German ultracyclist breaks 18,000km Cape to Cape record by 30 days

German ultracyclist Jonas Diechmann has this evening broken the record for riding from North Cape in Norway to Cape Town in South Africa by 30 days – riding from the northermost point in Europe to the southern tip of Africa in 72 days, 7 hours and 27 minutes.

Jonas Deichmann wrote on Facebook: “At 18.53 local time November 19th, I finally arrived at the Waterfront here in Cape Town, South Africa

“In 72 days, 7 hours and 27 minutes I have travelled 18.000 kilometres on my bike, all the way from North Cape, Norway to here.

“I completed the journey 30 days faster than the world record.

“I am tired, sore and very, very happy. I want to thank everyone who has supported me on this adventure.

“Now I am going to have a little party here in Cape Town to celebrate, but promise to be back here soon with more on how I feel.”

As we reported on Sunday, the 31-year-old set off from North Cape in September with 51-year-old ultracyclist and photographer Philipp Hympendahl.

> German ultracyclist set to smash 18,000km Cape to Cape world record + take a look at his kit list

However, Hympendahl was forced to abandon the challenge in Egypt due to food poisoning, which Deichmann also suffered from several times during his journey.

It is the fourth ultracycling record that Deichmann has set. In 2017, he rode from Cabo da Roca in Portugal to Vladivostock on Russia’s Pacific coast in 64 days – the fastest crossing of Eurasia by bike, and he also set a new record for the fastest trip across Europe.

Last year, he completed the 23,000-kilometre Panamerican Highway route from Alaska to Argentina in 98 days, beating the existing record by almost a month.

The previous Cape to Cape record stood at 102 days, and was set in 2013 by Reza Pakravan and Steven Pawley.