Christoph Strasser rides more than 1,000 kilometres in 24 hours to smash world record

Austrian ​ultracyclist Christoph Strasser has ridden more than 1,000 kilometres to smash the world record for the greatest distance ridden by a cyclist on the road in 24 hours.

The 38-year-old, a six-time winner of the Race Across America, already hold sthe world record for the furthest distance covered on an indoor velodrome track within 24 hours, riding 941km in Grenchen, Switzerland in 2017.

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At 5pm on Saturday, at the Zeltweg Air Base in his home region of Styria, Strasser set out to beat the road record of 914km, held by Slovenia’s Stanislav Verstovsek

It took him 21 hours 6 minutes to break the record and eventually he rode 1,026.215km at an average speed of 42.75kph.

On the way, he set new World Ultra Cycling Association (WUCA) records in 12 categories, subject to ratification – over 100, 200, 300, 500 and 1,000km, 100, 200, 300 and 500 miles, and for 6, 12 and 24 hours.

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Over the 24 hours – the last eight of which were in the rain – Strasser consumed 14,400 calories, according to his sports nutrition supplier Peeroton, and had a normalized power output of 275 watts.

“I'm so happy and grateful that I made it despite the weather,” Strasser said afterwards. “The atmosphere was so great and the spectators were incredibly motivated.

“It went so well from the start and after 12 hours I was at an average speed of 45kph. From then on I focused on the 1,000 kilometres.

“A big thank you to everyone and of course to the armed forces for the great support,” he added.

Strasser now hold two of the three WUCA 24-hour records, lacking only the outdoor track version, which stands at 915km and was set last year by Luxembourg's Ralph Diseviscourt.