I hope my writing about it didn't jinx Chris Marris's record attempt but, unfortunately, his website is saying that the attempt has been stopped for safety reasons. He was almost half way across the continent at the time, and on schedule for a new record.
Despite forecasts to the contrary, Chris had to endure very heavy rain for a large part of the four days he was on the road and it looked like he'd be facing even more if he continued. Apart from the physical discomfort of riding in constant, heavy rain this also raised major concerns for his safety. The wesbite states:
"The problem with the rain, which yesterday was heavy and unrelenting, comes from the side effects of poor visibility, particularly at night while on the road, and the associated wall of water that can almost knock you off your bike when a road train goes flying past."
I would like to congratulate Chris for what he did manage to achieve, not least raising a considerable sum for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and wish him luck for the future.
You can read Chris's statement on his website at http://www.flyingcyclist.com.au/
Showing posts with label Flying Cyclist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Flying Cyclist. Show all posts
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
The Flying Cyclist's Trans-Australia Record attempt
I am always fascinated by people doing mad things for the sake of it so I was delighted to hear about the Flying Cyclist via Facebook this morning.
The Flying Cyclist is 25 year old Chris Marris, and he is currently about 1,000km into an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for cycling from Perth, on the west coast of Australia, to Sydney, on the east coast. That's a total of approx 4,000km.
To break the current record of 8 days, 10 hours and 57 minutes, held by fellow Australian, Richard Vollebregt, Chris will have to spend up to 20 hours a day on his bike, covering approx 550km on each of those days (the equivalent of Paris to Amsterdam). That will be done while traversing some of the most hostile roads in the world, including the infamous Nullarbor Plain, over 1,000km of treeless, arid, flat plain, where daytime temperatures can reach nearly 50 C, before plummeting to almost freezing at night.
Chris is using his attempt to raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, a uniquely Australian, not-for-profit institution, which provides medical services to the most remote and inaccessible parts of Australia.
You can read more about Chris, make a donation and follow his progress by going to his website, http://www.flyingcyclist.com.au/.
Best of luck, Chris
The Flying Cyclist is 25 year old Chris Marris, and he is currently about 1,000km into an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for cycling from Perth, on the west coast of Australia, to Sydney, on the east coast. That's a total of approx 4,000km.
To break the current record of 8 days, 10 hours and 57 minutes, held by fellow Australian, Richard Vollebregt, Chris will have to spend up to 20 hours a day on his bike, covering approx 550km on each of those days (the equivalent of Paris to Amsterdam). That will be done while traversing some of the most hostile roads in the world, including the infamous Nullarbor Plain, over 1,000km of treeless, arid, flat plain, where daytime temperatures can reach nearly 50 C, before plummeting to almost freezing at night.
Chris is using his attempt to raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, a uniquely Australian, not-for-profit institution, which provides medical services to the most remote and inaccessible parts of Australia.
You can read more about Chris, make a donation and follow his progress by going to his website, http://www.flyingcyclist.com.au/.
Best of luck, Chris
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