Apologies if there’s already been a post about this cyclist, but i tried a search and nothing came up and a lot will probably have allready heard the story as there was a piece in cycling weekly recently. So for those that do’nt know i’am sure you’ll be as amazed as I was. Tommy Godwin (not to be confused with the 1948 London Olympic track cycling medalist with the same name) holds the world record for the most miles cycled in a year, which stands at a staggering 75,065 mi. A record that would be a super human feat of endurance today, but this record has stood for 70 years ! Tommy was born in 1912 in Stoke my home city. He worked as an errand boy for a local bakery delivering bread on an iron framed bike with a basket. He entered a 25 mile TT when he was 14 and won on the delivery bike with the basket. Obviously a talented rider later on he was sponsered by Raleigh & Sturmey Archer when in 1939 he started his tilt at the record which was then 62.657 mi. He had past that mark after 9 months. He carried on after 12 months and reached 100,000 mi in 500 days. He rode Lejog twice a week on a bike that weighed 30 lbs. His longest day was 18 hrs on which he did 361 mi all on vegi diet. The Guiness book of records conside r this feat to be life threatening so they dot not list it so as to deter people from attempting it. Anyone fancy a pop ?

Sounds extremely far-fetched, don’t you think?

200 miles a day average for 500 days?

The first record was set in 1911 by Marcel Plaines and was sponsored by cycling magazine. A new record was set a further 9 times by mostly English & Austrailians when in 1939 3 men, Edward Swan,Bernard Bennet and Tommy took up the challenge. Edward Swan crashed out at just under the 1000 mi Tommy & Bernard were both paced to 50,000 miles when they were left to battle it out. Bernard wad dropped around the 65,000 mark . All the more astonishing when you think that he only had 3 gears. The record is still open to attempt but the Guiness book of records would’nt list it because they deem it too dangerous ! It makes the RAAM & Mark Beaumont round the world rides look like sunday rides in comparason…

the record listens still something of unbelieveable today !
admire ~! 😯

An interesting footnote to the story is that Tommy died in 1975 aged 63 while out riding his bike, a fitting way to go but seems young for a fit person. You can’t help wondering if such an extreme feat of endurance would knock a few years of your life….

Repeated here:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/cycling-75065-miles-in-a-year