The Tommy Godwin .. the mad ness of it all.. for 2015..

jgsi

http://blog.brooksengland.com/wps/ride- ... eat-x-365/
Apparently he will be attempting the record.. good luck to him.
Having read the book of Tommy
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Unsurpassed-God ... mmy+godwin
he will do very well indeed if he keeps on target

http://oneyeartimetrial.org.uk/

Ber Nard

Complete nutter. I wish him all the best. Am I right in thinking it won't be recognised as a world record? I'm sure I read somewhere Guinness World Records won't recognise it in an attempt to dissuade people from even trying.

Could do with having a tidy up before he sets off, though.

bobmcstuff

Truly awe inspiring.

iron-clover

Yup, Goodwin's record is pretty much superhuman- I don't think anyone would be able to replicate his mileage using the equipment he had and the bitter winters at each end. I suppose the lack of cars on the road helped (and apparently the road surfaces were generally about the same as nowerdays) but even so, an average of 205miles every day on a 4 speed 15kg machine in cotton and wool clothing takes some doing.

I wish the guy luck- it's not going to be easy even with the latest equipment (although I'm glad a steel Raleigh frame will be at the heart of the bike).

mm1

And he's on Channel 4 news tomorrow.

marcusjb

On steve's website, there are links for donations and offering to host steve for a night. He does need help from the wider cycling community, so do donate or offer to help if you can.

He is one of the more inspirational riders in the long distance scene and has done so much to help others (he has helped a number of people step up to big distances and become Super Randonneurs etc.). He is one of only a few people I know who just look like they were born on a bike, so natural when they are pedalling.

He is a tough nut and has the mental and physical capacity to take on this challenge with a good chance of success.

asjc

That's a very serious challenge, people like this are a true inspiration.

johnboy183

I've put my name forward as a host for the night. Would be lovely if he takes up the offer. And as others have said, utter lunacy to attempt it but what a record.

brit66

It's a shame we don't know his intended daily route as I see he's already been near to where I live. Would be nice to see him.

Good luck to him anyway.

http://trackleaders.com/oneyeartimetrial15i.php?name=Steve_Abraham

chris_bass

his speed has a weird spike to over 80mph at one point? did his route take him off any cliffs?

asjc

It is probably just me, not known for my great logic, but the times/route is all over the place, he seems to be going round in circles-think I did see his intended route somewhere but now cannot find it. Very excited about this.

jgsi

This is the huge difference between 1939 and today. Mr Godwin could stick to the major A roads because of the lack of road traffic.. so he could ride London- Bath- London or the Potteries-Banbury-Potteries on a regular basis to keep that mileage up. He also had a variety of routes to stop everything being so repetitive... as much as possible.
Steve will find his own way to get thru the challenge... the hardest winter weather is yet to come for him.

JackPozzi

asjc wrote:

It is probably just me, not known for my great logic, but the times/route is all over the place, he seems to be going round in circles-think I did see his intended route somewhere but now cannot find it. Very excited about this.

I know that for the first day he rode out to and rode a near year's day 10 mile TT which explains some of the odd looking route selection, no idea what else he has planned for his journey though!

brit66

his speed has a weird spike to over 80mph at one point? did his route take him off any cliffs?

Must be a technical glitch, I'm sure it will show correct tomorrow.

Poor s*d will probably still be cycling while I'm having my tea tonight

cougie

187 miles for him today.

I didn't even venture out it was so windy. Impressive ride.

tonyf34

Any shortfall now in the 206mile daily average needed to equal the record will be made up when the better weather comes. That said how much extra is Godwin's ride worth with todays kit and actually better road surfaces. Godwin was a vegetarian too so eating 8000+ Kcals on a 200 mile day was no mean feat in itself.

cougie

True. No Tesco Exoresses every three miles or so.

Stedman

I notice on the Strava link below that someone from Richmond (in England) are currently leading the January Strava Challange, albeit from Australia. I wonder if there are actually three riders out to beat Tommy Godwin this year?

http://www.strava.com/challenges/january-2015-mts-ride

meanredspider

cougie wrote:

True. No Tesco Exoresses every three miles or so.

Maybe not - but most villages would have had at least a baker. I don't know that a veggie diet would necessarily been an issue as far as calories were concerned - after all, epic arctic journeys seem to survive on butter. Still an incredible feat

jgsi

Stedman wrote:

I notice on the Strava link below that someone from Richmond (in England) are currently leading the January Strava Challange, albeit from Australia. I wonder if there are actually three riders out to beat Tommy Godwin this year?

http://www.strava.com/challenges/january-2015-mts-ride

Afaik, there are 2 more declared riders yet to start(both in the US).
We have to remember that this is NOT a Strava challenge, but a very serious attempt at an almost impossible feat of endurance riding.
That being said, I daresay some rather precious Strava egos are being pricked at the very thought.

marcusjb

^ indeed. Two other declared (and presumably paid their UMCA fees etc) riders. One I think is starting today and the other in a week or so (the rules do not state you have to start on jan 1st or any other specific day).

The strava thing will certainly help steve stay in the mind of cyclists, and that is only a good thing for fund raising and offers of beds etc.

Steve should hopefully be at the top of the MTS challenges most months, particularly in summer when he starts putting the real mileage in.

Stedman

It is a pity that the 1st Jan was not the official start date as by letting Steve start first the others have a better opportunity to catch up. Also the UK is not necessary the best place in the world for such a challenge, especially if we get a bad winter. Barring no accidents, I am sure that Steve Abrahams will be a household name by the end of the year and won't have to explain to cyclist (and non-cyclist) what an Audax is.

Anyway I have also offered Steve a bed, shower, hot meal and an early call.

norvernrob

I was going to offer Steve a bed (my wife's idea when she saw it on the news) but on his blog it says no big hills etc, Sheffield and the surrounding areas are far too hilly to be realistically doing that kind of mileage.

Emphursis

I think he's got a far, far better shot than either of the two Americans that are also having a go at it, one doesn't start for another week and the one that starts today has only done about 20 miles. Steve's 700 mile headstart is massive.

He's going to have to have some absolutely massive days in the summer to make up the 40/50 mile deficit to his target average.

Emphursis

Good point, I'd forgotten about that. I was basing it on just the average of 220 over the year. He's actually closer to the other target, for 87129 miles. http://oneyeartimetrial.org.uk/87129-miles

bigjim

I can't see how he can do it on modern roads. On todays roads there are a hell of a lot more traffic to slow you down, plus all those traffic lights and road junctions. Be interesting to see his route. American riders will maybe have longer straighter stretches with less traffic.

bigjim

joe2008 wrote:

bigjim wrote:

I can't see how he can do it on modern roads. On todays roads there are a hell of a lot more traffic to slow you down, plus all those traffic lights and road junctions. Be interesting to see his route. American riders will maybe have longer straighter stretches with less traffic.

There are loads of b roads, and unclassified roads, that criss-cross the country, not a traffic light in sight and often very little traffic.

Quite true. However B roads, in my neck of the woods anyway, entail steeper hills and still have their fair amount of traffic. Especially half blind 4x4 drivers. I wish him well.

jgsi

bigjim wrote:

joe2008 wrote:

bigjim wrote:

I can't see how he can do it on modern roads. On todays roads there are a hell of a lot more traffic to slow you down, plus all those traffic lights and road junctions. Be interesting to see his route. American riders will maybe have longer straighter stretches with less traffic.

There are loads of b roads, and unclassified roads, that criss-cross the country, not a traffic light in sight and often very little traffic.

Quite true. However B roads, in my neck of the woods anyway, entail steeper hills and still have their fair amount of traffic. Especially half blind 4x4 drivers. I wish him well.

Already mentioned that originally Tommy could use major roads...meaning following les severe contours.. we all know that using back lanes is like going up and down , up and down, up and down... just one more factor in creating fatigue and combatting it. The Yanks have that geographic advantage imo. but it doesnt detract from their efforts.

Emphursis

bigjim wrote:

I can't see how he can do it on modern roads. On todays roads there are a hell of a lot more traffic to slow you down, plus all those traffic lights and road junctions. Be interesting to see his route. American riders will maybe have longer straighter stretches with less traffic.

As long as he stays away from cities/large towns, he won't have any issues with traffic or traffic lights.

kingstonian

A monster effort, fair play to him. Hope he stays injury-free, that amount of continuous mileage must be really tough on the body.

bigjim

Emphursis wrote:

bigjim wrote:

I can't see how he can do it on modern roads. On todays roads there are a hell of a lot more traffic to slow you down, plus all those traffic lights and road junctions. Be interesting to see his route. American riders will maybe have longer straighter stretches with less traffic.

As long as he stays away from cities/large towns, he won't have any issues with traffic or traffic lights.

You have me really curious now. I have to see the route. 200miles a day without hitting a large town in the UK! I don't even know any small towns or villages that are not busy.