New World Record Cyclist

[ufkacbln]

Where were the pres when this was announced?

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Most miles pedalled - world record set by Chris Davies
HAVANT, Hampshire, UK -- Chris Davies, 72, of East Street, Havant, has now cycled a record 906,900 miles in 60 years - setting the new world record for the Most miles pedalled.

(enlarge photo)

Mr Davies said: ‘For as long as I can remember I have loved cycling. I still love it as much as I used to and I cycle every day. It keeps me in good shape and gets me out and about. My bike is an extension of me.’

The 72-year-old who had a hip replacement eight years ago, clocked up almost 10,000 miles last year to maintain his place as leading member in the 300,000 Miles Club.

He is the Portsmouth representative for CTC, the national cycling organisation, and says his love for the bike began when he visited his grandmother's beach hut in Hayling Island as a boy.

Chris Davies, former cycling correspondent for The News in Portsmouth, has kept a record of miles ridden in the same school exercise book he bought almost 60 years ago.

Mr Davies took his first ride in 1950 when he travelled 10.5km (six-and-a-half miles) from his home town of Havant, Hampshire, to Hayling Island. He was so smitten with his new hobby that he jotted down the exact details of his ride in a school exercise book.

He now uses a computerised speedometer attached to his handlebars to calculate the length of rides.

There's always a story behind his mile-eating, such as when in 2005 he dreamt up a unique way for a Portsmouth man to mark two special occasions: one his 50th consecutive year of knocking up over 1000 miles a year, the other, the 200th anniversary of Nelson's famous naval victory in the Battle of Trafalgar.
He did this by riding from Cape Trafalgar in Spain to Trafalgar Square, where he reported to the figure atop the column.

Mr Davies has never wed – he says he is married to his bike.

 

[Brains]

At 10,000 miles a year the Press are no doubt waiting for his 82nd birthday, when he will be the first cyclist to cycle a million miles

 

[yello]

Lovely story.

I like this...

He now uses a computerised speedometer attached to his handlebars to calculate the length of rides.

One of those new fangled high tec computer things no doubt

 

[Crankarm]

60 years that's 15k a year which is good going. For him to reach the million mile mark will take approx another six and a quarter years so he'll be 78/79 years old. He must have a very thorough log book to support his claim to this record. I bet the exercise book is tatty. My school exercise books fell apart before the end of the school year. So quite how he has got one to last 60 years beats me.

Good on him though. I am sure he has indeed cycled an awful lot of miles, but 900,000?????

Take it with a pinch of salt.


Btw he's not wearing a cycling helmet.

 

[hubbike]

this is a great story

 

[snorri]

this is a great story

Indeed it is, but like Crankarm, I'm fascinated by this school exercise book that he is still using after 60 years.

 

[rich p]

Where were the pres when this was announced?




[/i]

Obama?

 

[dellzeqq]

60 years that's 15k a year which is good going. For him to reach the million mile mark will take approx another six and a quarter years so he'll be 78/79 years old. He must have a very thorough log book to support his claim to this record. I bet the exercise book is tatty. My school exercise books fell apart before the end of the school year. So quite how he has got one to last 60 years beats me.

Good on him though. I am sure he has indeed cycled an awful lot of miles, but 900,000?????

Take it with a pinch of salt.

you've no reason to write that. There are dozens of CTC old stagers ratcheting up 10,000 miles and more a year - our own Pete Mitchell who, if memory serves, has over half a million miles under his belt, did thirteen thousand last year, all impeccably recorded.

 

[sgw]

Indeed it is, but like Crankarm, I'm fascinated by this school exercise book that he is still using after 60 years.

Me too, pre sticky back plastic as well!

Seen some changes, in more senses than one. Unfortunately it's far too late for me to adopt his no marriage philosophy... If I new then etc etc...

 

[byegad]

I make it an average of just over 40 miles a day, day in and day out for 60 years. Do able but certainly at the limits of human endurance, given National Service would have taken 18 months or so out of the time he was free to ride. The commitment of a job until retirement age and eating must have taken 8 to 10 hours a day for 5 or 6 days a week out of his riding time. If he spent little time being too ill to ride, didn't have a late lie in bed too often and averaged a fair mph over the 60 years he could fit it in.

Doubtful, but theoretically possible in my opinion.

 

[Arch]

My school exercise books fell apart before the end of the school year. So quite how he has got one to last 60 years beats me.

Some people are just very careful with stuff. You probably carried your school exercise books to school everyday, in a schoolbag filled with conkers and packed lunches, and other books - and at school, you wrote in them, dragging your greasy acidic mitts across each page about 30 times (I seem to remember 28 lines on the average book page). He might have kept it in a drawer, only getting it out once a day to note down rides.

Plenty of ration books and newspaper cuttings and the like survive from 60-70 years ago. Paper is very resilient unless it gets wet, greasy or crumpled up. I would go as far as to say that the sort of person who had the mentality to make regular notes like that would be the sort of person who would be pretty neat and organised and careful with their possessions. I bet his bikes have always been clean and well looked after too.

I liked the 'computerised speedometer' bit too. How dim are some journalists, or did they think the public wouldn't understand the term 'cycle computer'?

 

[betty swollocks]

I met Chris Davies about 25 years ago. Recognisable instantly as one of these small wiry CTC types you see who have been cycling all of their lives
He organised a jaunt over to the St Lo Cider Rally. This is where you cycle to St Lo in Normandy and then drink cider and go out for bike rides. - Yes really!
My local CTC group participated.
When we arrived in Cherbourg, he delved into his Carradice saddle bag (maybe the same one as in the pic) and gave us all a Hot Cross bun.

Saw him once years later. He was cycling along the Bourne valley near St Mary Bourne and I was pedalling the other way. We both waved. I doubt very much whether he remembered me, but I recalled him instantly. He has a very memorable face.

Good luck to you Chris Davies: I wish you many more happy miles.