Records in all sports are there to be broken but there is one cycling landmark which has stood the test of time and will never be surpassed.
It is 75 years since Tommy Godwin set out to bring the year record back to Britain – and the 26-year-old tee-total vegetarian did exactly that, and then some.
His mark of 75,065 miles represented an average of 205 miles every day, which Godwin started on a custom-built ‘Ley TG Special’ before switching to a Raleigh Record Ace.
And now, Raleigh are challenging any cycling nuts to take on their own Tommy Godwin Challenge.
His year record, which the Guinness Book of Records regards to be held in perpetuity, will never be topped but Raleigh are calling on cyclists to attempt to match his daily average by riding 205 miles in one day – an impressive feat in itself.
Likely to be upwards of ten hours in the saddle, the task is a tough one for even the most seasoned of club cyclists, which is why Raleigh will put anybody who completes the ride into a draw to win £205 worth of goods each month.
And Raleigh have drawn up a handy list of tips to prepare for challenge – choosing whether to ride solo or in a group, planning your route and equipment well in advance and resting up the night before.
Anybody taking on the challenge can get in touch with the Nottigham-based brand on Twitter at @raleighbikes_uk, and upon completion upload their story to www.raleigh.co.uk/tommygodwin205 to be in with a chance of winning the monthly prize.
If you need a further push to take on the challenge, Raleigh’s marketing manager Ben Hillsdon has blogged about his experience taking part, which can be found here.
He said: “Riding this sort of distance is a physical and mental test: keeping going in the face of pain, dealing with logistical challenges, navigating the English countryside.
“In the van on the way home I couldn’t get over what a true exponent of ‘rule five’ Tommy Godwin was.”
