Riding a bike in circles for 24-hours sounds like a very particular form of masochism – but that’s exactly what the entrants to Revolve24 do. Martin Love explains why
Lindsay McCrae, an ultra-athlete from Inverness with an easy smile and a honed body that’s part rabbit part robot, gives me a steady look and tells me his race tactics: “I’ll ride for five hours, then have 15 minutes off. Then repeat to the end. I want to have less than an hour stoppage in total.” I burst out laughing. Then realise he isn’t joking. He isn’t joking one bit. Big Kev from Berkshire plans to stop for 10 minutes every two hours, while Audrey from Poole aims to ride for 12 hours straight, then stop for an hour… In the bonkers world of 24-hour bike racing, contestants casually pass off feats of extreme endeavour as if they’re talking about a stroll to the shops.
It’s all quite straightforward. The event is the Revolve24. It’s a 24-hour cycling endurance challenge hosted on possibly Britain’s most picturesque motor circuit, Brands Hatch. Riders line up at 3pm on Saturday and start pedalling round and round. At 3pm on Sunday, exactly 24 hours later, they stop. The winner is the person who goes the farthest. You can break whenever you want, but obviously every time you do you are losing distance. Questions arise. Tactics are crucial. Would you go further if you slept for an hour or just kept going?
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