An opportunity to remind you about episode 073 of The Cycling Europe Podcast… “Leigh Timmis was a round-the-world cyclist who upon his return, was searching for another challenge to sink his teeth into. A fortuitous meeting with the head of his local cycling club introduced him to the idea of turning his attention to a world-record – namely The Fastest Cycle Across Europe (Cabo da Roca to Ufa).
“Established by Guinness World Records in 2014, it is a route of 4000 miles from the lighthouse at Cabo da Roca, Portugal to the finish line at the train station in Ufa, Russia. Although the record is awarded for the fastest time between these two points, GWR state that it is up to the participant to choose the most suitable or shortest route between these two points.
“Partnering with the University of Derby and their Human Performance Unit, Leigh spent nearly a year training for the record attempt and implementing a new and radical training program. Working with a team of sports science experts, he was able to improve not just his physical fitness but his mental strength as well to ensure he was at peak fitness to take on the record. This was something Leigh found especially important – and challenging – as he had a history of depression. Because of this, he also committed to using the ride to raise money for MQ – the UK’s leading mental health research charity.
“Then on 10th September 2018, after eight months of intense preparation, Leigh and his team set off. Cycling 250-miles (or 14 hours) a day, Leigh passed through 10 different countries in a blur before finally arriving at Ufa train station just 16 days, 10 hours and 45 minutes later. He broke the previously held record by an astonishing 8 days and 7 hours. “
Where can I listen?
You can also listen directly via CyclingEurope.org:
Listen to the podcast with subtitles on YouTube:
Visit Leigh Timmis’ website by following this link.
Details of all previous episodes of the podcast can be found on the podcast page of CyclingEurope.org.
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