Have we gone soft? Hard riders of old

[millen]

Came across this inspirational story - 75,000 miles in a war year, leading to 100,000 miles in 500 days https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/record-rides-to... All without the benefit of modern multi-gear bikes and modern fabrics and shoes. Respect!

[Randy Winkman]

A great story. Wasn't someone trying to be beat his annual record a couple of years ago?

[LeadFarmer]

A bloke I know cycled solo from the west to east coast of USA in 30 days, 3 days ahead of schedule, whilst I struggle riding home from work on my electric bike!!

[frisbee]

Randy Winkman said:

A great story. Wasn't someone trying to be beat his annual record a couple of years ago?

Three of them set off at about the same time to beat it about 5 years ago. The British guy, Steve Abraham, attempted it on a normal bike, on normal roads, no pacing, he was starting to struggle to keep to the schedule and then got hit by a moped and broke his ankle.

There was an Australian(?) who didn't really get anywhere.

The American guy, Kurt Searvogel, did break it, just, but he was riding a recumbent, at least some of the time.

A woman, Amanda Coker, did 85,000 miles a year later. Normal bike but all on a 7 mile circuit. She then went on to do 100,000 miles.

[Master Bean]

They didn't have traffic lights and traffic to contend with in the olden days. That's why some point to point records will never be beaten even with aero this and carbon that.

[okgo]

Didn’t he also do loads of main road one way stuff with a tailwind?

Without question ‘someone’ could do more, but what’s the point.

[ScotHill]

There were quite a few stories of poor Indian workers riding hundreds of miles to their home villages on rickety boneshakers at the start of lockdown, often relying on handouts.

And the oft-maligned but generally canny GCN recreated a stage of the 1903 Tour de France:

[Stuart70]

Tim Moore’s book, Vuelta Skelter is well worth a read on this topic.

[millen]

It's interesting as a challenge, in a perverse way. I'd guess you have to dedicate the best part of your life for at least 48 weeks of a year to assess whether you're in with a chance. And even then there's no guarantee some mishaps in the final few days won't take you out. In contrast, the pressure of the Rapha 500 challenge seems a walk in the park!

Worth noting that the gutsy teen that just flew solo round the world averaged little more than 180 mls/day, ie less than the 200 mls/day of these cyclists.

[okgo]

It’s a different world. Records of old have generally had much chat about bending rules, Alf engers the subject of much of that. Today - you can’t get away with that. Not even slightly - and if you try to - like Biablocki - you get caught out.

[mikecassie]

frisbee said:

Randy Winkman said:

A great story. Wasn't someone trying to be beat his annual record a couple of years ago?

Three of them set off at about the same time to beat it about 5 years ago. The British guy, Steve Abraham, attempted it on a normal bike, on normal roads, no pacing, he was starting to struggle to keep to the schedule and then got hit by a moped and broke his ankle.

There was an Australian(?) who didn't really get anywhere.

The American guy, Kurt Searvogel, did break it, just, but he was riding a recumbent, at least some of the time.

A woman, Amanda Coker, did 85,000 miles a year later. Normal bike but all on a 7 mile circuit. She then went on to do 100,000 miles.

I seem to remember hearing KS would get his wife to drive him away from home against the wind and then he'd cycle home wind assisted, so he was very much not in the spirit of the competition IMO. Coker, some achievement and she must have a huge amount of determination to do that amount of miles on the same small loop.
And as for going soft, the whole world is not as 'tough' as it was. We have far higher standards for what is acceptable in life now and I doubt many of us would last long living in 1914 or 1939 if we could be transported back there. Switch off the wifi and time how long until others in your household start moaning.

[Randy Winkman]

frisbee said:

Randy Winkman said:

A great story. Wasn't someone trying to be beat his annual record a couple of years ago?

Three of them set off at about the same time to beat it about 5 years ago. The British guy, Steve Abraham, attempted it on a normal bike, on normal roads, no pacing, he was starting to struggle to keep to the schedule and then got hit by a moped and broke his ankle.

There was an Australian(?) who didn't really get anywhere.

The American guy, Kurt Searvogel, did break it, just, but he was riding a recumbent, at least some of the time.

A woman, Amanda Coker, did 85,000 miles a year later. Normal bike but all on a 7 mile circuit. She then went on to do 100,000 miles.

Thanks. It was Steve Abraham I was thinking of. 85,000 miles on a 7 mile circuit? OMG. A a bit like the deca-ironman where they swim 38km in a swimming pool. No thanks. (Not that I could anyway.)

[jamest1988]

My old man, in his 70's now, loves telling the story of his old time trial days. On a steel frame, 3 gears (with the shifters on the down tube), and probably his PE kit from school, managed a 24(ish) minute 10 mile time.

I'm working on my journey back to fitness so I know I have a long way to go, but one of my goals is to get a sub 30 minute 10 mile time.

I'm aware 24 minutes isn't record setting but when I see pictures of his bike back in the day, I'm pretty impressed!

[take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey]

Very different times back then.

My late father was a keen amateur racer in the 50s. They would ride Hull to Britiol! on their longest rides... There and back in a day!

The thought of driving that now with our traffic fills me with horror.

My father admitted there would be no way he would have done those mileages from the 70s onwards... Too much traffic, driven by too many cyclist hating aholes.

[okgo]

jamest1988 said:

My old man, in his 70's now, loves telling the story of his old time trial days. On a steel frame, 3 gears (with the shifters on the down tube), and probably his PE kit from school, managed a 24(ish) minute 10 mile time.

I'm working on my journey back to fitness so I know I have a long way to go, but one of my goals is to get a sub 30 minute 10 mile time.

I'm aware 24 minutes isn't record setting but when I see pictures of his bike back in the day, I'm pretty impressed!

That isn't bad going though. I've got a trophy here (that I need to return) that has times on it from the 1950's - 25 mile course that I've done many times, my best on it is a low 49, some bloke in 1959 did a short 56 which is some going, but the absolute outlier for me is a mid 53 in 1967! It's an honest course, a mid 53 is a decent time even today with a TT bike, actually it would have got you 6th place on the day I got the trophy from 100 starters.

[mcelliott]

A guy I sometimes train with is competing in a 48hr race in Austria I think in the summer, he's planned one hour of sleep and hoping to cover over a 1000kms with around 45,000ft of climbing

[take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey]

mcelliott said:

A guy I sometimes train with is competing in a 48hr race in Austria I think in the summer, he's planned one hour of sleep and hoping to cover over a 1000kms with around 45,000ft of climbing

Even in a plane that sounds hard l.

[Randy Winkman]

jamest1988 said:

My old man, in his 70's now, loves telling the story of his old time trial days. On a steel frame, 3 gears (with the shifters on the down tube), and probably his PE kit from school, managed a 24(ish) minute 10 mile time.

I'm working on my journey back to fitness so I know I have a long way to go, but one of my goals is to get a sub 30 minute 10 mile time.

I'm aware 24 minutes isn't record setting but when I see pictures of his bike back in the day, I'm pretty impressed!

24 mins impresses me. Back in the 90s when I was triathlon obsessed I once did 10 miles in 24 mins. That was me in peak condition on a modern (for it's day) custom built time trial bike.