A record by a million country miles

Retired civil servant who has logged every trip for 67 years will be first British cyclist to hit milestone

FOR most pensioners in their 80s, an eight-day stay in hospital would be a sure sign that it is time to pack in any strenuous or taxing hobbies.

But not Russ Mantle, who tomorrow will become the first Briton to cycle one million miles in his lifetime – and is still riding 25 miles every other day.

The retired civil servant, 82, has meticulously recorded every single ride since 1952, when he completed his “lowest ever mileage” of 18,500 miles.

“I’ve kept records all my life,” he told The Daily Telegraph. “I first started cycling in 1951, but I didn’t have a diary then, I started my diaries in 1952.”

Mr Mantle’s diaries take note of every time he cycled to and from work, competed in races and pedalled up some of the world’s highest mountains during tours across Europe and America. Mr Mantle, who worked for the then Department of the Environment for 25 years until he retired at the age of 57, added that he notes temperature, wind direction, cafés and villages he passes through.

According to the 300,000 Mile Cycling Club, the next Briton to aim for the title is still 204,917 miles behind.

Tomorrow he will be joined by the cycling community as they complete the mere five-mile route that will see Mr Mantle ride his millionth mile, from his home in Aldershot, Hants to a café in Mytchett, Surrey, on his cherished Holdsworth road bike, which he has owned since 1964.

Making cycling history, the lifetime member of Farnham Road Club and also a member of West Surrey CTC, will be presented with an award from Cycling UK as he crosses the tape.

The athlete, who has never married and said cycling was his “true love”, said: “It is quite the achievement I suppose. When I think about it, it is quite remarkable. When I started recording in 1952 I had a cyclometer that made a ‘tick-tick’ noise and in the Nineties I replaced it with a more modern one which goes on my handlebars.

“In the Nineties I did 265 miles in one day, which is my biggest day ever, when I cycled from Aldershot to Monmouthshire in Wales and back again.”

Nicknamed “mile-eater Mantle” by friends, he completed 22,550 miles in 2001, nearly enough to circumnavigate the globe.

He added: “In one year

I did 56 100-mile rides.”

His beloved bikes – he now owns five – are his only mode of transport. “I got rid of my car about four years ago. On its last three MOTS it had only done 50 miles a year each time. What was the point in keeping it?”

But he has been forced to slow down due, he said, to his age. Three years ago, while cycling in Wales he became unwell and after being airlifted to a nearby hospital, doctors said he had had a heart attack, but Mr Mantle said he “can’t believe that”. He added: “So now I can only cycle in the daylight, up to 25 miles every other day.”

Paul Tuohy, chief executive of Cycling UK, called Mr Mantle an “inspiration”.