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Dr Ian Walker smashes record for riding Europe from North to SouthDr Ian Walker

Dr Ian Walker smashes record for riding Europe from North to South

Bath-based academic rides from top of Norway to bottom of Spain in under 17 days
by Simon_MacMichael
Mon, Jul 08, 2019 12:42
9

Bath-based academic Dr Ian Walker has broken the world record for cycling through Europe from North to South, riding from North Cape in Norway to Tarifa in Spain in 16 days, 20 hours and 59 minutes.

The 6,300-kilometre ride took Walker – the winner last year of the North Cape 4000 ultracyling race – through 10 countries.

From Norway, he headed through Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany and France before riding across Spain to his final destination on the Straits of Gibraltar.

The journey – which was fully self-supported – took him from inside the Arctic Circle to within site of Africa, and coincided with last week’s record temperatures in parts of the continent.

When he was planning his attempt, the record stood at 21, days 14 hours and 23 minutes, but just four days before he set off, Rob Gardiner set a new record of 19 days, 11 hours and 5 minutes.

Walker took on the challenge to raise money for the charity Roadpeace and as well as smashing the record, he has smashed his fundraising target – you can donate here.

Ian Walker
North Cape 4000
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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9 comments

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Fergus Owen | 5 years ago
0 likes

 

Hi Simon

 

Thanks for using my portrait of Ian as the lead image in your story.  

 

Could you please email me on:  contact [at] ferguscoyle.com

 

Many thanks,

 

Fergus 

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Fergus Owen | 5 years ago
0 likes

 

Hi Simon

 

Thanks for using my portrait of Ian as the lead image for your story.  

 

Could you please email me on:  contact [at] ferguscoyle.com

 

Many thanks,

 

Fergus 

Avatar
Redvee | 5 years ago
3 likes

A few years back Ian got together a group of riders who rode from Bath to Cardiff. no great shakes in that I hear you say but we left Bath at midnight and got to Cardiff 7 1/2 hours later after several rest and puncture stops. From memory I turned my front light off around 4am by Magor toll booths. Ian suffered a puncture by the golf course outside Chepstow and we were all milling around and a paramedic stopped to see if we were all OK and offered a plaster for the punctured tube 3

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Chris Hayes | 5 years ago
1 like

Thanks Ian.  Great ride.  I'll have a bash at it when I retire!  I used to live in Norway - near Voss - and I was working on the farm one day when I noticed a guy had stopped at the bottom of the field, by the lake.  I went to chat to him and topped up his water bottles.  He was a retired banker who'd taken the boat to the North Cape and was cycling home to Zurich.  He thought our farm was the second most beautiful place in Norway (behind Lofoten)...Well, now I'm working in the City and eager to follow in his tracks...not at your pace though.  I'll check out your charity page and donate. Well done.

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ktache | 5 years ago
0 likes

Well done Ian.

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Ian Walker | 5 years ago
5 likes

The Guinness records rules dictate that you have to travel continuously overland and only on roads open to cycles. So no ferries, and no Denmark. The only option is through Russia.

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Rod Marton | 5 years ago
1 like

Probably more to do with not being allowed to cycle across the Oresund bridge. I suspect the alternative (taking a ferry) would be frowned upon.

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Dingaling | 5 years ago
0 likes

I suspect the chosen route was a lot less hilly than Norway, less traffic (until Germany) and better weather. 

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Chris Hayes | 5 years ago
0 likes

It would be interesting to learn more about this: like why did he take that route?  You'd have thought that N to DK to D then Lux would have been a more direct (and shorter) route?

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