DUBAI 18 February 2018: Cycling in to the city of Salalah at around 5am, in cool temperatures of 19 degrees, British cycling champion and endurance athlete, Jonathan Shubert achieved his goal and set a new world record.
He cycled the incredible distance of 1,300km from Muscat to Salalah in under 48 hours! His official time was clocked at 47 hours and 21 minutes lowering the existing mark for this route which was 6 days.
He embarked on this superhuman feat from Muscat at 6:10am on February 11th and cycled through two nights on lonely dark roads with cool temperatures of 13 degrees and highs of 30 degrees during the day. Other than keeping an eye out for camels and speeding trucks, his three support vehicles and crew did everything from handing him water and food, tending to his sun burns, blasting music to keep him awake, and helping him after he crashed off the road due to dangerous road conditions.
During the ride, he suffered from immense fatigue to sunburn and overheating requiring the team to hang socks filled with ice cubes down his back. At one point, his stomach lining felt irritated so he used hydration tablets from Gu energy as well as lime to reduce the sickly feeling. Unexpected wind caused concern and made the journey more difficult, not to mention the intense heat that made him remove his helmet as his brain was swollen against the sides of the helmet.
With 400km left to go, Jonathan reflected: “This is unchartered territory – I’ve never gone this far before.”
Drawing on his inner strength and determination, Jonathan overcame these intense obstacles and managed to pedal his way through the flat and hilly terrain to reach his destination and set a World Record.
This endurance athlete is no stranger to difficult challenges – in fact, he searches for any opportunity to test his limits! Between March 2013 and March 2014, he embarked on an unassisted, 30,000 km circumnavigation of the globe by bicycle passing through 29 countries, three continents, which included all extremes of climate and terrain.
Only three weeks after completing his round the world expedition, Jonathan fulfilled another life dream: cycling an unparalleled 835 km in a single day to become the 2014 British 24-hour time trial champion. After moving to the Middle East and an 18-month hiatus from the sport of cycling, Jonathan returned to British long-distance championships setting national records and medaling in both 12 and 24-hour championships.
Describing the motivation behind this challenge, Jonathan says: “After living and working in the Middle East, I feel compelled to do something to help people afflicted by the terrible conflicts that play out in this region of the world. As a former British 24-hour national cycling champion and round the world cyclist, it only seems appropriate that I fundraise for Lifting Hands International in the best way I know how. By riding my bicycle.”
On site supporting this exciting feat were the following sponsors: ub-cool.com, the fastest growing online adventure-booking platform offering 70+ destinations via partnerships with 650+ companies; Oman Bicycle Shop, who provide all your bicycle needs in Muscat; Prismic Media, professional film and documentary producers; and, Husaak, the largest adventure tour operator in the Middle East.