RECORD AT THE DOUBLE
Catherine Dixon and Rachael Marsden have broken the record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by tandem bike. Cat and Raz, as they like to be called, cycled more than 18,000 miles and raised almost £35,000 for two charities.
A YORK cyclist and her friend have broken the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by tandem bike.
Catherine Dixon and Rachael Marsden completed their trip in 263 days, eight hours and seven minutes, breaking the female record but also the male record of 281 days as well.
The pair said they were “incredibly proud” of achieving the feat, which saw them cover 18,263 miles through 25 countries, including Thailand, New Zealand and the USA.
Ms Dixon, 54, was the chief executive of Askham Bryan College, near York, before giving up her job in order to take on the cycling challenge.
The friends set off in June last year and arrived back in London on March 18, travelling on what was the penultimate passenger ferry back from Caen in France, before travel restrictions were introduced due to coronavirus.
Ms Dixon and 55-year-old Ms Marsden, from Oxford, said in a statement: “We are incredibly proud to be Guinness World Record title holders. The experience was incredible and certainly not without its challenges, most notably racing to make it home as borders closed behind us due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Setting the world record was the adventure of a lifetime and we hope that it will inspire others to believe that anything is possible if you follow your dreams.”
The pair, who met in 2016, rode between 80 and 100 miles on average each day, facing monsoons across Asia and bushfires in Australia.
They have raised almost £35,000 to date for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and Oxfam.