The place-to-place renaissance
Jasmijn Muller’s unsuccessful attempt on the Land’s End to John o’ Groats record at the end of last year seemed to pave the way for a busy 2018 in this unsung corner of the sport. A total of five national-level records fell in 2018 including LEJOG — the revered ‘jewel in the crown’ of placeto-place records, as described by the new holder Michael Broadwith.
Importantly, two of the Road Records Association’s new circuit records have fallen too, with Richard Abraham setting a new mark in the Brecon Beacons and Doug Hart in the Yorkshire Dales. The RRA came up with these to help combat the difficulties cyclists have accessing the big cities that are traditionally used as starts, finishes and turns. Abraham and Hart are the first riders to successfully set benchmarks, hopefully encouraging others to follow.
Hart, of Ilkley CC, also set a new mark from Edinburgh to York in October, updating a 40-year-old record to 8:08.09 on his second attempt — poor weather during his first in April saw him fall off the pace and then fall off his bike, breaking his shoulder.
October seemed to be a good month for ‘place-to-placers’, with the Pembroke to Great Yarmouth ‘Side-to-side’ record also falling. Police sergeant Nick Clarke recorded 15:23.59 to shave nearly an hour and a half off Marina Bloom’s 15-year-old record.
But the year in place-to-place really belongs to Broadwith. He wasn’t the only one to attempt a new LEJOG record, but he was the only one to succeed, despite endless rain and serious neck troubles, taking more than half an hour off Gethin Butler’s ‘unbreakable’ 17-year-old time.