanted to get to 100,000 miles in the fewest days possible, so he rode on and in May 1940, he hit 100,000 miles in exactly 500 days.

Then Godwin dismounted and spent weeks learning how to walk again. Then he joined the RAF for the war effort. And his record has stood unchallenged since 1939.

Note: The record by Godwin was never officially certified by any sanctioning body, though Guinness Book of World Records did offer belated recognition of Godwin's remarkable achievement.

So any rider making an attempt per the rules below can get a record certified at a mileage below that recorded by Godwin, but we all know that Godwins mark is the target"

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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby gabrielle260 » Sun Dec 21, 2014 2:11 pm

I knew a little of Tommy Godwin's story but not this much. I'd love to know more about "spent weeks learning to walk again" and of his RAF service and then what he did after the war.
Fascinating!
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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby beanspropulsion » Mon Dec 22, 2014 7:16 pm

Lol

Checking Strava I'm beating him (Steven Abraham) this week!

I don't think that will always be the case. Longest ride he's done... 715km.... *gulp*

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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby Ross » Mon Dec 22, 2014 7:32 pm

Doing this in 1911 would of been unimaginably harder than doing it today. The bikes then would of weighed probably ten times more than today's carbon fibre bikes, not sure if they would of gears then? The roads would of been crap, mostly dirt.

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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby ldrcycles » Mon Dec 22, 2014 7:50 pm

Even Godwin only had a 3 speed Sturmey. IIRC he did change to a 4 speed for a while but had trouble with it and went back to the 3.
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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby singlespeedscott » Mon Dec 22, 2014 8:42 pm

Ross wrote:Doing this in 1911 would of been unimaginably harder than doing it today. The bikes then would of weighed probably ten times more than today's carbon fibre bikes, not sure if they would of gears then? The roads would of been crap, mostly dirt.
Here's a link comparing Tommy's bike to a modern one.

http://www.tommygodwin.com/the-machine/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

To be honest with the roads and conditions he faced I would rather ride his bike then a modern plastic one.
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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby ldrcycles » Mon Dec 22, 2014 9:07 pm

singlespeedscott wrote:
Ross wrote:Doing this in 1911 would of been unimaginably harder than doing it today. The bikes then would of weighed probably ten times more than today's carbon fibre bikes, not sure if they would of gears then? The roads would of been crap, mostly dirt.
Here's a link comparing Tommy's bike to a modern one.

http://www.tommygodwin.com/the-machine/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

To be honest with the roads and conditions he faced I would rather ride his bike then a modern plastic one.

And on 27" tyres HA! :mrgreen:
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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby singlespeedscott » Mon Dec 22, 2014 10:15 pm

Well it is English after all.

There would have been better options from the French frame builders and component manufactures at the time.
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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby greyhoundtom » Tue Dec 23, 2014 6:18 am

No wonder he managed to set that incredible record .......... He had a Brooks saddle to sit on. :wink:

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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby find_bruce » Sat Jan 03, 2015 8:00 am

Steven Abraham is off to a good start

1 Jan 358 km
2 Jan 301 km

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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby Grgic » Sat Jan 03, 2015 11:12 am

If the American is putting his rides on strava, he's off to a slow start.
http://www.strava.com/athletes/3420668? ... ce=top-nav" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Englishman attempting Year Record

Postby ldrcycles » Sat Jan 03, 2015 5:47 pm

Grgic wrote:If the American is putting his rides on strava, he's off to a slow start.
Apparently Searvogel isn't starting until the 10th- http://road.cc/content/news/139788-amer ... ear-record" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I can't find an explanation anywhere for the late start, but he has a spreadsheet on his website of projected distances and speeds, so he must have a reason.
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