Michael Broadwith on Shap Summit (via endtoend2018 on Twitter)
No need to pan out on the map to work out where exactly this ride took place. Michael Broadwith’s Land’s End to John O’Groats (LEJOG) record-breaking ride is now on Strava.
Earlier this week, Broadwith set a new LEJOG record of 43 hours 25 minutes and 13 seconds – more than half an hour faster than the previous record. Gethin Butler’s record of 44 hours 4 minutes and 19 seconds had stood for 17 years before that.
How much does a rider slow over the course of 43 hours of cycling? Probably not as much as you’d think, going by Strava – but that isn’t really the full story, is it?
You don’t get a sense of it from the KOMs and timings, but the effort really took his toll on Broadwith, with neck pain a particularly big problem towards the end.
“I managed to figure out some cock-eyed method where I was propping my head up with my arm on the aerobar rest like Rodin’s The Thinker,” he said afterwards.
Then, a couple of days later, it was back to more prosaic concerns.
Off to work. No following car. No amazing crew. No legendary wife. I feel like I am waking from an amazing dream... just need to stop bursting into tears. pic.twitter.com/tGEQLlLL0n
— Mr Broadwith (@24HourMaths) June 20, 2018
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.