What record has been broken exactly, Gethin Butler did it in just over 44 hours 20 years ago and 4 years ago it was done in 43.23. 83 hours seems positively sedentary

pistonbroke wrote: ↑Thu Jul 21, 2022 4:54 pm What record has been broken exactly, Gethin Butler did it in just over 44 hours 20 years ago and 4 years ogo it was done in 43.23.

The sub 20" wheel category? It did make me wonder too as I had a poster on my bedroom wall as a kid of someone doing it in under 48 hrs on a falcon brand bike IIRC.

What record has been broken exactly,

Yes if only the article was clearer eh

NEW RECORD ON LAND’S END TO JOHN O’GROATS ROUTE… ABOARD A BROMPTON!

I'd say it's not clear that the Brompton record that was broken, either in the first couple of lines or in the main text. It infers that this is the fkt on a bike and the bike was a Brompton making it even more impressive. The phrases "James arrived at J oG midday yesterday to set the fkt on the route" "Even more astounding is that he completed it aboad a Brompton" sealed it for me. Maybe that's my suspicious mind working overtime

Must admit it did read as "fastest ever" to me too.

"The record for cycling from Land's End to John o' Groats is held by Andy Wilkinson, who completed the journey in 41 hours, 4 minutes and 22 seconds on a Windcheetah recumbent tricycle."

Whatever, Brompton, yay

I think it's an un-supported time? The others were all supported...

Ah well good for him then. Should have done it in city gent outfit of course though..

Update from Bikepacking.com.
Logan Watts / BIKEPACKING.com

Well, I just heard back from the folks who sent us the photos and news.... and yes, it's a record for a Brompton, not the overall record. I'm not happy about that, to be honest. The news that was sent to us was worded as if it was the overall record.

So now that the number of FKT classes is now infinite we can all have one. I'm claiming the Surly ECR 27.5 - Rohloff hubbed - self supported - no media involvement - male over 50's record at a blisteringly quick 12 months

woodsmith wrote: ↑Sat Jul 23, 2022 8:55 am So now that the number of FKT classes is now infinite we can all have one. I'm claiming the Surly ECR 27.5 - Rohloff hubbed - self supported - no media involvement - male over 50's record at a blisteringly quick 12 months

Good effort!
The mind boggles - FKT whilst wearing a cow pattern onesie, FKT whilst playing the banjo....

Appears to travel light for unsupported, I wonder if his accommodation was pre-booked. Mind you, I do like what he uses to 'support' his bike for one of the photos

Perhaps the abbreviation FKT could be replaced by FIT fastest instagrammed time, this would suit Lael Wilcox for one

Bikepacking is kinda going where scuba diving up 8000 m peaks has gone.

100's of riders lining up to go for a ride? I'm naïve enough to still be surprised to see the amount of starters at various bikepacking events.

Kind of like seeing the queue up Everest's south col route (the whole way up).
Also K2 at the bottleneck now.

Once some form on a certain route has been established, it gets done with questionable means for fun, fame, a mix of both and more.

Like boxing gloves for Everest.

Then the issue of claims, false statements, deliberately unclear statements - all to make one's own feat even bigger/harder/more vaguely exciting/whatnot.

Questionable summiting (https://explorersweb.com/jurgalski-drop ... story-but/)? Can happen by mistake and yet some claimed summiting knowing exactly they hadn't been on the summit.
The amount of false statements and claims one comes across by just going through the usual online bikepacking platforms shouldn't be surprising, but I get caught by anew.

Thankfully there's still loads of unpretentious "doers", but they are often the type of persons who don't try and rub their doings into all media outlets and thus get less exposure.

I shouldn't be bothered, but kind of a shame for all the great achievements out there.

pistonbroke wrote: ↑Sat Jul 23, 2022 12:00 pm Perhaps the abbreviation FKT could be replaced by FIT fastest instagrammed time, this would suit Lael Wilcox for one

FKT if I know

IGMC...

Gian, having "been a climber" for 30+ years there were certainly a significant number of infamous characters with dubious records regarding what they had done (or claimed to have done). In the UK one of these even made the national media back in the 1960s - do a search on "The Gogarth affair". I remember an after dinner speech by one of these climbers (from the 1980s) and he admitted outright that some of his routes were "ball-pointed", i.e. he just wrote them up as if he'd actually done them.

I think the most famous example is Cesare Maestre's claim to have made the first ascent of Cerro Torre in Patagonia - he still claims to this day that he did so despite overwhelming proof that his account doesn't match the terrain. Have a read of "The Tower" by Kelly Cordes or for more detailed discussion there's a piece online by Rolando Garibotti

For a total fantasist and BS artist this guy takes some beating.
https://cyclingtips.com/2022/04/exposed ... o-cyclist/

I once got a KOM ... I'd stopped for a slash and it happened purely by accident as I pedalled to catch Chew and Ione up.

whitestone wrote: ↑Sat Jul 23, 2022 3:24 pm he still claims to this day

Well... he died half a year ago
What a tragic figure.

Always enjoyed Rolando's "work", especially since I nearly ended up going to Cerro Torre myself about 20 years ago and was happy with any sorts of info on this truly stunning peak (which has seen some weird "firsts" too).

Thanks for pointing out The Tower
Should go there before my little bit of spanish goes completely forgotten...

Oops! I don't follow climbing news much these days so that news had passed me by.

When Ken Wilson was editor/owner of Mountain magazine he interviewed Maestre, this would be early 1970s, probably just after the first British trip out there. Ken was a forthright personality but didn't speak Italian so he had a translator with him. About a decade later I climbed occasionally with that translator and apparently the interview started with Ken accusing Maestre of lying! Let's say the rest of it was rather fractious.

I got into climbing after watching a film by Leo Dickinson of that first British trip. Sadly never made it down south.

The chap who rode the Brompton on the 800 mile Pan Celtic finished in 7 days and has now started the TCR on the same bike!
James Houston
https://dotwatcher.cc/race/tcr-no8

Ken was a forthright personality

That's one way of putting it

psling wrote: ↑Sat Jul 23, 2022 10:10 am Appears to travel light for unsupported, I wonder if his accommodation was pre-booked. Mind you, I do like what he uses to 'support' his bike for one of the photos

ummm WestMalle ... my and my son visited the Abbey on a BP trip of Belgium

summittoppler wrote: ↑Mon Jul 25, 2022 10:05 am The chap who rode the Brompton on the 800 mile Pan Celtic finished in 7 days and has now started the TCR on the same bike!
James Houston
https://dotwatcher.cc/race/tcr-no8

I believe he’s had to stop to repair a broken frame, but now continuing on

Always amazed at these exploits. I am trying to build up to do a 20 mile spin around Birmingham from Jack Thurston's recent book on mine.