James Golding abandons Race Across America after testing positive for COVID-19

James Golding has been forced to abandon his attempt to become the first Briton to win the Race Across America after difficulties with his breathing and ability to take on food and fluids led to the ultracyclist testing positive for COVID-19.

In a statement published on Facebook, the two-time cancer survivor’s support crew said that yesterday afternoon he “experienced ongoing difficulties with his breathing and fluid intake between time stages 5-6 at Congress, Arizona.

“A decision was made by James’s crew to immediately take him to a local doctor where he was quickly moved to A&E after initial assessment,” they said.

“Following x-rays, blood tests and a COVID test James unfortunately tested positive for COVID-19 experiencing continued shortness of breath and a fever. After being kept on IV fluids for a couple of hours as a precaution, he was released at 7.30pm local and unable to continue RAAM.”

The solo riders in the 3,000-mile race from Oceanside, California to Annapolis, Maryland, set off on Tuesday, and the race is currently being led by Germany’s Rainer Steinberger, who earlier today passed through time stage 10 in Tuba City, Arizona.

That time stage comes 677.90 miles into the race, and Steinberger reached it in a time of 1 day 18 hours and 14 minutes.

Golding aged 41 and from Rugby in Warwickshire, was given just a 5 per cent chance of survival when he underwent emergency surgery in 2009 after being diagnosed with cancer the previous year.

In 2010, Golding and a riding partner were hospitalised after they were hit by a truck driver during a on charity bike ride across the US.

His second cancer diagnosis came the following year shortly after he had returned to the UK from a bike ride from Los Angeles to Miami, and he received the all-clear in May 2012.

Since his initial cancer diagnosis, Golding has become a motivational speaker and raised millions of pounds for charity through his ultracycling exploits.

Those include breaking the Guinness World Record in 2017 for the most miles ridden in one week; coached by ex-pro cyclist Dean Downing, he rode 2,842.4km (1,766.2 miles) over the week.

That record has since been broken and is now held by Josh Quigley, who last September rode 3507.82km (2179.66 miles) to set the new benchmark, and who himself almost lost his life in a bike crash in the US when he was hit by a driver in Texas while on a round-the-world ride.