looks like a sham to me…
map of the journey… Lael Rides Around the World | GPS Tracking powered by Follow My Challenge
Yeah very strange “around the world”. And not one of the gushing articles in the cycling media that I’ve read mentions that the record she broke was for an unsupported effort (Jenny Graham). Jenny Graham went through Asia, too.
Looks like she followed the rules for this record. I have no idea who made up the rules or why they exist as they do, but don’t hate the player, hate the game. Where in asia did you want her to ride fellas?
I looked at the GPS tracking and it ends in Turkey. Nothing across the likes of Central Asia, China and Russia to get to the “left shore” of the Bering straight. I don’t know what the rules are for this, but on first glance that does not feel like looping the world
The rules state “the journey should be continuous and in one direction (East to West or West to East), that the minimum distance ridden should be 18,000 miles (29,000 km), and that the total distance travelled by the bicycle and rider should exceed an Equator’s length, i.e. 24,900 miles (40,100 km).” They also state that: “Any considerable distance travelled opposite to the direction of the attempt must be discounted from any calculations of the overall distance travelled,” and that the route "must be ridden through two approximate antipodal points
That’s fair but how could a white woman on her own be expected to cross those territories safely? That’s just not realistically possible right now.
Maybe across it, for starters.
Sham? She followed the rules and set a new record.
very arbitrary rules that are debateable. if anything, if it is to honor human movement then the plane trips should not be allowed. regardless, can overlook the other things, but completely skipping large sections of bikeable land mass (asia) is absurd. yea as a woman it would be hard. but that is the point of a challenge… overcoming obstacles.
This are the rules. She followed them. Given the fact that various parts of the world alternate between peace and chaos it is reasonable that the rules allow for routes that avoid whatever regions of the world is chaotic at that time while still covering the required distance, otherwise she, and others, might have to wait years, if not decades, to make an attempt.
Looks like Lachlan Morton is going to make a similar attempt soon. Expect he will follow a similar route if the troubles in that region continue.
Pretty sure Lachlan was involved in the planning of this route so wouldn’t be surprised if he tackles the same one.
It will be very hard to break Baumont’s record if he can’t do the stretch across Russia. The roads suck but they are long, straight, and flatter than the route Wilcox took.
If you can find it online check out the documentary on Beaumont’s record. It is completely insane.
Agreed that it would not be safe for all but the most hardy to start off, but not sure if it changes if it is white woman, a black woman, a brown woman, it would be equally iffy
How would you have set the rules? There’s a set distance equal to the circumference of the earth at the equator, and you must pass through two points on opposite sides of the earth. People riding Lands End to John O’groats (length of the UK) need to take different routes due to roadworks, so riding around the world the routes people will take are always going to be completely different. I think the rules make sense, and make the logistical challenge part of the record attempt. If it’s just about who’s fittest, do it on Zwift.
I think there’s a bit of a difference riding the length of the UK. It’s a fixed land mass, and there will always be the most direct route.
The issue I take with this record (like others) is that she flew from Georgia to Perth. That’s just not just skipping 1-2 countries currently engaged in hostile activities, that’s quite literally skipping an entire continent. Granted she rode the distance and hit the antipodes required but it seems a bit of a farce to call it round the world whilst avoiding the challenging parts (and not just challenging in the sense of personal safety).
If someone rides the same 1km stretch 28,998 times and then flies direct to the couple of different antipodes required and rides an arbitrary 1km there, does that then indeed count as a round the world attempt?
No, as stated earlier in the thread:
So no, you can’t just ride the same 1km as youd be traveling against the direction of your attempt.
ideally, set up the ride that you can cover as much distance from longitude to longitude on non stop land/ice mass. so would include a bering straight crossing when its frozen over