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Friday 12 June 2009
Robin Simpson, the endurance athlete who was seeking to establish his 12th world record by cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s End and then back again to John O’Groats in less than six days and 17 hours, was forced to quit just after 4.00am today.
Simpson, who was nine miles from Land’s End when he reluctantly took the decision, said that it was a combination of elements that made up his mind for him. Having set off from John O’Groats at 8.00am on Tuesday, he was almost halfway to his target in less than three days and was on course to break the record.
“I am bitterly disappointed not to have got the record”, said Simpson. “It was a number of things that conspired against me, but I have learnt a heck of a lot over the past few days and past few weeks, and I am definitely going to have another crack at it in the future. Yesterday, when I was still going strong, I vowed that I would never, ever attempt it again, but that seems like a long time ago now.
“What were the things that conspired against me? Well, I was suffering from saddle soreness - and I’ve got to confess my backside’s a mess - but that wasn’t going to stop me on its own as long as I didn’t get an infection. And the cold, wet weather on the second day, when it didn’t stop raining and I covered only 210 miles, didn’t help either.
“But I suppose the thing that I couldn’t have planned for was the loneliness I felt when I was riding. I didn’t speak to anyone else for hours on end, and when I attempt the record again, I will have someone cycling with me some of the time - someone competitive who appreciates how hard it is, someone who can push me.
“As I said, I have leant a lot and I know I can beat the record. Work has been pretty busy recently and I should probably have done more training before the event. And I might slightly alter my sleep patterns in the event itself next time.
“When I decided to quit, I was completely gutted and I couldn’t bring myself to ring anyone. Funnily enough, I wasn’t feeling too tired and my legs were fine, but I knew I was beaten. There’s always next time, however, and I am thinking about it already.”
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