[Closed] Cycling 75065 miles in a year.

Imagine cycling three times around the world in a single year. Imagine getting up at 3am and spending every day in the saddle for eighteen hours covering over two hundred miles. Imagine riding from Lands End to John O’Groats and back every week, whatever the weather for nearly a year and a half without a break.

😯

Chapeau to the fella * 1000000000

wow
wow
wow

Why is the record deamed too dangerous to repeat?

Just read all that, what an amazing man and athlete.

I've just ridden more miles in a month than i ever have before. It would have taken Tommy 3 or 4 days. The mind boggles.

And all on a 30+ lb bike with 4 gears. Wow.

That is my website and I set up the Twitter account. I also have copies of his mileage diaries which are sobering reading. How about June 1939,

17th June: 270
18th June: 204
19th June: 258
20th June: 295
21st June: 361 YES three hundred and sixty one!!!
22nd June: 291

I am putting together a book about the Year Record at the moment and would appreciate it if anyone has any information concerning the other riders that could help.
Dave

well done Dave for putting it together - inspirational stuff.

Not in terms of me trying to emulate him, but just that someone can have that motivation and determination to do those sorts of mileages for that long.

Does seem odd that round the world attempts are accepted now but not 'most miles in a year'?

Good God, riding in carpet slippers as well!!

A guy called Ken Webb claimed to have beaten it in 1972 but was totally discredited, this effectively killed the record..and also the fact that the daily distances required are basically nuts!

That's amazing and very motivational.

[i]the daily distances required are basically nuts[/i]

yes, well, there is that.

What were the physical effects on him? I can't imagine him having access to enough calories in wartime?

whats the twitter account?

That man was nails.

@yearrecord

That is incredible, what an amazing guy. It sounds as though he continued to give his all to cycling even after the war -total respect and admiration.

Great post wwaswas, amazing stuff

On Friday 1st December 1939 Tommy Godwin rode a total mileage of 189 miles bringing his year total to date to 69,929 miles.

Beats my commute into work today 😯

What were the physical effects on him? I can't imagine him having access to enough calories in wartime?

Physically, it affected his ability to walk properly. I have heard anecdotes that he used to dismount and walk the last few miles home as he knew that other attempts had ended in problems for the riders. It did not affect his speed either, he rode the Pilgrims Way (120) miles at 20mph as an exhibition ride on the way to the 100k record.

Tommy was a vegetarian. His base diet was bread, cheese and milk which I believe were all available in abundance in 1939 (remember war declared this year not at the height of rationing). He was also sponsored by Ley and then Raleigh, but moreso the local community so had help with food. In fact he put on weight during the year!

I can understand his whole physiology (sp?) must have been affected by sitting on a bike for that many hours each day, no wonder he had issues.

good luck with getting the book finished and published.

The lengths that some men go to just to get away from the missus!

So there was more than one lunatic vegetarian tearing up Europe in 1939 then!

In 1936 [url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Greaves_%28cyclist%29 ]Walter Greaves[/url] set the record at 45,383 miles, despite only having one arm !
I think we must be a bunch of softies these days.

this made me laugh;

[i]and falling off numerous times[/i]

that's a man I can relate to.

Glupton could 'av him.

mate used to complain he couldn't walk properly after a solid two weeks touring so god knows what 12months its like.

Hard as nails!

does look like he's earing his mums shoes in that pic tho 🙂

Am I the only one who's a bit sceptical about this?

Such 'feats' were sponsored by bicycle companies to prove how durable their products were. So, a vested commercial interest in achieving great results. Is there any hard evidence that such feats took place? Verification from independent impartial witnesses? What sort of equipment was used to measure distances? What was the accuracy of such measurements?

I'm not saying it definitely din't take place, just that it's rather incredible and makes me wonder just how 'true' it is....

Why is the record deamed too dangerous to repeat?

Try it, and find out...

[i]What sort of equipment was used to measure distances?[/i]

one of those mechanical things that runs off gears from the front wheel.

Dave above will have the actual diaries - I don't know how detailed they are or what verification was carried out.

So there was more than one lunatic vegetarian tearing up Europe in 1939 then!

Very good.

Not wishing to detract from the mammoth achievement but an old cycling friend suggested that the fact that lorries travelled a lot slower 70 years ago & were quite easy to draft might have had something to do with it - not something I'd want to do regularly if travelling those sorts of daily distances

Dickyboy - the old guy who writes for cycling+ (Roger St Pierre?) said as kids he and his freinds used to draft troop lorries that travelled at 15 or so mph. The troops would pass down bits of chocolate or cups of tea and chat to them.

No doubt it's true he probably took advantage of such opportunities but I can't imagine it made it *that* much easier.

Astonishing, I can not even begin to imagine the fitness and determination required to cycle such distances.

[b]DavidB[/b] keep up the good work with the website and book it is inspirational stuff, certainly has given me a good dose of MTFU after feeling sorry for my self from last nights mere 10-15k of mountain biking in the rain and howling wind.

{can we replace the Godwin rule with the point within a thread that Elfin will pop up one?}

Anyway, Tommy's achievement was very very closely scrutinised in 1939 by Cycling magazine. He was shadowed regularly and his odometer was sealed and inspected daily by witnesses. A daily mileage card was then signed and submitted to Cycling magazine for verification. They watched him like a hawk as this was a very prestigious record that had switched from UK to Australia and back again in recent years.

These were extremely high profile attempts followed by the press and the public closely. I have amassed hundreds of clippings from different sources following the attempt.

The lorries point is bobbins I believe. In 1939 nobody would have been able to afford the fuel.

However, in my view the key verification was the stories told by the locals as to how utterly destroyed he was on a daily basis. Backed up by those who were coached by him post record and remember his unrelenting toughness.

No doubt it's true he probably took advantage of such opportunities but I can't imagine it made it *that* much easier.

Agreed, maybe a little more achievable though & worth remembering what road & driving conditions were like back in those days.

worth remembering what road & driving conditions were like back in those days

Not in 1939 D0NK

people at work think I'm mad for riding in to work all year round, this guy would make their minds snap.

Seriously impressive guy and well done David for setting this up/doing the book. Hope it goes well for you.

[i]I can't imagine him having access to enough calories in wartime?[/i]

Calories hadn't been invented then so he was fine.

DavidB - Member

Not in 1939 D0NK

The lorries point is bobbins I believe. In 1939 nobody would have been able to afford the fuel.

Maybe the lorry point is bobbins, maybe not. But using an excuse that no one could afford the petrol doesn't add up - stuff was still transported around UK by lorry during WWII & war didn't start till 6 months into his record attempt.

I would imagine that some A roads were probably in good condition due to less traffic (though horses were still being used so maybe not) but I bet a lot of roads were not metalled. But this is all speculation. Drafting? So what? He would have still been sat on his bike for hours on end everyday for 15 months (not sure if he ever missed any days).

As true sons of Stoke-on-Trent (me and Tommy) he is possibly the closest I've ever come to having a "hero", puts bloody Robbie/Slash/Lemmy to shame, IMHO.

Some of the old guys I occasionally ride with met/knew Tommy slightly having been youngsters in clubs that he was associated with in the Potteries when he came home in the 50/60's.

I greatly look forward to the book.

I can only imagine that today's bikes, roads and support available would mean that this challenge would be easier today, which makes what he did astronomically monumental. I would like to see someone try to repeat it.
Surely Lance could give it a go?

Less Motor Vehicle perhaps, but those that were about probably had worse steering and Brakes and were more likely to be driven by a chap Who'd had one or 2 for the road...

Not only that but could you contend that the construction and quality of the Roads he was riding on were generally poorer?

Bare in mind the available equipment too, somehow I doubt he was riding a superlight Carbon frames 22 speed wonder machine...

Nope Definately a tough chap...

I wonder what he would make of us lot... Very little I expect.

But using an excuse that no one could afford the petrol doesn't add up - stuff was still transported around UK by lorry during WWII & war didn't start till 6 months into his record attempt.

OK. I will try again.

1) His attempt was heavily scrutinised, I've found no mention of lorry drafting at all, and I've been researching it for years
2) Think through the logistics. To do the mileage he was up and riding from 5am most days, how did he find the lorry, did he have a car to draft him until a lorry passed and he latched onto that
3) Not many lorries drove in continuous circles, so he would have ended up stranded either waiting for the driver's tea break or having to shoot off in search of another lorry
4) lorries were slower, but not that slow in 1939. You'd want them to be doing 25mph for it to be comfortable over extended distance

Basically, the main thing that helped Tommy get the record was his incredible mental and physical endurance

David, this guys achievement is incredible, I'd struggle to do one day's distance let alone keep it up for a year or so! I mentioned your piece to guys at work and we wondered how he chose his route? Was he just doing the same circuit - I can't begin to imagine the mental torment..

Edit - thanks wwaswas for bringing this to our attention.

chives, this has proved to be one of the hardest areas for me to research as not many records exist. What I do know is that he tried various bits of the country but didn't really get on with the hills (understandable) and so based himself round the Hemel Hempstead area and rode around there.

He was not doing the exact same circuit as his daily mileages very rarely repeat, but was clearly using an amalgamation of known loops/routes to give himself the optimal distance for the day's conditions and his physical state.

I am in touch with someone who is considering having a go at the record. I plan to ride one week of his mileages in March/April next year as part of my research. My idea was to create a "cloverleaf" of routes from a base (my house) so I can never be too far from food or assistance.

so based himself round the Hemel Hempstead area and rode around there

did he just enter the 'Magic Roundabout' (as it's known) in Hemel Hempstead and it took him a year to find his way out? I've done the in a car before.

[img] [/img]

Yes brakes, but it slingshotted him to the Swindon version causing an endless loop

[img] [/img]

{can we replace the Godwin rule with the point within a thread that Elfin will pop up one?}

No no, wait; I expressed doubts because I was unaware of how such a feat was verified. Rather than blindly accepting things that I'm told, I like to see proof, you see? If you don't ask questions, you don't get answers. Forgive my scepticism, but I'm kind of [i]scientific[/i] like that. 😉

Anyway, Tommy's achievement was very very closely scrutinised in 1939 by Cycling magazine. He was shadowed regularly and his odometer was sealed and inspected daily by witnesses. A daily mileage card was then signed and submitted to Cycling magazine for verification. They watched him like a hawk as this was a very prestigious record that had switched from UK to Australia and back again in recent years.

Then fair enough. I now have absolutely no problem with the information. A truly incredible feat. 😯

No fred, you piled in with a theory about sponsors instead of politely asking for some clarification.

But ho hum, my work continues.

Well, lots of companies used to make all sorts of outlandish and exaggerated claims about their products, not least cigarette and alcohol manufacturers, so it's not unfeasible that such feats may well have bin exaggerated and embellished somewhat. My mum was actually alive in1939 and tells me that such things were common practice, but most people took them with a pinch of salt really. Modern laws dictate that you can't do this now, and you have to be more 'honest' about your products and services.

You've now provided more info that lends more weight to the story, and that's fine. Good work.

I don't think I was being particularly 'impolite' with my scepticism. And I wasnt' questioning [i]your[/i] integrity and sincerity in any way. You don't have to be so defensive now. 🙂

Not in the same league as Tommy Godwin's feat, but the CTC has the 300,000 mile club for lifetime mileage.
The leading member has now topped 900K! : [url= http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/new-world-record-cyclist.64196/ ]Chris Davies[/url]

I'm surprised that no one on here has made him eat dust.

Notice that he only needed 4 gears to do this mileage.

I would imagine he was inpotent by the end of that.

Van cough, he fathered three after the attempt. His son was conceived when Tommy was in his fifties