An evening with world record holders Cat and Raz
Are you sitting comfortably…? I’d like to tell you a story - a true story.
Imagine meeting up with someone on one of those bike rides from here to there that you often read about and may even think about doing yourself one day.
Imagine getting along so well with a fellow rider that you hatch a plan to ride around the world… Yes, that's to ride around the world, and into the bargain plan to break the Guinness World Record, by perhaps a day. Only this isn’t a vague fantasy…it did actually happen.
There are rules to securing a Guinness World Record for circumnavigation and by the sounds of it, quite a few! But in short, you must ride 18,000 miles on any route, in one direction and the ride must be unsupported, which means you carry what you need… all of which needs to be evidenced. That's it; simple; challenge on!
Let me introduce the stars of this "two hander", Cat Dixon (pilot) and Raz Marsden (stoker). Cat gave up her role as CEO of the Law Society to take on the challenge and Raz, a Consultant Nurse in the NHS, had a career break. They had a dream and were going to realise it.
Cat and Raz shared with us what went into their planning, their training, and of course their bike. Named Alice; a pink, steel beauty with tough wheels - 48 spokes no less. Like Alice’s riders, they wouldn't buckle easily! As the evening wore on, their charming smiles and convivial chat clearly masked their granite-like determination.
Waving goodbye to friends and family, they set off eastwards, across Europe, through Turkey, around the coastline of India, through Myanmar (their favourite country) and south to Singapore. Then on to Australia and New Zealand before crossing America and travelling back up from Morocco to Spain, France and home, just about staying ahead of the global pandemic that was spreading north through Europe.
We heard of the tough days, the great days, the fun days and the routine. There were frustrations but these lay outside our riders' control; there were punctures, 5 on one day, (ugh!) and saddle sores (ouch) but what shone through was the camaraderie that developed between our two protagonists.
They did beat the pandemic lockdown ...just, and in the process smashed the world record by 17 days. Take note, that's both the male and female record!
Chapeau ladies!
This adventure has clearly whetted the appetite and sets them up nicely for their next challenge, LEJOG (Land's end to John O'Groats) ….on a tandem …in 60 hours (that's not a typo!) to establish a new record. We wish them well and will be following their progress when they fire the starting gun.
You can read more about their adventure and follow them on social media via their website.
Our next virtual event is on Wednesday 24 February where we will be joined by Tom McPhail, Head of Public Affairs at Pure Electric. Tom will share experiences from the early days, the big opportunity, red tape and what next. A great opportunity to understand the growing "e" opportunity.
REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT HERE