Steve abraham attempt

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

I considered - for charity - riding 24hrs round. I also considered getting school children sponsored per loop to join me during the day.
I gave up on the idea of riding round and round and round and round and round and round ............. boring in the extreme.

Popular running loop.
Cycled along the route many times just passing through, but have also run around in the past.
Its over 75 ' / mile climbing with a sting at sheepstor in the region approaching 400 ' / mile so the sting anticlockwise would kill you later on
Even clockwise has 160' / mile at times, tedious blind bends and people in the road with dogs / sproggs , lots of braking so not ideal territory, remember you are now fully certified OAP
Survival would be the main thing.

[hondated]

A tactical short 100 miles

SA is a great example to all of us, but how did TG manage it so many years ago?

I think less traffic back then made it easier than now, anyone disagree?

+ 1 Much Respect to Steve.

[Cyril Haearn]

..
..
Whatever Steve does afterwards, I hope we hear a lot more from him.

+2

[ianrobo]

I disagree that the record couldn't have been beaten,

just in this country, more hills (though he changed his routes to try and even that out) and the wind and weather in general are major problems. If he did what Coker did for example he would smash it IMHO but that is not a challenge as such is it ? Often though why does he not attempt what Mark Beaumont did ?

[The utility cyclist]

A tactical short 100 miles

SA is a great example to all of us, but how did TG manage it so many years ago?

I think less traffic back then made it easier than now, anyone disagree?

Godwin was simply a better bike rider, or to put it more accurately fitter/stronger.
The traffic in many regards is an aid to Abraham, yes he was struck by a moped and another incident on this attempt but he just has so many other advantages like better roads, better bikes/tyres and even nutrition.

It's a fantastic, herculean effort but IMHO wasted.
Should have jacked it in after the first moped incident on his first go because that was simply illogical to carry on.
Should regathered and had a long, long think about what was going to be the most ideal way to beat the record by at least 10,000 miles.
Basically the way AC did it, pan flat, protected from the wind, nice/pretty much guaranteed weather conditions and away from motorvehicles.

Then using allowable vehicles that means you can go faster for same power or take an 'easy' day when not feeling up to it. It also means you can have somewhere others can aid you in one place (A simple caravan would be better than a garage) and within easy reach.

I hope he's now happy with his total and doesn't attempt it again.

[The utility cyclist]

I am in absolute awe of what Steve has done, not just all the miles, but the sheer determination to keep going after several setbacks. Maybe the current attempt so soon after the accidents of the first was a bigger ask than he realised, who knows without that he may have succeeded. He was always after the Goodwin record and very much rode in the same spirit, there must have been temptations to seek easier options and I have even more respect than if he'd taken them and beaten the record.
I disagree that the record couldn't have been beaten, Steve obviously thought otherwise, the difference is a few miles a day, with only slight changes in the variables he'd have done it. The talk of Goodwin's record in some way not being justified I find insulting to Steve, he accepted it and has spent years of his life trying to beat it.
Whatever Steve does afterwards, I hope we hear a lot more from him.

No it isn't, it's over 20% more every single day to what he did, there was no way he was going to beat the record on this attempt and he knew he couldn't do it from the off and was only aiming to beat the 'men's' mark, he was clear about this.
NOT taking the options within the rules doesn't make sense, there was noway he was going to beat the record doing it the way he has, people would think nothing less by making it as easy as one can to be within the rules if the records set are accepted as being fine. Personally I think the rules are flawed, I think they needed to be tighter to make it a reasonably equal footing for people around the world but AC took advantage of the rules and achieved an amazing total that at present SA has no chance of besting unless he drastically changes how he approaches things.
Personally I hope he doesn't make another attempt and is happy with his epic achievement.

[PH]

No it isn't, it's over 20% more every single day to what he did, there was no way he was going to beat the record on this attempt and he knew he couldn't do it from the off and was only aiming to beat the 'men's' mark, he was clear about this.

I think we're talking about different things, I thought I'd been clear what record I was talking about

He was always after the Goodwin record

Steve hasn't managed that by a few miles a day.

[The utility cyclist]

There was no godwin record when he started.

[ianrobo]

Basically the way AC did it, pan flat, protected from the wind, nice/pretty much guaranteed weather conditions and away from motorvehicles.

so basically go to Florida !

[The utility cyclist]

Basically the way AC did it, pan flat, protected from the wind, nice/pretty much guaranteed weather conditions and away from motorvehicles.

so basically go to Florida !

Why, can you not think of somewhere closer to home that has a flat park loop that doesn't get as much bad weather as the rest of the country? Even Spain/one of the Balearic Islands would probably be as good as Florida.

[ianrobo]

Basically the way AC did it, pan flat, protected from the wind, nice/pretty much guaranteed weather conditions and away from motorvehicles.

so basically go to Florida !

Why, can you not think of somewhere closer to home that has a flat park loop that doesn't get as much bad weather as the rest of the country? Even Spain/one of the Balearic Islands would probably be as good as Florida.

for the whole year ? forget this country or Northern Europe

Yes Spain etc could be possible but some of the weather can be iffy, they get storms etc, AC did get lucky, no major hurricanes etc in Florida but whether Spain or Florida that is still very expensive

[PH]

There was no godwin record when he started.

It'd be just as true to say there'd never been an official record before the UCMA set theirs up, they were very specific that they were setting a new record and under their rules.
Whatever you want to call Goodwins ride, even the casual observer can see that beating it was one of the primary goals for Steve. It was something he wanted to do before the UCMA record was established, and he came close to achieving it. His choice in not using the options that might have meant taking the UCMA record but making his ride not comparable to Goodwins ought to give an indication of what his priorities were.
That's it from me, I'm looking forward to hearing from Steve his thoughts on the year. Maybe he'll say what he would have done different, but I'll fall off my chair if he says he'd have abandoned the idea of beating Goodwins ride to increase his chance of the UCMA record.

[The utility cyclist]

so basically go to Florida !

Why, can you not think of somewhere closer to home that hasfracturet park loop that doesn't get as much bad weather as the rest of the country? Even Spain/one of the Balearic Islands would probably be as good as Florida.

for the whole year ? forget this country or Northern Europe

Yes Spain etc could be possible but some of the weather can be iffy, they get storms etc, AC did get lucky, no major hurricanes etc in Florida but whether Spain or Florida that is still very expensive

He's had enough funds for 2.5 attempts, a lot of that coming from donations.
Yes, maybe spain mightt not have worked out financially or practically viable though there are plenty of expats that it could have worked to help digs wise.
My point was that logistally he didn't pick terain as good for the attempt as he could. Yes it was near to home but with the funds he had been given plus his own it could have been made far easier.
The altitude gain in his first attempt was ridiculous.

I've not denigrated the effort, far from it, but questioning the decision not to find somewhere better to cycle and carrying on after the first crash that broke/fractured his ankle.
Making another attempt so soon was also a mistake IMHO and I'm not alone inthat thinking.

I hope he knocks it on the head (with respect to the 365 day record) and is happy with what he achieved.

[ianrobo]

he is a type A and will be back, maybe he should just ride around the milton keynes bowl, seriously .... he did that for a bit on the recumbent and when not allowed to then find someone else

[Postboxer]

Maybe we should set some rules for a record on here. We can then set our own rules and decide who is holding that particular record. I'd be tempted to say it should be a calendar year and that rides must start within a few miles of where the last one ended, so no driving up wind every night, maybe allow a few flights/channel crossings but not so that people can continually use them to get upwind, and maybe only for crossing bodies of water.