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news
Guy Martin (Wikimedia Commons)Guy Martin abandons GB coastline cycling record attempt
Guy Martin has abandoned his attempt to break the record for cycling around the coastline of Great Britain in the shortest time.
The Isle of Man TT racer, truck mechanic and TV personality, left Grimsby on Sunday morning to try and complete the 4,800-mile journey in 21 days.
> Video: Guy Martin sets off to beat record for cycling round British coastline
But in an update posted to his website yesterday, Martin revealed that he had been forced to give up the ride due to an Achilles tendon injury.
He said:
Well it’s not gone quite to plan.
I"ve cycled over 11,000 miles this year, including the Tour Divide in America, to and from work most days and I spent three weeks in China in October, back for a few days at work, straight to New Zealand for ten days racing motorbikes, back for a few days at work and then off.
I badly pulled my Achilles tendon on the left side after a day or so but thought I'd just get my head down and work through it. I kept good miles up and got to John O’Groats from Grimsby in 4 days and 8 hours, about 800 miles. But my leg was getting worse and I thought I could keep going and maybe do the whole lot in 30 days but I knew I'd be jiggered for a long time after and maybe even have serious long term damage, which would mean I couldn’t do the serious cycle trip I've got in my head for next year.
So I've put my push bike back in the shed for the rest of the year, giving my leg a chance to recover. I'm back at work and I realise I need to listen to my body more. By just manning up I was papering over the cracks. Thanks very much for the support, loads of folk wishing me well and that was mega.
It is what it is and like I said ‘Ive got to stop it before it stops me’ and it did stop me.
The record stands ar 22 days and was set by Nick Sanders in 1984.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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19 comments
Never mind what he calls them, what do you think he's got planned for next year? A pretty intriguing hint, that.
Cycling around the world? Trans-America? Along that cable car cable in London on a specially adapted unicycle? I like the guy (geddit?), and am always happy to watch his TV shows.
I'd never have guessed he could overdo it like that - such a laid back guy!
Who cares if he calls it a push bike? Lots do.
i love him
Would be pleased to know if anyone knows how to access the detail of the route for this record ? Since Sanders completed his route of 7728km around Britain in 22 days (Ref: Guinness ) there have been new roads/bridges added and there is fair degree of uncertainty particularly around some of Devon’s estuaries. I’ve already effectively asked Guinness and the two known participants but no response so far. The Road Records Association doesn’t recognise this particular record and most others that claim the British ‘coastal’ route differ in their total distance choice i.e. The Great Tour @ 6700km. I’m sure many would like to attempt the feat at their own speed but it is very easy to cut the odd headland off here and there !
When Guy says "bike" you you kind of know he means the thing he can rag like he had stolen it around some closed road circuit whilst appearing to defy the laws of physics.
What's wrong with 'bicycle' where clarification is required?
I prefer push iron.
Must have been bad if he stopped, he's clearly no stranger to pain.
Is 'push bike' a regional thing? It's something people have always said when I was growing up so I just end up using the term without really thinking about it, though when you think about it, it seems a bit odd.
I use 'push bike' to differentiate between my normal bicycles and my electric bicycle also known 'moped' or 'the technical dope'.
Quite possibly an age thing; I certainly use the term (60yrs, English/Welsh Marches).
Sensible man though is Guy, rest now to achieve new challenges in the future.
I'd say that it is used mainly by motorcyclists because if you used the word 'bike' or 'biking' to another motorcyclist without adding any qualification it would always be assumed you meant a motorbike.
[[[[[[ Mechanical prob? Sign saying "No Cycling? That's when I push it rather than ride it. So, what's wrong with "bicycle"?
Mental - achilles pain is bloody agony and pedalling is just about the worst thing for it.
Good effort and a bit of a shame, but hopefully he can try for the record again in a more hospitable season.
Still calls it a 'push bike.'
Now I also ride motor bikes I'm always having to clarify what I mean when I simply say 'bike' to anyone who knows I ride both. Somehow push bike seems better than pedal bike, the latter somehow sounding like it's taken from a sentence used to describe the way your child progressing from a balance bike or trike.
I grew up in the corridor between Leeds and York, and we always called them "push bikes".
I call them "bicycles ", now that I've moved down south