The latest attempt on the ‘fastest round the world by bicycle’ record starts on Sunday, when British cyclist Vin Cox leaves London.
He’s aiming to complete the 29,000km circuit in less than 150 days and will follow a challenging route that takes in northern Africa, India and Argentina. The journey is outlined on his website, the Great Bike Ride.
“I really want to enjoy it, so I’m not going to push it too far, but I do want to smash the record. I’d like to make it so that future record breakers will all have to hurt themselves a lot to beat me,” he said.
The most recent attempt by Julian Sayarer took 165 days. Previous rides included James Bowthorpe (176 days) and Mark Beaumont (194 days).
“I’m a little more experienced as a world traveller and as competitive cyclist than those guys, so I hope to be travelling lighter, pedaling harder, and putting in longer days,” he said.
While Vin is aiming to pedal hard and long, he hasn’t chosen the easiest route, favoring adventure over simplicity.
“I wanted a proper adventure and to be the first person to take in all the populated continents in setting the record. No-one has touched Africa or South America before. Libya is rich in ancient and modern history, and I wanted to see where my Granddad spent some of the second world war.”
“India is a risk. Last time I was there I was hospitalised buy bacterial and amoebic dysentery, but the (main) roads are great and the land is beautiful. The crossing from Chile to Argentina just looks so exciting – very high in the Andes over the shoulder of one of the world’s great peaks Aconcagua. Snow might delay me here.”
Vin is raising money for the Geoff Thomas Foundation as part of his ride.