Bath, UK based cyclist Ben Rockett is over halfway in his attempt to ride to Land's End to John O'Groats and back in six days.
The current record for the 1781 miles is six days and 20 hours, set by Bobby Brown in 2000, but Ben looks to be on track to breaking it. He set off from Land's End at 9am on 21 August and reached the turnaround at John O'Groats around 10pm on the 23rd - just over two and a half days of riding and four hours ahead of schedule. However he now faces a more difficult return journey, which will be into a headwind.
You can keep up with Ben's progress here and help him raise money for the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young here.
Why do it?
BikeRadar spoke to Ben before the attempt to find out what drove him to it. Especially as the blond 23 year-old looks more like a powerfully built track sprinter or a surfer than an endurance rider.
"A friend of a friend tried it and failed," he said, before going into his real motivation. "I work with challenged kids and this is inspirational for them."
He's also doing the ride for the Cardiac Risk for the Young (CRY) charity, who are dedicated to reducing the frequency of sudden cardiac death in young people.
Ben is no stranger to long distance cycling. In the past he has ridden from Lands End to John O'Groats, cycled across America, run marathons and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. For this record attempt, he has been training up to 50 hours (1000 miles) a week, burning and eating 8000 calories per day, and staying awake for up to 70 hours. During the attempt he was aiming at riding the first 48 hours non-stop, then having four hours a night rest.
"You can't get used to sleep deprivation," he said. "You just get used to how you feel."
Ben is well kitted up on the equipment side. Thanks in part to the Bicycle Chain in Somerset, he's riding a Giant Trinity Advanced SL0 time trial bike and a TCR Advanced road bike. They're part of his five bike fleet that will be looked after by his eight member support crew. USE/Exposure are supplying lights for the night time parts of the journey, while High 5 and Vestey Foods are looking after his nutrition on the road.
For more on Ben Rockett and his progress, visit www.rockettrides.com