He Switched From Ultra-Running to Cycling in His 40s — Three Years Later He Set a Transcontinental World Record
4 min read · RealCase summary
Ian Walker, a University of Bath transport psychologist who switched from ultra-distance running to cycling in 2016, set out from Nordkapp, Norway on Friday, June 21, 2019 — midsummer's day — to cycle the length of Europe.
He rode through 10 countries (Norway, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, France, and Spain), covering more than 6,300km (about 4,000 miles) at an average speed of 24.7km/h, cycling up to 20 hours a day on as little as 3 hours of sleep a night and consuming up to 12,000 calories daily, including through a European heatwave that pushed temperatures near 40°C.
He reached Tarifa, Spain on the Monday morning of July 8, 2019, finishing in 16 days, 20 hours, and 59 minutes — beating the previous north-to-south record by more than two days. "It feels amazing to set yourself a really difficult target and then achieve that through such a long period of hard work," he said. The ride raised more than £2,500 for the charity Roadpeace; Walker normally cycles a 50-mile round-trip commute between Bristol and Bath.
Key takeaways
- ›Switched from ultra-distance running to ultra-distance cycling in 2016, building up through races like the Transcontinental
- ›In 2019, rode solo and unsupported from Nordkapp, Norway to Tarifa, Spain — over 6,300 km (about 4,000 miles) through 10 countries
- ›Finished in 16 days, 20 hours, 59 minutes, breaking the previous record by more than two days, averaging up to 20 hours of cycling a day on about 3 hours of sleep a night
Original source
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