240 miles in 9 hours.
Comments
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Congrats good attempt.0
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I think I could have been more encouraging at the start of the thread, but fair play to you Shavedlegs, that is one hugely impressive effort. I honestly don't think the table is level for this kind of attempt, too many things have changed in the interim, anyone doing it now is effectively taking on more with the traffic etc.
Good on you 8)0 -
What he wants is a monster truck for a lead vehicle.0
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not allowed a lead vehicle at all !
only a following carconstantly reavalueating the situation and altering the perceived parameters accordingly0 -
Well I was just thinking how a monster truck, pref with a plough on the front would clear cars pretty well.0
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must say, i did`nt think you`d do this and i suppose i was right.
but you got alot closer to it than i thought you would.
and i will congratulate you on the fact, you had the balls to have a go at it.
most people would`nt entertain the idea.
remember, records are difficult, if they were`nt , it would`nt be a record.constantly reavalueating the situation and altering the perceived parameters accordingly0 -
for those out there that maybe inspired by this, but feel that full blown RRA records are alittle beyond them, may be interested to know that most districts have their own , more local records on their books. that maybe worth a look at.
I have an extensive list of welsh place to place records , if anybody `s interested i`ll post details of them on here. and help guide you through the process.
( as long as you promise not to smash mine to kingdom come)constantly reavalueating the situation and altering the perceived parameters accordingly0 -
Jeff Jones wrote:
It'd be fun on a tandem ;-) Not that I've ever ridden one...
I do keep offering...
John Stevenson0 -
Fantastic effort Alex, well done! Like many of the others on here, I have enjoyed reading your blog and think that it is astonishing how much work goes into something like this-chapeau
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Brilliant effort, what an adventure, and a great story as well. Hats off to you mate for even attempting it.0
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sub55 wrote:for those out there that maybe inspired by this, but feel that full blown RRA records are alittle beyond them, may be interested to know that most districts have their own , more local records on their books. that maybe worth a look at.
I have an extensive list of welsh place to place records , if anybody `s interested i`ll post details of them on here. and help guide you through the process.
( as long as you promise not to smash mine to kingdom come)
I'm interested in the information - not breaking records, I'm far too slow for that!0 -
Just want to add my congratulations on the effort. It's been a long saga and an inspiring one.
At the start it seemed you were just a 'regular' cyclist, but now you have trained yourself into an accomplished one. That alone was worth the effort!0 -
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An amazing ride Alex, certainly inspirational for ordinary cyclists/amateur racers with work and family to deal with. A pity you didn't get the record, if you had a rolling road closure? I can imagine it is family time now but looking forward to reading your account of it.0
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I should really be working but this thread is too amazing for that!!
I can't believe how many negative people there are on here and how many people are trying to prove you couldn't do it without event knowing who you are or what experiences you have.
I think what you have achieved is nothing short of absolutely fantastic and I congratulate you for the time you achieved and the dedication you've shown.
I think a second attempt and the record will be yours!!
All the best.0 -
Well done Alex, that is a very credible time on a very tough record. I wouldn't write off having another go at some stage; you know now what you have to do, where you lost time, where you could make it up, etc. I know you prepared well but until you have actually done it you still haven't done it. A first attempt is unlikely to have been the very best you can achieve.
Again well well done.0 -
All right, I'll get shot down for saying this, but I don't think the naysayers were proved wrong. Over 6% out on time, that's nearer 20% in terms of power, especially when you consider the old record was done without tri-bars and aero-wheels. Regardless of whether John Woodburn had a windy day or not, Alex's ride is just not comparable. Look at the improvement seen in the 12hr record over the same 28yr gap. 285miles (held by PJ Woodburn) to 302 miles. An improvement of 6%.
Alex's ride is a good effort, and show's that a normal rider can, with hard training, go quite fast. But what the naysayers were right about is that short of being a fantastically gifted yet undiscovered cyclist, he stood no chance of breaking the record on will-power alone on the information he had given about his previous cycling ability. I think most disbelievers weren't being malicious, they were just being realistic.
That said, hats off to him for sticking to his training plan, having a go and raising money for a good cause.0 -
woodford2barbican wrote:If you have to negotiate London then even the pro-peloton could not do it with traffic lights & traffic!
My best time ever for a 10 mile commute (with 30+ sets of traffic lights) is 33 minutes. That was on dec 27th at 6am so quite possibly the quietest road conditions of the year.
That is an 18mph average, ok I am no record breaker, but getting another 10mph average on top of that is not going to be possible whilst......
a.) staying alive
b.) respecting highway code etc[/quote
I'll eat humble pie.
I have not read this thread since the post above so must say I am amazed at how it has turned out.
Congratulations and surely with different traffic levels and more roundabouts and more traffic lights it is a tougher proposition in 2010?0 -
Am I missing something according to the blog he hasn't done it yet???0
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Props to your commitment and result.0
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Yes. He's done it, he just hasn't updated the blog yet...cexton wrote:Am I missing something according to the blog he hasn't done it yet???
Congratulations Alex, it's a superb effort. My mind keeps idly wandering to trying this sort of thing after reading through this topic and your blog.0 -
cexton wrote:Am I missing something according to the blog he hasn't done it yet???
Yes, you're missing this......amaferanga wrote:Have a look at the notices of attempt here
9h 36m 53s so about 33 minutes off the record.
Good effort though."There's a shortage of perfect breasts in this world, t'would be a pity to damage yours."0 -
The attempt went ahead as planned on Sun 1st Aug - he just hasn't updated his blog yet - probably spending some time with his missus if he has any sensecexton wrote:Am I missing something according to the blog he hasn't done it yet???
From http://www.rra.org.uk/ :
The RRA has received a notice of attempt to improve the Men’s Bicycle record, London to Bath and back. Current record holder is John Woodburn 9h 3m 7s.
The rider is Alex Kirk, Dulwich Paragon CC. The attempt will take place on Sunday 1st August, unless notified otherwise.
The attempt went ahead as per schedule. Alex Kirk's time was 9h 36m 53s. It was a very good effort on a very tough Record. A Westerly wind did not help him on the long ride from London to Bath. A bottle neck both sides of Marlboro did not help either.0 -
wow - amazing effort and pretty close! I bet most people never thought he'd get anywhere near that.Your Past is Not Your Potential...0
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Many thanks for your replies. Just quickly...
I’ll always be disappointed with Sunday, I have no excuses, I just didn’t have it on the day. I knew about the traffic lights, the amount of traffic, road works and diversions before starting.
As an experience it was fantastic. My time was respectable, my support team and everyone else seemed to really enjoy it. Some of the checkers came to the finish so I’m pleased I had an opportunity to thank some people personally.
Ralph Dadswell and John Wooodburn came to see me off at 5am which was nice – touches of Moser watching Obree?
I was on target at half way but then lost time at Marlborough and struggled with the conditions towards Calne. I was making up time on the return but just the wrong side of Reading my watch indicated the record had gone. My legs went a bit then.
At the finish, John Woodburn was there to shake my hand and joined me for a drink. It was pleasure to talk to him and discuss the ride, the RRA and racing generally.
My official observer was Richard Poole (first man to do LEJOG in under 2 days) and he gave me some brilliant feedback. Things to focus on over the winter!
I’ll write up my blog soon, but at the moment I’m making up for lost time with family.
In response to some questions:
I am considering doing a 12hr, as the club record is due a decent challenge, but struggling to find a suitable event. The London/Bath isn’t exactly equivalent to a 280m 12hr, they are just different. The traffic lights wound me up something rotten on my first trial run, I eventually managed to except them as a fact of life (much more than the appalling driving). Indeed I used them to help with feed stops; every light in Thatcham had a Dulwich Paragon club mate next to it with a bottle, so if I hit a red light I could get some food without losing time.
I don’t think you can compare one record to another, harder still with a time/distance record to a place/place record. Of course the records aren’t even a level playing field as road changes, traffic conditions etc. For example the London to Brighton and back is unlikely to ever be beaten yet alone by 6%.
The tri-bars only offer a marginal gain in places – in the après pub discussion , changing bikes seems a good idea for the hills and possibly through London. You would have to be insane to TT through London or Bath with your hands 6inches from the brakes.
I’d love to return to this record one day, but not as a time crunched cyclist. For now I hope I have added some value to the record and have reminded John of what a great he did that day.
Many thanks to all my support team, Patrick Hawkins, Simon Scott, Nigel Wood, David JB, Michael Sanders and crew, Christope Carlinet, and my Dad.
And also Brian Edrupt of the RRA, Ralph Dadswell and of course PJ Woodburn.0 -
Well done Alex.
Inspirational stuff.0 -
Flittered through your blog a bit before but just read it start to finish in one sitting.
Nevermind the attempt, the training sounded brutal enough.
Great effort, enjoy the time with your kids and the most understanding wife in the world!0 -
Bloody good attempt !0
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A few pictures..
The start, P Woodburn on the left and Ralph Dadswell on the right.
The second feed,
Myself with John Woodburn
And some of the team including Richard Poole and some checkers.
Many thanks to all those who had donated, it is greatly appreciated.0 -
Well done SL, great effort, bit of a downer that you didn't hit the target, but very well done for coming in at the time you did.0
