[Closed] Steve Abraham. What's the story...?

Glad that he appears to be OK.

A38 doesn't appear to be the most cyclist friendly road on the planet.

"I am extremely sad to announce that at approx 8.10am this morning Steve was ridden into by a moped not paying attention to what they were doing. Steve tried to carry but stopped in Wellington. He has then been collected by one of the team and taken to hospital. He has incurred 2 broken bones in his ankle and is currently in plaster. It is looking highly likely that he will require an operation to add a plate and screws."

That's that ****ed then.

Bugger 🙁
His facebook status was saying him and the bike were fine earlier.

The likelihood of riding for 365 consecutive days on public roads without mishap or injury (in this day and age) was slim to nothing.
Part of me is glad that Tommy Goodwin's record is still intact.

Godwin.

taaaa 😳

Aw bugger. That really isn't the kind of thing you can ride off with a couple of easy days...

Gutted for him, nearly 2,500 miles up and to be taken out by someone else must be the worst way for it to end.

Whilst I sort of echo Rorschach's comments above about Tommy Godwin's record standing, I have been following Steve's efforts with interest and a huge amount of admiration.

Gutted for him to go out in this way. That bloke is hard as nails.

Godwin.

Was Hitler riding the moped?

That must be gutting. He's ridden like a machine for the past three months. Almost touched 250 miles the other day. I wonder what the chances are that, given he currently has 2.5k miles in the bank, that he could take a break and still come back to it? Though knowing how long such injuries general take to heal, I'm guessing slim to non...

Part of me is glad that Tommy Goodwin's record is still intact.

For now. Steve isn't the only one attempting it. There's also an American dude who is pretty much matching Steve pound for pound. Or mile for mile. Which made the thing so much more interesting because of the rivalry involved.

Gah.

Oh bugger, that's awful news.

I found his efforts more inspiring than any thing else in cycling.

If i ever wavered about going out for a ride, I'd just think: 'well Steve Abraham is out, so what's your excuse?'

Was always a risky effort. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Something tells me this won't be his last attempt if it's even vaguely possible.

Gutted for the bloke. Last time I checked on Strava the American guy did seem to be clocking the miles in but doing nowhere near the amount of climbing Steve had been putting in.
Took me around 4 months after my ankle break, mind you I wasn't half as fit as this guy! When you consider the logistics and planning that must be going into the whole event the support people must feel totally deflated. Hope they can pick themselves up and start again another time.

Formal Announcement.

Steve is now out of hospital (after his operation to have metal plates fotted to his ankle) and is recovering at home. He has decided to continue with the record attempt and as a team we are very seriously considering running a concurrent record attempt, starting sometime in the late summer this year after Steve should have made a full recovery. This is within the UMCA rules for this record attempt, so neither record attempt would end uf he started again in the summer.

Steve is due to lose his advantage on the current record (and be roughly at the same mileage Tommy Godwin was at the same time of year), strangely on 11th April, which is HAM'R day. To mitigate that loss we are now looking into Steve using a recumbent trike. Steve has asked several medics and doctors whether this was wise to do ( when he was at hospital) and had no negative feedback. Riding a recumbent trike will mean that he can sit in an ideal position for recovery from his injuries, with the ankle raised. So as far as the injured ankle is concerned, it should be no different to sitting on his couch at home. Being outdoors will also give the benefit of extra vitamin D, which is very good for his bones.

We can use the Milton Keynes Bowl for Steve to ride on so that Steve is never far from home and will be riding on a traffic-free circuit used for road racing. We anticipate Steve to be travelling very slowly, as he will be riding one-legged on a different kind of bike to what he normally rides, but if he can manage 5-10mph for 10hrs a day he should reduce his losses by over 2,000miles by the end of April. The doctors have given him 6weeks before the injury will have recovered enough to be weight bearing.

On the negative side, the losses could be too great to recover. We don't know if Steve will recover fast enough to get back up to speed and meet his very demanding summer schedule, in order to re-catch what Tommy Godwin did in 1939. We don't know for sure if this plan will work.

On the positive side. Steve was going from strength to strength during the first 3months of the record attempt and when he set off for Exeter last Saturday he felt stronger than he had all year. He has now had a good amount of recovery time after the accident. Although we don't know if Steve can meet the demanding summer schedule as soon as he is fully recovered from injury, we don't know that he can't either.

It also seems possible that he could make a very good and fast recovery. We will have a better idea when he sees the doctor in 2weeks on how he is recovering. Of course, we don't know either way how it will go. But because we can keep this record attempt going without putting another record attempt at risk ( and riding on may even be helpful to Steve's recovery - and still have a fighting chance of achieving what he set out to do ), it seems logical to give it a try.

Steve's main aim is to make a good recovery - and if using the recumbent trike doesn't work out we can always stop completely and have a complete restart in summer. He will not be doing anything rash, or take any risks. Nor will he go against professional medical advice. Steve would like to thank all his supporters for their continued support and messages of goodwill. He will keep everyone fully updated as his new plans progress. In the meantime, Steve wishes to pass on his regards and wish the best of luck to Kurt Searvogel who continues to ride strong and fast in the same record attempt and has proven himself to be a great sportsman, as well as a great sport.

double-hard

I wish him all the best - he really is mental.

He is actually an inspiration.

Full of admiration for his determination. Hope it goes well for him.

Any of the original doubters care to comment? Where's MTG when you need him

Chuck it, recover, start again after the American finishes.

I missed this the other day. Absolutely terrible news, but to then carry on one-legged on a recumbent trike as recovery is mind-boggling.

It reminds me how pathetic I am every time I've wimped out of a ride.

There's an interview on here http://thebikeshow.net/put-me-back-on-the-trike/ makes for interesting listening.

We anticipate Steve to be travelling very slowly, as he will be riding one-legged

Terrible luck, but I'd have thought rest is the order of the day. Is it worth ****ing up your leg for good?

i thought he had to ride everyday for the record .

no, its a 365 day record, Godwin had 1 day off

1 day off a year - the Hard Mans Godwins Law?

He's thrown in the towel.
http://blog.strava.com/steve-abraham-ive-decided-to-stop-11361/

I’ve decided to call it a day, and so has the rest of the team. Everyone agrees that it’s not in my interest to carry on. I don’t want second best, I want to be the best.

And on Kurt S...

“I’m really glad he’s got the record,” Steve said. “With everything he’s put into it, it would be a shame if he didn’t break it. There’s no point me being bitter about it. But if I can’t do it, that’s fair enough. That’s bad luck.”

Respect is due.

Real shame, but what he achieved has amazed me. Chapeau !!

Oh, and this made me smile...

After a little time off and a rest, Steve will be rejoining normal life, where he thinks he may try to get a job as a spin instructor.

He doesn't ride fast enough for a spin instructor.

Godwin's bike weighed more than 30 pounds (14 kg). As war came, he rode through blackouts, his lights taped to a glow. Silk knickers were substituted for chamois inserts and Godwin maintained his vegetarian diet. For the first two months, Godwin's mileage lagged 922 mi (1,484 km) behind Nicholson's schedule. Godwin increased his daily average beyond 200 mi (320 km) a day, and on 21 June 1939 completed 361 mi (581 km) in 18 hours, his longest ride of the record.

On 26 October 1939, Godwin rode into Trafalgar Square having completed 62,658 mi (100,838 km), gaining the record with two months to spare. He rode through the winter to complete 75,065 mi (120,805 km) in the year.

In May 1940 after 500 days' riding he secured the 100,000-mile (160,000 km) record as well. Godwin dismounted and spent weeks learning how to walk before going to war in the RAF.

Someone can maybe ride further, but I don't think Tommy Godwin will ever be topped.