An award-winning cyclist from Great Britain in September will try to set a world record by cycling nearly 2,500 miles of Route 66 in just 11 days.
Pav Bryan is training for the journey now. He also plans to uses his quest to raise money for two-mental-health charities — Mind and National Alliance for Mental Illness. Bryan once battled problems with addiction and bipolar disorder; he turned his life around in 2011 with a regimen of nutrition, exercise, relaxation techniques and the support of others.
According to a news release about Bryan’s quest:
The World Record attempt, this September 2018, will follow the original 2500 miles of road network as closely as possible, using the official Bicycle Route 66.
Previous attempts include Danielle Giordano, who rode a similar route in Sept/Oct 2016, taking 23 days but this was never registered as a record. There was also a Route 66 Bike Race, sadly cancelled midway through, where riders reportedly finished in around 12 days, again no official record was registered.
Pav will have a full support crew alongside him and publicity events are planned in each major city.
Bryan also posted this video about the Route 66 trip on his website:
Bryan’s bid for a record will be a tall order. A typical triathlon requires athletes to pedal at least 100 miles. Bryan will have to cycle about 225 miles a day for more than a week and a half.
Weather conditions will play a big role on whether he meets his goal. Going from Los Angeles to Chicago is smart because prevailing winds will be in his favor. Going in September also is smart, because he’ll mostly avoid the brutal summer heat.
But one stormy day — not unlikely in Arizona and New Mexico in September — could put him seriously behind the pace.
Bryan’s quest also can be followed on a Facebook page.
(Image of Pav Bryan via Facebook)
Good luck, this sounds incredible, but going in September does Not miss ‘the brutal heat of Summer” between kingman and Victorville, or LA for that matter!