Not mad, just adventurous: Cyclist completes trip around the world in 80 days

[mystery-ak]

 Not mad, just adventurous: Cyclist completes trip around the world in 80 days
spirit of humanity

Mark Beaumont set a world record, cycling 16 hours every day on his 79-day trip through 16 countries. The hardest part of the challenge, he said, was sleep deprivation.   


    Peter Ford
    Staff writer   |   @peterfordcsm   

September 19, 2017 Paris—As he got off his bike in front of the Arc de Triomphe, Mark Beaumont looked remarkably fresh for a man who had just cycled around the globe in less than 80 days, shattering the world record.

After pedaling for 16 hours a day through 16 countries, Mr. Beaumont arrived on Monday evening to a welcome from family and friends at the spot from which he had set off before dawn 78 days, 14 hours, and 40 minutes earlier.

The time it took him to ride his journey’s 18,032 miles “were definitely the longest two and a half months of my life,” he said. “I’ve taken myself beyond anything I’ve ever done physically and mentally.”

“He has always had an adventurous spirit,” explains his mother, Una, when asked if her boy had always been a bit mad.

more
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2017/0919/Not-mad-just-adventurous-Cyclist-completes-trip-around-the-world-in-80-days

[truth_seeker]

There used to be a bicycling event allied the "Race Across America," and some years it started near my home location.

I even got to know one participant, who drove the assist vehicle for his brother. My friend was a below the knee Vietnam vet, and long distance rider .

Hs brother won, one or more years. My friend failed to make it himself  in the cutoff time, however.

They rode about 22+ hours per day, btw.

[Oceander]

Wow

[truth_seeker]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_Across_America

I knew Jim Penseyres, brother of two time winner Pete Penseyres. Jim cycled to work and back, around 50 miles each way or 100 miles per day, on a prosthetic lower leg (Vietnam). San Juan Capistrano to Long Beach along the Coast Hwy.

His brother Pete did a similar route each day in North San Diego County.

Then on weekends they took longer rides, preparing for the big race.

Jim (the amputee) drove a support van across America for his brother. Then one year he tried the race. However he had to slow because of injury to the stump of his leg. He finished, but outside the race time limits.

Jim was a machinist at the Long Beach power plant, and he made experimental handlebars for distance racing. Soon such design were made by manufacturers, and are often called "Triathlon" bars now.

[TomSea]

Good stories, @truth_seeker

I am familiar with the RAAM, Race across America.

It's still running, they implemented some new rules because people were riding in all kinds of ways to get their speeds down.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_Across_America

http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/

I believe there have been some deaths basically due to sleep deprivation, in their desire for fast speeds OR to win the race, some weren't getting enough sleep which led to accidents.

I see Penseyres is listed at the wikipedia page for winning in 1984 and 1986.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Penseyres

It mentions him forgoing sleep.

Now, I don't know the rules well but I think they force them to take time off.

I also think there have been accidents due to the roads not being closed off to traffic the way some other bike races are like the tour de France.

[truth_seeker]

https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2007/jun/07/great-race-part-two/

Great Race. Part Two.
By Patrick Daugherty, June 7, 2007

"It's a fairly unpublicized event," says Jim Penseyres. "ABC put it on TV from '81 through '87, but even then it didn't get much public attention."

Penseyres is referring to Race Across America (RAAM), an annual bicycle race that, on Sunday, will kick off its 26th running in Oceanside, and end 3043 miles later, in Atlantic City. Outside Magazine calls it the "World's Toughest Race."

snip

Interview in 2007 with Jim.

[TomSea]

So this was from 2005, note, the roads were not closed to traffic as in the Tour de France, and this cyclist, a doctor btw, rode into oncoming traffic:

Dr. Breedlove killed in accident on Race Across America

    Posted Jun 23, 2005

June 23, 2005 Robert Breedlove, a Des Moines doctor who is an accomplished endurance bicycle racer, was killed today in southern Colorado during the Race Across America. Race officials said Breedlove, 53, was struck by a pickup truck at about 10:15 a.m. MDT 28 miles west of Trinidad, Colo. Breedlove “apparently moved over into the oncoming traffic lane," race director Jim Pitre told DesMoinesRegister.com. "Nobody knows how or why he ran into an oncoming pickup head-on.” Pitre said the truck’s driver told authorities that Breedlove “appeared to slump down on his handlebars” before moving into traffic. “I can’t get my mind around what has happened,” Pitre said. “It doesn’t make any sense to me that a rider with that level of experience would drift into the other side.”

Continued at: https://www.bikeiowa.com/News/1040/dr-breedlove-killed-in-accident-on-race-across-america

With the sleep deprivation and these other accidents, not closing the roads, to me, it became clear that this ride could get dangerous.

John Marino is the original organizer of the event according to wikipedia, I actually read his cycling book, a basic manual. I think it is still around here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_Across_America

[truth_seeker]

For a few years, I was obsessed by the idea of completing the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon (2.4 mile ocean swim, 112 mile bike ride, 26.2 mile run). A friend of mine, started out barely able to swim, and trained himself to completing an Ironman distance Tri.

I trained to the point that a 1/2 Ironman distance would have been easy, and therefore full Ironman distances quite possible.

I knew people like Jim Penseyres, and a fellow at my office, was an ultra-marathoner. there is a run of 100 miles, over the Sierra Nevada range.  It is the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run

I never ran more than 26.2 miles, and decided the body mangling 100 mile effort was ridiculous. Yet I understood the lure of testing oneself, obviously.

Those days are in the distant past.

http://www.wser.org/

http://wwhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironman_Triathlonw.wser.org/

[TomSea]

I've been into the running scene too; but to no great success; I read Dean Karnazas' book pictured.

Even Karnazas, when he started out, ran some great distance and said he was wore out to the point of a lot of bed time for 2 weeks. I can relate to that, some of that can really wear you out, the older the worse but it's not just that, you've got to do your protein and so on. Maybe electrolyte drinks as well.

Still, a pretty good book, even to the casual reader, heck, he even passed out on some city street or just off it, I forget, in one of his ultra-marathons.

Now, there is the cross-training phenomenon and now there is the "Tough Mudder" race. Those tax your body to the max like the ultra-marathons. Sort of on the same note, I enjoy that American Ninja show but I don't think it's as intensive as the above.



Real runners allegedly at forums like "Let's Run" don't really consider what Karnazes is doing as that great.

I got into it for awhile, read up on Prefontaine, fascinating person.